Whatever you might think is wrong with education, we can all agree that the entire education system needs to be reworked and remodeled. Teachers and students are suffering the consequences of misinformed and uneducated policymakers. Adjusting school culture and climate has to be at the forefront of systematic educational changes, and it has to happen now.

These tweets express major problems that teachers are facing in schools all over the world.

1. Extra responsibilities keep increasing.

Our jobs are all-consuming. After hours, we plan, grade, collect data, rearrange seating charts, and never, ever stop thinking about our students. The endless list of to-dos leaves us mentally unprepared to give our own families what they need.

2. People disrespect and misunderstand the teaching profession.

Relaxing the required criteria to attract more teachers is counterproductive. Teaching is a difficult job that requires skill and hard work; the only way to improve the teacher pool is for districts to focus on teacher retention and morale. Schools that have a positive culture don’t lose teachers! Ever!

3. Teacher pay is miserably low.

The fact that teachers don’t get at least $80,000 to start, and the President has to tweet this, is a huge problem.

4. Teachers quit because of the adults, not the students.

Why can’t districts see that the problem is that we are asking teachers to do so much more with less and less in return? The unnecessary tasks that they pile higher than a Garfield submarine sandwich are preventing teachers from focusing on what they love…. the art of teaching.

5. Parents blame educators for everything.

Parents that blame us for their own parental failings are emotionally draining and can sometimes border on mental assault. Students that disrespect their teachers often learn it somewhere… uh… from their parents!!

6. Teachers are micromanaged. 

If we want to have recess, we should have it. If we want to teach fractions with our own materials, let us. The micromanagement of educators is degrading and pushes us out the door at much higher rates. 

7. Teachers are expected to solve all problems all the time.

School boards and administrators do not give teachers enough support in the areas of student behavior and mental health. Instead, teachers must somehow solve all student problems and keep them “on task” at all times. If not, we are labeled as “ineffective.” 

8. The system is toxic.

There is an educational emergency to fix school culture, but efforts are minimal. Administrators who refuse to create a positive workplace where the needs of students and teachers come first should be demoted quickly.

9. Standardized testing is tone-deaf.

Teachers know that scores do not tell the whole story or any story, really. The money spent on standardized tests could buy extra teachers or pay behavior interventionists that could support teachers with the early childhood trauma that we are seeing.

10. No one listens to teachers or even asks us, really.

Educational policymakers are not on the front lines. Teachers need to have input on important matters such as standardized testing, climate, student behavior, and curriculum. We are the true experts.

Teachers have been shouting these same expressions from the rooftops for decades, but we are brushed off as whiners and complainers. Until the knowledge of teachers is respected, valued, and implemented, the education system will continue to fail students. Take care of the teachers, and you will be taking care of the students.

These Tweets Show the Major Problems Teachers Are Facing in Schools