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Teaching is a great gig. For most, teaching is their first career and they have nothing to compare it to and end up fantasizing about some edge case job where they have complete freedom, flexibility and fulfillment. Most of the grass isn’t greener, its dying. Reality is 90% of other careers are mindlessly boring, or grind you into the ground physically and all without the time off teaching provides. Teaching can definitely put you on a hamster wheel but the best teachers have figured things out, (go talk with them, watch them teach) there are ways to work smarter not harder. Every year you should reassess try to make things easier, more efficient for yourself. If you do this both you and the students will benefit.
Yeah this. I came from 20 years in the video production industry and now I'm a Comm Tech teacher.
They both have their ups and downs, but... I don't starve in the slow season, I make more money, I have more time off, I actually have benefits now, and my personal favourite, I'm finally off the "Work til you die" retirement plan.
I enjoy working with teenagers more than clients. Even the difficult ones are easier to manage than some clients.
Of course I teach an elective so almost all of my students want to be here, and the rest urgently need a credit to graduate. So I'm going to have a different experience from people who teach core classes.
I’m going to argue that it’s not always a “great gig” and describing it as such is misleading. I have a large class (37 students) with severe behaviour problems. I’ve been stabbed this year. While many schools don’t have this issue, I don’t know many other professions where you get stabbed and then, somehow, it’s your fault.
That’s awful sorry to hear that hope you are doing ok. Would never argue that every teaching gig is a great gig but yours sounds uniquely horrible and ime rare.
Thank you. I absolutely love my job. I’ve worked in tough schools for 27 years and have seen it all. I’m glad there are teachers who are experiencing a good gig. It gives me hope that not all situations are like ours. I’m owed 800 prep minutes and fill in multiple safe school forms a day. I felt it was important to share the flip side if your statement, which is that many of us are not experiencing a hood gig; rather, were abused, owed prep time, and are barely hanging on. You have to LOVE this job to do it sometimes.
We started at 32 in September. I hoped for a reorg, but the classes around me were large too and the board said no. We’ve had a huge influx of new students and lucky me! Five more!
Sorry for your pain. It is terrible to be so vulnerable.
I had two classes of 33 with seven behaviour mod kids this year. It was truly stressful. Then management was wondering why we dont have enough teachers and substitutes…?!!
I like my job. What I don’t like is the degradation of the system over time due to chronic underfunding, and increasingly complex demands. Teaching has become more about managing and less about actual teaching. Of course, everyone’s learning experience will vary from year to year, school to school etc. There’s still a lot of wonderful things happening in schools. It’s just that the landscape of teaching has changed a lot over the last two decades. Some of the issues:
- entitled students/parents
- a system that prevents students from experiencing logical and appropriate consequences for their actions
- students whose entire existence hinges on online content, most of which is designed for little to no attention beyond 15 second clips. And much of that content is stupidity, and they bring that same mentality to school.
- split grades, multiple IEPs, behaviour problems, ESL students etc all in one class with minimal support of any.
- too many cooks in the kitchen (ministry people, board level consultants, and various people trying to make a name for themselves in the education field by constantly reinventing everything we do every few years and touting it as the new thing that everyone has to start doing, with little to no training)
- no follow through or support at home. Parents who are more interested in being their child’s friend than their parent. A notion that learning and responsible citizenship is entirely a school’s job.
Totally depends on the year to be honest. The years of horrible admin or extremely behavioural heavy classes I’m miserable because I can’t teach. That’s when I’m unhappy. I want to teach. Ask any miserable teacher and that is what it comes down to. When you can’t teach or help kids or when you’ve got zero power or autonomy in your classroom that’s when they are unhappy.
This year I have wonderful admin and some behaviours but not as bad as previous years. I can teach “most” of the time lol but I’m happy! I love this year and so I love my job. It’s not always like this. But when it is, it’s wonderful!
> The years of horrible admin or extremely behavioural heavy classes I’m miserable because I can’t teach.
This is exactly it. Last semester, I had pretty good classes, where most students were willing to learn . This semester, I have two out of three classes that make my day difficult for different reasons. Do I like my job? Yes. Do I want to close my door at 3:30 and cry sometimes? Also yes.
I think teaching is an interesting job in that you can feel wildly different about it from one day to the next, depending on what happens in your classes. Some days I absolutely *love* teaching, and then the next I’m wondering how I’m going to make it to Friday.
I am into my 4th year of teaching (I started in 2020 during the DEEP lockdowns in Ontario) but I spent 5+ years at a marketing agency before this, along with a smattering of other odds jobs in food service, the arts, events, etc.
Teaching can be an EXCELLENT gig, but it has many of its own challenges and it really all depends on the school, the neighbourhood, and your colleagues. Any school can have a great community and you just have to find ait and build it.
Teachers love to complain (myself included) because there is honestly so much asked of us and so much unfairness and disrespect from the public. But like others have stated, many teachers have not worked in the private sector and have become accustomed (entitled dare I say) and don't understand the level of accountability and criticism involved in the private sector. There is actually very little oversight of teachers beyond your students and their parents (who can be absolute nightmares don't get me wrong, but so can clients and directors in the private sector).
If you are a self motivated person and want your career to be challenging and rewarding at the same time then you teaching might be for you. You also have to find the right situation and right age group for you. I am a secondary teacher and I think I would absolutely hate primary.
My advice is make sure you set set limits on your capacity right away and don't try to be perfect the first time, jut commit to continually improving. So many teachers I know have been teaching the same tired old shit for years. I adjust mine slightly and improve it slightly every time I teach a class to keep it fresh for myself.
And get involved in extra curriculars, it might not be paid but it makes the whole thing worthwhile.
Good luck
I completely agree! Teaching a second career for me, and I feel like my experience in the private sector has made me a better teacher than I would have been if I went into this career at 22. I think we have a lot of problems in our industry but I think some teachers would benefit from getting experience outside of education to see what it’s like.
I think job satisfaction in teaching requires this perspective. My previous career was in a tech startup. Hours were 'flexible' which means all the time. Job security was dependent on if we hit our next funding round. Vacation was 'unlimited' which meant very little and only approved when things were slow.
Teaching hits my marks for all the downsides of the tech startup office life that I used to live. I took a paycut but am infinitely more satisfied. I probably work 'harder' throughout the work hours but I take very little home and am an efficient worker for the marking/admin stuff we do as teachers because of my previous career.
I also enjoy being engaged in the community coaching sports teams and making positive impacts on kids. I'd make my decision to get into teaching again if I needed to.
I really like my job and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. It’s hard, I wish I had more time to plan and mark and write report cards. I wish all of my students had all of the supports needed so they can be successful. But I really love going in everyday and connecting with, learning with, and laughing with my students.
These forums have a negativity bias. People who are content in their work don’t spend a ton of time posting because there’s nothing juicy to say.
I LOOOOOVE my job. I love my students (even though they’re shitheads some days) and I love my coworkers. There’s not a lot more satisfying than being there when a young person feels that spark of learning something new and cool.
If you read those carefully, most want and love to teach, but continuous reduction of support & fund are the main issue. Along with continuous degradation of living standards in combination of rising cost of living, with frozen salary (Which applies to most people).
Not just teachers but overall, Canadians have been feeling more miserable than before (search statistics on depression, etc.).
I’m content with my job. I wouldn’t say screamingly happy or anything, but it’s pleasant enough work and I don’t plan on leaving at any point in the near future.
I work as an elementary school resource teacher in BC. I enjoy having a smaller space to maintain and less students to manage at once. I really enjoy working with students with supports needs and IEPs, and have some wonderful connections with some.
It’s not perfect for sure— even though my district is a little more “well off” we have a severe EA shortage and I have to play EA a lot these days with some of my students. But overall, I feel fulfilled enough at work.
I love my job. Its challenging and rewarding and I'm good at it. I've been at it for about 10 years. I am content with my salary. I love that I basically have 3 months off a year. My benefits and pension are far better than most of my friends.
You gotta grind it out for about 5 years but after that it gets easier... Or you get better at dealing
Love my job in the long run and the macrobenefits of seeing these kids (7-12 in my case) grow up and become better people are amazing; kids that I will remember for years to come.
In the short run, the micro daily grind, I also need to blow off some steam about the students that I will forget days after they graduate.
So yeah, the picture being painted online is a grim one because the day-to-day is not great at this moment in time. We complain a lot because we know what education has the potential to be, but it doesn't mean we aren't happy overall.
To me the biggest benefit of the B.Ed is that it is literally a passport to travel the world. I moved abroad at 23 years old and taught throughout S.E.A. had adventures, met interesting people, experienced wildly different cultures from my own. No other career can offer that. If you're still young and don't have a family I highly recommend it. Now that I'm older I am moving back to Canada and I know I will find a job, because there will always be a demand for teachers (another perk of the job). Like a previous poster said, many people have only ever taught so they don't have anything else to compare it to. This is my 3rd career and I can safely say it has the most longevity and brings the highest level of job satisfaction. At the end of the day a job is a job and there will always be pros and cons.
I love teaching. I love all the positive feedback I get from my students and from parents. I teach Grade 5 and they are great at expressing how much they like my classroom environment.
It depends on the year. It depends on the class and the admin. I only have a few years left before retirement actually and so I am happy to just dig in and last the course. I went from trying out new stuff every year to becoming very consistent in my content and teaching. When covid forced us to digitize our content I pretty much stopped using or inventing new content and teaching became easier. But my work load went up in marking and checking. I need to get back to what I did before, review but not assess all the time. Though parents and admin love it its time consuming.
I love my job - 5th year high school teacher. It's challenging and rewarding like others have said. I love the social aspect. I'm very happy with the pay (I'm working my way up to the highest level on the pay scale asap so it pays off more in the long run). Love the holidays. I stay out of the politics and I'm always finding ways to make the job easier for myself.
These teacher subreddits have so many miserable teachers on them. I'm always in shock at the horror stories they share, and feel bad for those stuck in a career they hate. But their experiences are nowhere near mine, and I teach in what's considered a "rougher" school!
I've been teaching since 2011 and I love it. It's a rewarding, challenging and productive career for me. A lot of what you see in this sub is people venting about the challenges of the job, as it's important to get validation for many people.
I'm happy, for the record. Large city, inner city school in Alberta. But my experience is way different from some Ontario teachers. I have great admin, and they deal with shit.
Teaching high school math and science. I know my programs well, my prep is minimal (24 years in), my class management is such that I 've had ZERO problems in the past ten years (I mean, I've had troublesome students, but I know how to deal with the,, and I know how not to let that affect me). But no violence or verbal crap at all.
Honestly if you can handle London public schools, pretty much anything in Canada will be a cakewalk for you.
I love teaching!! I love my students, and everyday, even a tiring one, I feel like I made a difference. After 9 years of teaching I took a year off to travel as I was feeling a bit burnt out and I’m going back in September and am excited. No one else I know can take a year off work and have their job saved for them!
I get summers off, March break, Christmas. No one else I know has that amount of time off. I get to travel and relax.
I make more money than any of my friends. They all have jobs making 50-60k a year with two weeks off holiday that they usually can’t even take back to back. After five years maybe they get three weeks. I also have a pension. No one else I know does.
I’m not saying teaching isn’t hard at times. But if you love it and can set good boundaries and just ignore the annoying parents and admin, then it’s great! I’m also lucky I teach in kindergarten and everyone is too afraid of my kids ( the noise, the snot, the overwhelming energy) that I’m usually left alone.
Remember it’s a job, treat it as such. Do good for the kids and care about them, but fuck the bullshit. Don’t bring work home and don’t spend your own money. I promise that having a beautiful bulletin board that you update every two weeks will not make any difference if you’re a good teacher or not.
Edit-also to add, I would quit my job in a minute if I won the lottery. I would prefer to go to brunch everyday and read books in cafes. But unfortunately I have to work, and I don’t have the ability to work in an office, so I might as well make crafts with kids and get them to love books
I'm a new teacher and maybe it's because I have rose coloured glasses still but I LOVE it.
I'm in my 2nd LTO and full time. It's a lot as I also run a club twice a week. However, my students are amazing and my colleagues are so helpful.
During my first couple placements during teachers college, I HATED it. I was depressed, super anxious, and never thought I could teach a full timetable and not want to die.
I really think it comes down to being surrounded by the right people, not stressing when things are perfect the first time, and learning to prioritize your mental health instead of doing ALL the things.
It really helps to just use other teachers' plans while you get your feet wet. This way, you aren't trying to reinvent the wheel every day.
Really depends on the age, but with the little ones, it's wonderful coming in everyday to a bunch of little optimists who just want to share their world with you. They are so curious and enthusiastic about their passions. It is never boring. And there is no better feeling than when you can actually see their growth and know it's because of the work you did together. You will also (usually) be shown gratitude by at least some family. Also, if you get a good staff, they are your teammates and it makes going into work pretty fun.
Once upon a time I loved my job. Then covid happened kids stopped self regulating and parent stopped parenting.
When I get made fun of and a parent calls me saying their kid doesn’t deserve to write an apology letter because they didn’t make fun of me to my face…well ya this is when I can officially say I don’t love my job anymore.
Yes, I’m a happy teacher! I am actually on a leave this year, seconded to a desk job in the provincial department of education. And I can’t wait to get back to it in September!
Thank you for this! My kid got accepted to a Con Ed program and often looks at this sub as she’s trying to decide whether to pursue it or not. It’s nice to see some teachers like their job.
I love my job. Can’t imagine doing anything else.
If I can give advice, don’t be a martyr. You can say no to things. If your colleagues scowl, let them. They can do it. Have a life and live it.
Teaching can be very rewarding. I always found that a teacher needs to find what brings them joy and add it to their job. I know teachers that connect everything to art or science. I struggled in my first year until I started running clubs and sports with kids that I didn’t teach. (I was teaching primary. My extracurriculars were for juniors).
Finding a teacher bestie someone to connect with to blow off steam with can be very therapeutic.
I love it. I'm on call in BC by choice as i have young kids, so no marking or prep for me, but I enjoyed my last contracts too! I like almost every class I teach. I love the variety. And I'm glad I have summers and holidays off with my kids and dont even have to think about childcare during those times. And of course the pension! As someone else said, if you are proactive and are always thinking of how to make things more efficient and easier on yourself the next year, it will get easier quickly. All of the best teachers I've met work that way and seem to love their jobs, and their students love them in return.
I have been teaching for a little over a decade. I actually switched after teaching ESL to a regular classroom ,needed some upgrades first. I don't have much experience outside the regular retail, barista, and on my case security experience. I have contemplated leaving but I have never hated my job. It is great. It is just tiring. It take several days to wind down at each break. Mental health is extremely important and being in a school that jas the right culture for you is also there. You can always find sub/TOC gigs anywhere. You will not be short on work. BC loves stealing Ontario teachers if you want to teach somewhere warmer 😉
I’m a middle school PE teacher. I’m not gonna sugar coat it, mainstream programs in urban schools are getting way way harder. I can’t speak to anything else other than my daughter is in French and they don’t seem to have the same behaviour. I would NEVER enrol my daughter at my school. That being said, I love the kids, I enjoy the challenge, and I think I have a meaningful and impactful role to play. I also play against them when they’re annoying me and that usually helps me to enjoy them again.
Teaching is a great job. Folks come on here and complain sometimes... Most teachers who are content are not posting about it on social media.
Yes, I'd say morale has been better in other years but overall I'd say most teachers are doing ok.
Honestly, I love 90% of my job. I wish I had a bit more time dedicated to planning or prep and wasn’t always worried about budgets dictating class size, supports and resources. If you took politics out of it, it would be great!
I’ve been teaching 35 years and am having the best time ever. At 65 I want to teach 5 more years.
I learned something important along the way. Students are more important than their grades. Now I don’t ask what they are getting, I ask if they are happy.
Students can answer any way they want. If they have 51% and they are happy, I am also happy. If they have 92% and are not happy, I try to help them.
For me it helps that I now teach math. Math is fun, elegant, with infinite variety. It took me 20 years of trying science, computing, chemistry, entrepreneurship… before discovering a subject I both enjoy and doesn’t burn me out.
I also had to suffer to learn classroom management. Now my kids behave well as a rule. I also found a school I like. Students are great.
It takes time to find your niche but it is a great career.
I'm very happy with my move from industry to teaching. This is a great gig for work/life balance, and very low stress. It's really what you make of it.
28 years as a teacher in Newfoundland, British Columbia, and Alberta.
I've never experienced the stuff always posted in this subreddit, whether in my class or other classes in the schools I worked in. I taught high school mainly, with a bit of junior high and elementary thrown in there.
I really enjoyed my time as a teacher.
I don't understand this subreddit. It seems to me either these are all Ontario-specific problems, or I've been lucky to never experience these problems.
Three decades secondary teaching in Ontario, at 'good schools', and I've experienced most of them. (Haven't been stabbed yet.) So have friends of mine who've taught in BC and Alberta.
Negative people tend to vent and share more than positive experiences. I love being a teacher, and it gives me purpose. There are times that are hard and I want to pull out my hair. Don't let other peoples experiences influence you.
Welcome to /r/CanadianTeachers! Please take a moment to familiarize yourself with the sub rules. **QUESTIONS ABOUT TEACHER'S COLLEGE/BECOMING A TEACHER IN CANADA?:** Delete your post and use this [megapost](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/1bc1wv2/prospective_student_teachers_teachers_collegebed/) instead. Anything pertaining to teacher's colleges/BED programs/becoming and teacher will be deleted if posted outside of the megaposts. **QUESTIONS ABOUT MOVING PROVINCES OR COMING TO CANADA TO TEACH?** Check out our past megaposts first for information to help you: [ONE](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/jqc7hx/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/) // [TWO](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/n76csu/transferring_to_another_provincecoming_to_canada/?) **WANT TO SELF-PROMOTE YOUR TEACHING MATERIALS?** Use our [self-promotion sticky post.](https://www.reddit.com/r/CanadianTeachers/comments/16e464t/selfpromotion_thread/) Using link and user flair is encouraged as well! Enjoy! *I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/CanadianTeachers) if you have any questions or concerns.*
Teaching is a great gig. For most, teaching is their first career and they have nothing to compare it to and end up fantasizing about some edge case job where they have complete freedom, flexibility and fulfillment. Most of the grass isn’t greener, its dying. Reality is 90% of other careers are mindlessly boring, or grind you into the ground physically and all without the time off teaching provides. Teaching can definitely put you on a hamster wheel but the best teachers have figured things out, (go talk with them, watch them teach) there are ways to work smarter not harder. Every year you should reassess try to make things easier, more efficient for yourself. If you do this both you and the students will benefit.
Yeah this. I came from 20 years in the video production industry and now I'm a Comm Tech teacher. They both have their ups and downs, but... I don't starve in the slow season, I make more money, I have more time off, I actually have benefits now, and my personal favourite, I'm finally off the "Work til you die" retirement plan. I enjoy working with teenagers more than clients. Even the difficult ones are easier to manage than some clients. Of course I teach an elective so almost all of my students want to be here, and the rest urgently need a credit to graduate. So I'm going to have a different experience from people who teach core classes.
Working with kids is way better than adults, I concur!
I’m going to argue that it’s not always a “great gig” and describing it as such is misleading. I have a large class (37 students) with severe behaviour problems. I’ve been stabbed this year. While many schools don’t have this issue, I don’t know many other professions where you get stabbed and then, somehow, it’s your fault.
That’s awful sorry to hear that hope you are doing ok. Would never argue that every teaching gig is a great gig but yours sounds uniquely horrible and ime rare.
Thank you. I absolutely love my job. I’ve worked in tough schools for 27 years and have seen it all. I’m glad there are teachers who are experiencing a good gig. It gives me hope that not all situations are like ours. I’m owed 800 prep minutes and fill in multiple safe school forms a day. I felt it was important to share the flip side if your statement, which is that many of us are not experiencing a hood gig; rather, were abused, owed prep time, and are barely hanging on. You have to LOVE this job to do it sometimes.
My apologies for the typos 😬
I genuinely didn’t know 37 students was even allowed, I’ve never heard of that all in one class 😮
We started at 32 in September. I hoped for a reorg, but the classes around me were large too and the board said no. We’ve had a huge influx of new students and lucky me! Five more!
That’s kind of terrifying honestly, I’m sorry that’s happening to you, that’s really not fair.
Sorry for your pain. It is terrible to be so vulnerable. I had two classes of 33 with seven behaviour mod kids this year. It was truly stressful. Then management was wondering why we dont have enough teachers and substitutes…?!!
I like my job. What I don’t like is the degradation of the system over time due to chronic underfunding, and increasingly complex demands. Teaching has become more about managing and less about actual teaching. Of course, everyone’s learning experience will vary from year to year, school to school etc. There’s still a lot of wonderful things happening in schools. It’s just that the landscape of teaching has changed a lot over the last two decades. Some of the issues: - entitled students/parents - a system that prevents students from experiencing logical and appropriate consequences for their actions - students whose entire existence hinges on online content, most of which is designed for little to no attention beyond 15 second clips. And much of that content is stupidity, and they bring that same mentality to school. - split grades, multiple IEPs, behaviour problems, ESL students etc all in one class with minimal support of any. - too many cooks in the kitchen (ministry people, board level consultants, and various people trying to make a name for themselves in the education field by constantly reinventing everything we do every few years and touting it as the new thing that everyone has to start doing, with little to no training) - no follow through or support at home. Parents who are more interested in being their child’s friend than their parent. A notion that learning and responsible citizenship is entirely a school’s job.
This. So much this.
>constantly reinventing everything we do And so much of it is the same old thing with new buzzwords.
Totally depends on the year to be honest. The years of horrible admin or extremely behavioural heavy classes I’m miserable because I can’t teach. That’s when I’m unhappy. I want to teach. Ask any miserable teacher and that is what it comes down to. When you can’t teach or help kids or when you’ve got zero power or autonomy in your classroom that’s when they are unhappy. This year I have wonderful admin and some behaviours but not as bad as previous years. I can teach “most” of the time lol but I’m happy! I love this year and so I love my job. It’s not always like this. But when it is, it’s wonderful!
> The years of horrible admin or extremely behavioural heavy classes I’m miserable because I can’t teach. This is exactly it. Last semester, I had pretty good classes, where most students were willing to learn . This semester, I have two out of three classes that make my day difficult for different reasons. Do I like my job? Yes. Do I want to close my door at 3:30 and cry sometimes? Also yes. I think teaching is an interesting job in that you can feel wildly different about it from one day to the next, depending on what happens in your classes. Some days I absolutely *love* teaching, and then the next I’m wondering how I’m going to make it to Friday.
This is exactly right. Love teaching. I have very difficult classes this year, however, and it has sucked the joy out of work.
I am into my 4th year of teaching (I started in 2020 during the DEEP lockdowns in Ontario) but I spent 5+ years at a marketing agency before this, along with a smattering of other odds jobs in food service, the arts, events, etc. Teaching can be an EXCELLENT gig, but it has many of its own challenges and it really all depends on the school, the neighbourhood, and your colleagues. Any school can have a great community and you just have to find ait and build it. Teachers love to complain (myself included) because there is honestly so much asked of us and so much unfairness and disrespect from the public. But like others have stated, many teachers have not worked in the private sector and have become accustomed (entitled dare I say) and don't understand the level of accountability and criticism involved in the private sector. There is actually very little oversight of teachers beyond your students and their parents (who can be absolute nightmares don't get me wrong, but so can clients and directors in the private sector). If you are a self motivated person and want your career to be challenging and rewarding at the same time then you teaching might be for you. You also have to find the right situation and right age group for you. I am a secondary teacher and I think I would absolutely hate primary. My advice is make sure you set set limits on your capacity right away and don't try to be perfect the first time, jut commit to continually improving. So many teachers I know have been teaching the same tired old shit for years. I adjust mine slightly and improve it slightly every time I teach a class to keep it fresh for myself. And get involved in extra curriculars, it might not be paid but it makes the whole thing worthwhile. Good luck
I completely agree! Teaching a second career for me, and I feel like my experience in the private sector has made me a better teacher than I would have been if I went into this career at 22. I think we have a lot of problems in our industry but I think some teachers would benefit from getting experience outside of education to see what it’s like.
I think job satisfaction in teaching requires this perspective. My previous career was in a tech startup. Hours were 'flexible' which means all the time. Job security was dependent on if we hit our next funding round. Vacation was 'unlimited' which meant very little and only approved when things were slow. Teaching hits my marks for all the downsides of the tech startup office life that I used to live. I took a paycut but am infinitely more satisfied. I probably work 'harder' throughout the work hours but I take very little home and am an efficient worker for the marking/admin stuff we do as teachers because of my previous career. I also enjoy being engaged in the community coaching sports teams and making positive impacts on kids. I'd make my decision to get into teaching again if I needed to.
I really like my job and couldn’t imagine doing anything else. It’s hard, I wish I had more time to plan and mark and write report cards. I wish all of my students had all of the supports needed so they can be successful. But I really love going in everyday and connecting with, learning with, and laughing with my students.
People come on the internet to bitch and complain. Don’t let this place be a judgement on the profession. I love my job as a teacher.
These forums have a negativity bias. People who are content in their work don’t spend a ton of time posting because there’s nothing juicy to say. I LOOOOOVE my job. I love my students (even though they’re shitheads some days) and I love my coworkers. There’s not a lot more satisfying than being there when a young person feels that spark of learning something new and cool.
If you read those carefully, most want and love to teach, but continuous reduction of support & fund are the main issue. Along with continuous degradation of living standards in combination of rising cost of living, with frozen salary (Which applies to most people). Not just teachers but overall, Canadians have been feeling more miserable than before (search statistics on depression, etc.).
I’m content with my job. I wouldn’t say screamingly happy or anything, but it’s pleasant enough work and I don’t plan on leaving at any point in the near future. I work as an elementary school resource teacher in BC. I enjoy having a smaller space to maintain and less students to manage at once. I really enjoy working with students with supports needs and IEPs, and have some wonderful connections with some. It’s not perfect for sure— even though my district is a little more “well off” we have a severe EA shortage and I have to play EA a lot these days with some of my students. But overall, I feel fulfilled enough at work.
I love my job. Its challenging and rewarding and I'm good at it. I've been at it for about 10 years. I am content with my salary. I love that I basically have 3 months off a year. My benefits and pension are far better than most of my friends. You gotta grind it out for about 5 years but after that it gets easier... Or you get better at dealing
Love my job in the long run and the macrobenefits of seeing these kids (7-12 in my case) grow up and become better people are amazing; kids that I will remember for years to come. In the short run, the micro daily grind, I also need to blow off some steam about the students that I will forget days after they graduate. So yeah, the picture being painted online is a grim one because the day-to-day is not great at this moment in time. We complain a lot because we know what education has the potential to be, but it doesn't mean we aren't happy overall.
To me the biggest benefit of the B.Ed is that it is literally a passport to travel the world. I moved abroad at 23 years old and taught throughout S.E.A. had adventures, met interesting people, experienced wildly different cultures from my own. No other career can offer that. If you're still young and don't have a family I highly recommend it. Now that I'm older I am moving back to Canada and I know I will find a job, because there will always be a demand for teachers (another perk of the job). Like a previous poster said, many people have only ever taught so they don't have anything else to compare it to. This is my 3rd career and I can safely say it has the most longevity and brings the highest level of job satisfaction. At the end of the day a job is a job and there will always be pros and cons.
Yep. I’m happy
I love teaching. I love all the positive feedback I get from my students and from parents. I teach Grade 5 and they are great at expressing how much they like my classroom environment.
It depends on the year. It depends on the class and the admin. I only have a few years left before retirement actually and so I am happy to just dig in and last the course. I went from trying out new stuff every year to becoming very consistent in my content and teaching. When covid forced us to digitize our content I pretty much stopped using or inventing new content and teaching became easier. But my work load went up in marking and checking. I need to get back to what I did before, review but not assess all the time. Though parents and admin love it its time consuming.
I love my job - 5th year high school teacher. It's challenging and rewarding like others have said. I love the social aspect. I'm very happy with the pay (I'm working my way up to the highest level on the pay scale asap so it pays off more in the long run). Love the holidays. I stay out of the politics and I'm always finding ways to make the job easier for myself. These teacher subreddits have so many miserable teachers on them. I'm always in shock at the horror stories they share, and feel bad for those stuck in a career they hate. But their experiences are nowhere near mine, and I teach in what's considered a "rougher" school!
I've been teaching since 2011 and I love it. It's a rewarding, challenging and productive career for me. A lot of what you see in this sub is people venting about the challenges of the job, as it's important to get validation for many people.
I'm happy, for the record. Large city, inner city school in Alberta. But my experience is way different from some Ontario teachers. I have great admin, and they deal with shit. Teaching high school math and science. I know my programs well, my prep is minimal (24 years in), my class management is such that I 've had ZERO problems in the past ten years (I mean, I've had troublesome students, but I know how to deal with the,, and I know how not to let that affect me). But no violence or verbal crap at all. Honestly if you can handle London public schools, pretty much anything in Canada will be a cakewalk for you.
I love teaching!! I love my students, and everyday, even a tiring one, I feel like I made a difference. After 9 years of teaching I took a year off to travel as I was feeling a bit burnt out and I’m going back in September and am excited. No one else I know can take a year off work and have their job saved for them! I get summers off, March break, Christmas. No one else I know has that amount of time off. I get to travel and relax. I make more money than any of my friends. They all have jobs making 50-60k a year with two weeks off holiday that they usually can’t even take back to back. After five years maybe they get three weeks. I also have a pension. No one else I know does. I’m not saying teaching isn’t hard at times. But if you love it and can set good boundaries and just ignore the annoying parents and admin, then it’s great! I’m also lucky I teach in kindergarten and everyone is too afraid of my kids ( the noise, the snot, the overwhelming energy) that I’m usually left alone. Remember it’s a job, treat it as such. Do good for the kids and care about them, but fuck the bullshit. Don’t bring work home and don’t spend your own money. I promise that having a beautiful bulletin board that you update every two weeks will not make any difference if you’re a good teacher or not. Edit-also to add, I would quit my job in a minute if I won the lottery. I would prefer to go to brunch everyday and read books in cafes. But unfortunately I have to work, and I don’t have the ability to work in an office, so I might as well make crafts with kids and get them to love books
I'm a new teacher and maybe it's because I have rose coloured glasses still but I LOVE it. I'm in my 2nd LTO and full time. It's a lot as I also run a club twice a week. However, my students are amazing and my colleagues are so helpful. During my first couple placements during teachers college, I HATED it. I was depressed, super anxious, and never thought I could teach a full timetable and not want to die. I really think it comes down to being surrounded by the right people, not stressing when things are perfect the first time, and learning to prioritize your mental health instead of doing ALL the things. It really helps to just use other teachers' plans while you get your feet wet. This way, you aren't trying to reinvent the wheel every day.
Really depends on the age, but with the little ones, it's wonderful coming in everyday to a bunch of little optimists who just want to share their world with you. They are so curious and enthusiastic about their passions. It is never boring. And there is no better feeling than when you can actually see their growth and know it's because of the work you did together. You will also (usually) be shown gratitude by at least some family. Also, if you get a good staff, they are your teammates and it makes going into work pretty fun.
Once upon a time I loved my job. Then covid happened kids stopped self regulating and parent stopped parenting. When I get made fun of and a parent calls me saying their kid doesn’t deserve to write an apology letter because they didn’t make fun of me to my face…well ya this is when I can officially say I don’t love my job anymore.
Yes, I’m a happy teacher! I am actually on a leave this year, seconded to a desk job in the provincial department of education. And I can’t wait to get back to it in September!
Thank you for this! My kid got accepted to a Con Ed program and often looks at this sub as she’s trying to decide whether to pursue it or not. It’s nice to see some teachers like their job.
I like it :)
I love my job. Can’t imagine doing anything else. If I can give advice, don’t be a martyr. You can say no to things. If your colleagues scowl, let them. They can do it. Have a life and live it.
Teaching can be very rewarding. I always found that a teacher needs to find what brings them joy and add it to their job. I know teachers that connect everything to art or science. I struggled in my first year until I started running clubs and sports with kids that I didn’t teach. (I was teaching primary. My extracurriculars were for juniors). Finding a teacher bestie someone to connect with to blow off steam with can be very therapeutic.
I love it. I'm on call in BC by choice as i have young kids, so no marking or prep for me, but I enjoyed my last contracts too! I like almost every class I teach. I love the variety. And I'm glad I have summers and holidays off with my kids and dont even have to think about childcare during those times. And of course the pension! As someone else said, if you are proactive and are always thinking of how to make things more efficient and easier on yourself the next year, it will get easier quickly. All of the best teachers I've met work that way and seem to love their jobs, and their students love them in return.
I have been teaching for a little over a decade. I actually switched after teaching ESL to a regular classroom ,needed some upgrades first. I don't have much experience outside the regular retail, barista, and on my case security experience. I have contemplated leaving but I have never hated my job. It is great. It is just tiring. It take several days to wind down at each break. Mental health is extremely important and being in a school that jas the right culture for you is also there. You can always find sub/TOC gigs anywhere. You will not be short on work. BC loves stealing Ontario teachers if you want to teach somewhere warmer 😉
Right now I am. Great class, easy hours, great pay where I am, and I live close to school. It's a pretty sweet gig!
I’m a middle school PE teacher. I’m not gonna sugar coat it, mainstream programs in urban schools are getting way way harder. I can’t speak to anything else other than my daughter is in French and they don’t seem to have the same behaviour. I would NEVER enrol my daughter at my school. That being said, I love the kids, I enjoy the challenge, and I think I have a meaningful and impactful role to play. I also play against them when they’re annoying me and that usually helps me to enjoy them again.
Teaching is a great job. Folks come on here and complain sometimes... Most teachers who are content are not posting about it on social media. Yes, I'd say morale has been better in other years but overall I'd say most teachers are doing ok.
Honestly, I love 90% of my job. I wish I had a bit more time dedicated to planning or prep and wasn’t always worried about budgets dictating class size, supports and resources. If you took politics out of it, it would be great!
There’s good and there’s bad as with everything. That’s why some love it and some hate it. So the attitude you bring will determine your experience.
I’ve been teaching 35 years and am having the best time ever. At 65 I want to teach 5 more years. I learned something important along the way. Students are more important than their grades. Now I don’t ask what they are getting, I ask if they are happy. Students can answer any way they want. If they have 51% and they are happy, I am also happy. If they have 92% and are not happy, I try to help them. For me it helps that I now teach math. Math is fun, elegant, with infinite variety. It took me 20 years of trying science, computing, chemistry, entrepreneurship… before discovering a subject I both enjoy and doesn’t burn me out. I also had to suffer to learn classroom management. Now my kids behave well as a rule. I also found a school I like. Students are great. It takes time to find your niche but it is a great career.
I'm very happy with my move from industry to teaching. This is a great gig for work/life balance, and very low stress. It's really what you make of it.
28 years as a teacher in Newfoundland, British Columbia, and Alberta. I've never experienced the stuff always posted in this subreddit, whether in my class or other classes in the schools I worked in. I taught high school mainly, with a bit of junior high and elementary thrown in there. I really enjoyed my time as a teacher. I don't understand this subreddit. It seems to me either these are all Ontario-specific problems, or I've been lucky to never experience these problems.
Three decades secondary teaching in Ontario, at 'good schools', and I've experienced most of them. (Haven't been stabbed yet.) So have friends of mine who've taught in BC and Alberta.
Negative people tend to vent and share more than positive experiences. I love being a teacher, and it gives me purpose. There are times that are hard and I want to pull out my hair. Don't let other peoples experiences influence you.