Earnest Emily

“You’ve Got the Summers Off!”

That’s a phrase most often said by someone who has never worked in a school and one I heard myself a couple weeks ago.

This school year, I returned to the classroom after nearly a decade away. While it’s temporary—I’ll be back in my school counseling role next year (long story)—I’ve been meaning to journal my thoughts for some time. And what better time to share them than during Teacher Appreciation Week 2025?

There are an abundance of positives when it comes to a career in education. Obviously, the summers off and breaks being the most popular. For a growing family, this can provide an easier schedule for most. If you love kids, this is an excellent way to surround yourself with them, snotty noses and all. My motive for going into the field of education was because I had kind, encouraging teachers that made certain seasons of my childhood a bit more magical or safe. Take Mrs. Johnston, for example. My 4th grade teacher was an older woman with a deep, smoker’s voice. At first greeting, she could be quite intimidating to a group of 10-year-olds. However, my fondest memories of school center around my time in her portable classroom at Palmetto Elementary School. I felt safe there. She read books to me that I still think of today (and am reading with my current 4th grade classroom!). It was a time where my creativity and imagination was at its peak. 

Before my youngest child was born, I taught close to 15 years in various public schools, grades 3-8. I had years where I didn’t think I’d survive the school year and others where I didn’t want it to end. The thing about education is that each year is like a box of chocolates; you never know what you’re going to get. Some classes thrive together and others are like herding wild donkeys. My most favorite year was when I taught 8th grade remedial reading where the kids were the perfect amount of rambunctious, witty and curious. It was an honor to be their teacher.

Teaching is not for everyone, and certainly not for the faint of heart. It requires resilience, adaptability, and a tremendous capacity for empathy. It can also be incredibly draining. I recently used my new #BFF, ChatGPT, to dig into some data, and learned that 44% of K–12 educators report feeling burned out, the highest rate of any industry in the country. Why is this the case? In the state of Florida the number of people entering the education profession is in decline and the exit polls from teachers leaving their position emphasize the low pay and high stress.

I currently work in a private school setting, but even so, I’ve been jolted by a harsh reminder of why so many teachers are leaving the field. Although I’m now somewhat shielded from public school stressors like high-stakes testing and extensive district mandates, I am hyper-aware of what I call the “unspoken demands of a teacher.”

If you have never been a teacher, I implore you to pause and understand that these “unspoken demands” can be weighty. Do you know what the teaching role actually looks like? There are so many nooks and crannies to a teacher’s responsibilities that it’s difficult to know where to begin. A teacher is often solely responsible for the safety and thorough education of approx. two dozen children most of the working day. You can’t go to the bathroom unless someone else is monitoring the children. Yesterday, I had a total of 70 minutes without students—and here are some examples of what I, and teachers across the country, try to cram into that time (or do for hours after school):

• grading papers (I recently had 68 essays to grade that I can’t take too long to do because they have a new writing assignment this week and I’m expected to keep the grade book up to date each week)
• eating lunch
• entering grades into the online grade book system
• responding to parent emails (there are a lot!)
• preparing work in advance for children that will be absent
• pulling work together for kids that are out sick
• chasing work from students who were out or sick
• Lesson planning (aligned with state standards, engaging enough to overcome tech distractions, and accommodating for learning disabilities—often with outdated or patchy curriculum)
• cleaning up the classroom (kids are MESSY)
• Gathering supplies for any projects or experiments (most elementary teachers teach multiple subjects with their own curriculum expectations)
• making copies for the next lesson
• planning for holidays or awards that often require games, activities, and certificates
• Coordinating parent involvement (field trip forms, chaperone lists, etc.)
• Providing informal counseling, comfort, and discipline
• Documenting behavior and communicating with families
• Learning or updating required platforms like Accelerated Reader and IXL
• Writing personalized report card comments (again, for 68 students)
• And finally—going to the bathroom

So yes, teachers get summers off. But many of them take on second jobs during those months. Others spend that “break” reorganizing classrooms, prepping curriculum, or recovering from the toll of the year. The other important piece to consider with this assumption is the grave statistics of declining mental health in the field of education. The “unspoken demands” leave teachers feeling pulled in all directions, expected to do more with fewer resources and less time. It’s no wonder so many are burned out or walking away. My goal in sharing this is simple: to ask you to reconsider the assumptions we make about teachers. They don’t “have it made.” They have a deeply challenging, incredibly important job that deserves respect, praise, and consistent support—not just during Teacher Appreciation Week, but every chance we get.

Sources: