New Teacher Worries She's Making A 'Horrible First Impression' After Struggling To Keep Up With Her Responsibilities — 'I Feel Lied To'
“It feels like teaching is only half of my job.”
pixelshot | Canva Pro It’s disheartening to continue hearing about how mentally and emotionally drained many of today’s teachers feel. From students’ misbehavior and their parents’ attitudes to the pressure from administrators (and let’s not even get into the lack of fair compensation), most teachers are growing tired of their routines.
A new teacher said she's feeling these pressures in a way she didn't anticipate and worried that she might be making a bad first impression because she struggled to manage all aspects of the job.
One new teacher took to Reddit asking for advice after feeling overwhelmed by her never-ending list of responsibilities.
In the r/teachers forum, she explained she recently began her first year of teaching sixth grade as a general education teacher at a public school in what she was informed was a good district.
However, after only two weeks, she revealed she was reconsidering if she chose the right profession.
Karolina Kaboompics | Canva Pro
“The crazy part is that it’s not even the kids, or the teaching part, or the lesson planning…” she shared. “There’s TOO many things to keep track of!!!!”
She expressed how she’s struggling to handle the “relentless meetings” and “countless deadlines” in addition to her daily responsibilities in the classroom. On top of that, she feels pressured to perform well and participate in additional tasks to prove herself to the administrators since she’s not tenured.
The teacher is working 70 hours a week and still feels like she can't get everything done.
Between everything she’s responsible for upholding, she has put in 70 hours of work each week, as “there’s not enough time in the day to do everything at work.”
She revealed how she’s been diagnosed with ADHD since she was six years old, and while she was aware of the meticulous organizational skills being a teacher would require, she wasn’t prepared for just how much she signed up for.
She vented about how her colleagues frequently forget to inform her of certain responsibilities and deadlines and how other teachers are already gossiping about her.
The teacher expressed her anxiety about keeping up with her school’s expectations.
After noticing a student bullying another kid at the playground, the teacher promptly intervened and directed the student to the school psychologist, at which point she realized she was 10 minutes late to an important meeting.
“The principal who was there for the meeting is HUGE on being on time,” the teacher wrote. “She views even a minute late as being late.”
That same day, she then learned that one of the other tenured teachers heard a rumor that she was “rude” despite her overarching efforts to lead with a kind and friendly attitude.
“A rumor like this about me going around ALREADY is awful because this is just another thing that the principal is big on and I’m already messing up…” the teacher wrote with concern.
Despite only being within the first two weeks of the school year, the “hopeless” teacher already anticipated how this negative first impression may likely result in her termination at the end of the year. Because of these challenges that seem to be threatening her success, she’s already doubting her abilities with the limiting belief that she doesn’t “have what it takes” to be a teacher.
“I don’t know how I’m going to do it,” she expressed honestly. “Am I crazy? Is this how it’s supposed to feel? Does it get better? Or is teaching just not for me? Because everyone I’m talking to says unfortunately it doesn’t get better, and it only gets harder.”
Reddit users empathized with her stress, relating to the anxiety that seems to always loom over the teaching industry.
Reddit users assured her that the first year of teaching will always be the hardest, and learning to adapt and manage the job will come with experience.
They advised her not to take on more than she can handle solely for the sake of “looking good” to admin. This will only lead to instant burnout which will significantly impact her ability to succeed. Rather, she should prioritize excelling at her primary job responsibility before anything else.
They identified how the first school a teacher begins their journey at may not be their “teaching home.”
Based on the context the teacher provided in her school’s expectations and how overwhelmed she already feels, they suggested she may be better off transitioning to a different school that can meet her preferences.
“To me, a building that expects new teachers to add more to their plates with extras has no flexibility to allow you to address student needs, and has toxic people gossiping about others' performance is a red flag,” someone commented on the post.
According to Thought Co., the first year of teaching will be challenging for everyone, and experience is, in fact, the best teacher.
If the teacher truly does see a future in the teaching field, she should stay mindful of her needs and not pressure herself into overextending herself beyond what she can manage to feel worthy, as this behavior will only hurt her in the end.
Francesca Duarte is a writer on YourTango's news and entertainment team based in Orlando, FL. She covers lifestyle, human-interest, adventure, and spirituality topics.