Thank you so much for having me! Chelsea, I can’t even describe how important your support has been for my channel. 🩷🩷🩷 🖍️ Primary Focus is the parent’s guide to elementary school answering all your questions from a teacher’s perspective. I hope you check it out!

Because parents use school as a daycare instead of a place of education.

My wife just resigned as a principal of a middle school. Her blood pressure has been at dangerous levels, she has constant migraines, severe anxiety, one day we think she had a mild stroke (half her face started drooping) and this is all due to the parents and the complete lack of assistance.

So nice to hear a voice from someone who wasn’t a millionaire CEO by 25 lol! A hyperbolic statement, I know, but these past few guests, while excellent, were so out of my realm career wise and tax bracket wise, it gets hard to relate to. I love hearing from a working class perspective, especially a Teacher. They need a voice now more than ever!

She's not making these up. She's telling 100% the truth about everything. What a shame that our education system is losing wonderful humans who love the children and the essence of teaching but run ragged....beat in every way. Shame. Good for her to leave the toxic education system. Sad for our children.

28 years teaching science in CA. I wanted to quit for years and finally could bc my husband works for a successful tech company. People think the workday is really short, but the work I did at school during the day was just carrying out the hours of work I did in the evenings and all weekend. I missed all of that time with my family because I was either working, or recovering from the physical and mental stress of working. I worked for a very good school district and with one exception, the parents were lovely. Generally the students were really great too. The big issue is that in order to be an even halfway decent teacher, you have to give up your life to the job, and you get almost no compensation for all of that work. Teaching is not a calling, it’s a job. Excuse any errors. I’m doing voice to text.

It seems that most pink collar jobs are broken. Teaching and nursing especially. The way the train them is broken and the way we treat them after is broken, and we rely too heavily on people who don't know these jobs to make the decisions that impact them.

The elephant in the room is how education has been weaponized by politicians. I was horrified to learn how NC teachers are treated!

I once had a parent who would email me MULTIPLE times a day, for a HIGH SCHOOLER, expecting an immediate response. This parent was a middle school counselor. It was ridiculous. I no longer teach. It’s not all parents, but it’s enough to make a difference, and worse- it’s the admin. Admin needs an overhaul.

There is too much shit to deal with as a teacher. Overly demanding parents, unaddressed behavior problems, ineffective administrators, government adding more to teach into an all ready packed curriculum every single year, ridiculous PD requirements, and all for a salary nowhere near equal to the educational requirement to do the job. Why the hell would you want to have these miserable days and work all weekend when, for the same salary, you can work a retail job that stops when you clock out? This is why there is a teaching crisis.

All "women's work" is underpaid. The assumption was that the teachers would be married so the income was not for living on. Men were expected to subsidize the education system by marrying teachers. The starting wage needs to be at least 60K per year adjusted for higher cost areas. It should be 4-5x the rent of an available 2 bedroom apartment within 10 miles of the school.

I'm a former teacher in-training from Germany and it's not much different here. The big difference is that teachers in Germany are actually well-paid with good pension and benefits. However it does come at a price: The state basically owns you, you're not allowed to strike, your employer can move you around schools as needed or keep you at a school you don't like, and especially if you're unmarried and without children, you have no chance to object. Additionally, before obtaining permanent employment, you'll have to deal with 18 months of on-the-job training ("Referendariat"), which depending on your supervisors, can be extremely stressful at best and a borderline culty hazing process that'll leave you scarred for years at worst. I quit and that time still haunts me, which had nothing to do with students or parents.

I am sitting here and shaking my head in agreement. I just retired after 34 1/2 years. I couldn’t even finish the year, that is how bad it has gotten. I made the decision to leave in May, just out of concern for my health. I felt terrible doing so but no one was looking out for me…Sad what the job has become. I felt that I was no longer teaching but only following a script and student behavior was out of control and there was no consequences. I officially retired over the summer and do not regret it one bit, I just wish I was in a position to have left earlier than I did.

Yup, quit after 3 years of uni. Once I got my foot in an actual school for shadowing, I very quickly realized we are in deep shit.

Teaching is a dead end career and I say this as a former teacher! I work in corporate now and I wouldn’t change it for the world! Higher pay and I work remotely. Some of these people need a reality check! Your kids are not special! At the end of the day, it’s a job! What’s insane, getting shot in the classroom is considered a workplace injury for teachers?!

I taught in a public school for 25 and my kids went to the same district, but I would never teach today or send my kids to public school today. Things have changed so much.

I am an Army officer and I’ve always felt that we are paid very fairly. I would love to see legislation in a state that ties teacher’s salaries to military officers in that state. Rough estimate (we are paid differently based on where we are), the lowest ranking officer in NC would make about 70k a year, by 5 years, it’s about 100k.

My mom was a 5th grade teacher in Virginia for 30+ years and I honestly think it's a big part of why we're not close. She worked SO MUCH, I can't really remember spending any quality time together growing up. I was grading her papers as a middle and high schooler, and she was still up until midnight almost every night doing paperwork. She bought so many school supplies and enlisted family members to go to every Staples in town when things went on sale with quantity limits. She was stressed all the time. And all that is with was teacher's union. Then I moved to NC as an adult and it's astounding how much worse it is for teachers here. I'm disgusted that our state leaders are failing our teachers and our kids so badly. I love that Natalie is trying to help build bridges across the divide between parents and teachers!

Retired teacher (30 yrs.) in ME and FL. Natalie has nailed it. I retired just before COVID, and we were “the flavor of the month” for many years prior. Horrible pay, disrespect, parental expectations of “multiple” daily communications, administration that is so afraid of being sued that there is no backup, etc. what Natalie is doing is fantastic! I wish her luck and pray she has over a million followers!! 😊

just left teaching after 15 years and not even gonna watch because I know I'll be so triggered and write a dozen comments… Thank you for giving voice to those of us who stuck around and still left.

Just to add…I retired early in 2021 after 21 years of teaching middle school. Teaching was a second career for me, so I was able to retire at 62. However, I decided to substitute teach just to stay in the game and help out when teachers need to be out. I just want to say, I’ve been called on 3 different occasions to cover classrooms where the permanent teacher quit, I’m talking just same day quitting walking out! The main reasons were the same throughout which was, student behaviors out of control, lack of administrative support, non parent support, tons of paper work, excessive meetings, and no planning time. So, yes, teaching is becoming an at-risk field if something is not done soon.

The phenomenon of children losing the majority of their unsupervised time is definitely kind of weird. I understand the impulse to make sure you always know where your kid is and what they're doing, because we unfortunately hear too many stories of bad things happening, and people don't want it to be their kid that something happens to. But on the other hand, kids need opportunities to develop independence and self-reliance. If they don't get those opportunities until their teen years (or later!), they are being set up for major anxiety issues when they finally find themselves riding without training wheels, so to speak.

Honestly, as an 11 year Kindergarten Teacher in Virginia, the parents are the least of my issues. It's all the testing, data, paperwork, work outside of school/late night, low pay, and just plain abuse that is pushing me out of the classroom. I am slowly realizing how it's not worth my life and stress. I'll be trying to be a specialist/resource teacher next year, because this ain't it! It's sad that I go around telling people not to go into teaching because it's not worth all the work! Something's gotta give! Not to mention most of us have a second job! Smhhh

lol I’m watching this video at 9:30 pm as I put the finishing touches on my lesson plans for tomorrow. I’ve been teaching for 17 years, 13 of them in my current position at a public high school. Everything that y’all said in this video is right. Teaching is supposed to get easier with experience, but my job is much more difficult now than it was ten years ago. I spend more time on paperwork than I do planning and doing actual teaching. I have to document in triplicate every single little thing that happens in my classroom. I’m not allowed to use my teaching skills to make decisions anymore, and I have to justify everything I do as being related to improving standardized test scores in subjects that I don’t even teach. I work long hours far beyond what I’m paid for. Every day is stressful in new and different ways. I also deeply worry about the effect that being in constant contact with parents has on kids, especially older kids. It doesn’t help that the parents won’t stop texting the kids during the school day… And it also doesn’t help that parents get angry when teachers insist that students don’t answer their phones during instruction time. And these are high school students! They should be able to function without reminders from Mom every 45 minutes!! I have seen the results of this constant monitoring from parents already. My students are more passive than they were ten years ago, more prone to freezing when I ask them to do something, and more prone to talk to their parents when they have a question instead of simply asking me. I have a parent who emails me with questions about her son’s homework every week. Her son is a high school junior who intends to go to college! When is he going to learn to ask questions on his own behalf?! Chelsea, I don’t think you need to “check yourself” when it comes to these issues just because you’re not a parent. I think it’s okay to say “Hey, this is having real observable negative effects on kids.” And yes I understand that parents worry, and yes we all know that letting your kid gain some independence can be terrifying. But that independence needs to happen. Even if you have to fight against the cultural tide of constant communication to do it. Anyway, thank you for another great video!!

We can either pay teachers what their worth, create career growth paths and make the conditions reasonable or we can forget about having a literate, civil population.

Too many parents treat school like daycare. As long as they aren’t in the house they aren’t their problem. This is really ridiculous. Parents are often not interested in what their kids are doing in school, which is the true recipe for disaster.

I took a Teaching & Training course in high school and my teacher told all of us about how broken the system is, how she had to use money from her own pockets to buy teaching equipment, and inflexible conventional teaching is to a the learning types. I want to be a teacher, but that's gonna wait until things get better or I'm confident I can make a change.

49:15 this is truly what it comes down to. Education is at the core of a strong country and a strong economy and yet the country refuses to pay the educators.

How on earth is it legal to keep NC teachers from assembling? That seems like a 1A violation

I'm a teacher in Texas and it's rough - I am trying to work on starting my own business so I can leave teaching as well. It is one of the most underappreciated professions - what she is talking about is only surface level too. It doesn't account for possible toxic admin, the emotion of dealing with student behavior each day, etc.

All that work and for so little pay sounds exhausting. I'm a teacher too but not in the USA and I work at Uni. The pay still sucks but at least they leave you alone. If I had to deal with the terrible salary AND the constant demands of parents , administration etc, I would explode!!! It's heart-breaking what they're doing to teaching... 😢

this was an incredible episode. i teared up so many times listening to how bad teachers have it. its heartbreaking. they are some of the most valuable people in our workforce.

I totally get your frustration with dealing with parents as a teacher. It can be tough sometimes. But I think it's important to remember that not all parents are difficult. Some are really supportive and understanding.

My parents live in north Carolina and have wanted me to move down and lived near them but I would have to take almost a $30,000 to 40,000 a year paycut. It's insane.

As a person that lives in NC, went to school here and now is thinking about her toddlers future education… she is 100% accurate!

Please interview a women first responder next!

I am a teacher and admin who is the last 3-5 years of my career. I am exhausted . Teaching has become so difficult for all of us- including administration. Most of us are working overtime to support our staff, our students and families . Public Education has been undermined for decades - on purpose to privatize education and monetize it. Conservatives have been attacking us constantly and this has seeped into a lack of respect /support for schools. I feel for my teachers and do everything I can to lessen their loads, to deflect the crazy from our District offices, parents etc.

49:36 "Well said." 😂😂😂 I'm the son of a retired public school teacher. I very much appreciate the interview and the introduction to Natalie Parmenter's work. Thank you for the video!

In my country, Russia, it’s the same. After covid I became self employed and started taking care of my own pension and benefits. It’s still not easy and requires even more responsibility, but it makes me happy, I won’t ever quit teaching

I just cannot believe how much access parents have. Holy balls.

My daughter goes to a small parent participation school and I'm grateful every day for those teachers. It's definitely hands on and a lot of parent involvement but, it's so worth it. My daughter is also on the spectrum so I'm really hands on. I can only work part-time due to having to be so involved with school and therapies so we definitely feel the financial strain but, I feel so blessed that she's able to go there. I'm really grateful for good teachers. You guys are truly the MVPS.

We Stan a teaching episode. 👏🏽

One of the reasons I'm glad I don't want kids. I could never bring them into this "educational" mess. On top of that worry about them not making it home.

I'm a substitute teacher, and even though I'm paid half as much as the teachers I share an education level with, I've been working 50+ hour weeks with no overtime pay and am still expected to pay for my own school supplies. It's very frustrating.

Early on in my career a senior teacher sat down with me and shared with me that there is always more to be done and to be okay with not getting it all done (grading, lesson planning, parent conferences). She also told me to set a reasonable end time and not bring any work home, especially once I had tenure. Essentially, make sure you have a life outside of teaching and to take care of yourself. I still do the best I can for my students within the hours I work, but her words ring true, and have helped me last 18 years in this job. If you want to last, you MUST set boundaries with parents, the administration, and the job in general (just say no!) Our students deserve the best, and perhaps one day we will fund education that way. Until then, we will get what we pay for.

I remember my first year of being a teacher, I lost a great deal of weight from stress (which was alarming since I'm already on the petite side). Woke up at 6 am and crashed at 11 pm on normal days, practically working non-stop except for short meal breaks. The work days stretched out even longer if there was grading or lesson planning or meetings, or something else that required my attention. So glad I'm not longer in that environment.

I had a teacher once so me down with fear in her eyes to tell me that it "might" be possible that my son was autistic after our first day of school. I was like yes that seems reasonable we are on waiting lists. The sigh of relief from that woman was audible. I felt so bad for her.

A bit of a ramble below regarding the crap teachers sometimes have to put up with based on my own experiences as a student, so please don't click if reading a lot isn't your thing 😂 I'm not a teacher but I've usually been on the good side of most teachers and fully respect them. My senior year of high school was done at a school in New Orleans that was hit hard from Katrina. I attended the 07-08 year. Most of the teachers were first years. And most...didn't last that one year. I lost about five teachers for my classes. First gone was the art teacher because he had enough of being called gay by the students. Honestly doesn't matter in my eyes, the man knew art and I, as a talentless person, was interested in learning from him. He left a week before Thanksgiving break. Then I lost my journalism teacher who spent most class time trying to get the class to shut the hell up and pay attention. He finally had enough and stopped teaching and some asshole students had the raw audacity to report him to the principal. But I'm very certain that she knew it wasn't him, but them, and he quit instead of being fired. The prinicpal liked me quite a lot since I wasn't from New Orleans and didn't behave like them, so she spoke with me frequently if we passed in the hallway. Not saying all students are like this and yes, an argument can be made about low income areas and parents who aren't attentitve or interested in their kid's schooling but the end result still is a child that, put very delicately, is difficult. If ripping the band-aid off and speaking your mind, they're some pretty awful kids. Third teacher was my math teacher. She was a timid woman, but I always tried to smile at her and show I was paying attention as I knew the rough school was probably unnerving and I wanted to be at least one friendly student. Perhaps I'm a bit of a "teacher's pet" but I see it as trying to sympathize or empathize. But she quit after, rumor has it, she tried to break up a fight and was hit with a chair, putting her in the hospital. I wish I'd have asked the principal what hospital she was at...I would've brought her some flowers or something or just visited her and let her know that in the brief time she was there, I really liked her teaching style. Math is my worst subject and I was actually repeating it from my junior year. I had a brief hope I would finally do well with a patient teacher finally, but...while I still passed with an A, it was NOT because of hard work. I forgot to mention it before, but I also lost the replacement to the art teacher (she was a substitute and didn't teach art...or anything at all, so that class became my study hall to finish up homework). She got in a car accident and while she survived, she was also a very sweet woman. Again, I wish I had asked about what hospital she was at to visit or send a card or something to her. Next teacher lost was the replacement for the math teacher. He was a man who admittedly deserved to be fired. He didn't even attempt to teach because he was talking with women on his cell phone and scheduling dates during class. No, not via texts, he made phone calls to these women in class, so we all heard him. He also openly admitted that he felt on a religious level that it was fine for him to cheat on so many women because he saw it that that's why there's more women than men...so that guys can be with more than one women at a time (I do not mind anyone being polyamorous so long as all parties are aware and consenting. But that's not what this looked like and it was inappropriate during class time). THIS was the only time I approved of students going to the principal to have a teacher removed and within a month or so, he was gone. We would go months without a teacher, so those days were graded as an A by default from the school. We did finally get a teacher around January or so and he lasted until the end of the year. And as an "honorable mention", we almost lost my English teacher. She did quit at one point, but was begged to come back by the students, of all people. Now, I do NOT fault a single teacher who would say no and look for better opportunities, but she was quite amazing in trying to make class approachable for everyone and show that she cared. She'd go to bat for students who maybe were about to be expelled and offered many study sessions for the ACT or other tests. When sne saw we couldn't afford a year book staff, she started one. At my prior high school, you could only join Yearbook Staff if you were on the honor roll, gatekeeping otherwise really good candidates. I enjoyed writing back then but was terrible at math, so I never would've been able to join. So, I applied for a role in this new version and while I wanted to just be a journalist or learn how to edit photography, I became the Editor in Chief (during a very stressful class in which she snapped and yelled, she pointed out that everyone needed to be paying attention because except for me, everyone else read on a fourth grade level. That...was a pretty sobering moment but might be in part why I was given such a role in the yearbook ). The teacher assigned me this and while I'm honored, I definitely think it was a bit too much, lol. I did do interviews of the teachers and principals, though and I have a hilarious story that I'll save regarding the vice principal's interview. Sadly, we didn't have enough time to finish the book. She was even willing to get our addresses and mail us one over summer, finishing it herself. My family moved states after I graduated, so I don't know if she actually did do that, but damn...makes me wish I could've helped finish it, with that kund of determination. But I'm appreciative that she even tried to get it started because that was juat more of her time and money going into it. At graduation, she was the teacher that each student spoke highly of, including in my own speech. I was Valedictorian, but given how most of my grades were just an A because I lost a teacher, I never used it on my resumé. Didn't feel earned. All of this though is to say, when I remember that senior year, abso-frickin-LUTELY do I support teachers making more! Or...quitting when they've been pushed beyond their limits. There's only so much you can do for the kids before you just break. And these teachers never even mentioned the parents being an issue (though I don't think they reached out to parents all too often. I don't remember any parent/teacher meetings that my mom attended).

As a parent of a child with ADHD and anxiety issues, calls from school were almost always about some melt down event. It was important for me to have a greater than normal contact with teachers and school administrators. I couldn't work full time because I had to be available for those calls. Believe me when I say, I wanted to have way less interaction with my child's teachers. The best teachers gave me their precious time to help recommend resources, create an action plan to head off potential triggers, ensure my child's safety and actually have him learn. Lesser teachers would shame my child, which is heart wrenching. Teaching is hard. I praise wholeheartedly those who dedicate themselves to this work. They should be paid well. After all, they are doing one of the most important jobs on the planet. They should have our backs when they ask for the resources they need. They should have a life away from their job. They should have an adequate pension. Our children deserve teachers we truly value.

I’m almost 30 years old and I often think about my time as a K-12 public school student. My teachers were the best people and actually cared about their students. I received a well-rounded education and met classmates from different backgrounds. Learning about the world and engaging with people is so important when we are young. It makes me sad to hear about the current state of education because we all deserve better especially the kiddos 😢. If the “powers that be” care about the future and strength of our nation, they would care to invest in education. It starts there.

Whew the way this is a very timely conversation

We put a tracker on our little one today because the bus is always late and we have to meet it at the driveway.

I am with you. My sister had a PHD in immunology- and was teaching middle school and high school biology at a private Jewish school and make 55K gross a year. One of her administrators, a supposed friend, took her to the hospital last year where she DIED less than 2 days later. When the administrator called me after my sister died, the administrator told me it was a good thing she DIED because she was going to be fired if she couldn’t physically be in the school. She was 61, she died of abdominal sepsis. She had been in an bad auto accident in Oct. of 2020(yes during the pandemic before the vaccine) because (I sure it was cheaper) they were called to have the children back into school. She never recovered from that accident but was force to pay 150-200 a ride to school as she was in a wheelchair. They insisted that she be in school rather than teach virtually, for the reasons that you said - supervise kids here, supervise kids there. To top this off, when we went to pick up her belongings from the school and bring them back the schools supplies, the administrator again told me and my nephew that it was a good thing that she died because she was going to be fired if she couldn’t physically be in school. Sorry, for the rant this is still an open wound. I have lost faith in the US’s education system completely.

It was so nice to hear from another teacher. Thank you for giving us a platform. One thing I think she did not address which is also a major component to teachers leaving the profession is the district leadership and the building leadership. If you have a toxic administrator running your building it can make your life miserable.

When I was in college, I used to teach part-time English course, the students were very amazing. But the parents were literally douchebags who demand their kids to excel in this (second) language pronto. I’ve got enough arguments with stubborn parents, particularly threaten me to get fired. Respect to all teachers, from minimum salary to never ending works.

I'm so happy I made productive decisions about my finances that changed my life forever. I'm a single mother living in Canada, bought my second house in September and hoping to retire next year at 49 if things keep going smoothly for me

I did make it past the 20 year mark. I definitely attribute it to being in a strong union state. The union has fought for our working conditions and excellent wages and benefits. Most teachers can't claim that. I've also had very supportive principals, and that can make all the difference in the world. That said, yes, there is a lot to put up with. I work with low income children, and their parents are usually very respectful. However, I see the school lacking some of the resources that my own kids got in their middle class neighborhood school. I also see two alarming trends. School standards have been pushed down, so that what was once a 2nd grade standard is now taught in first grade. What's the rush? Second, students were way different 25 years ago--attention spans have shortened considerably. This profession is definitely a calling. Don't do it unless you love it.

Parents of my students: No, they can't be special ed! I want them only in gen-ed classes; how dare you judge my child and find them lacking! Me (a teacher and a parent) Hmm... my two year old is stimming a lot, has sensory issues, and is displaying a need for a routine and structure that seems beyond the norm. Better have him checked for autism so I can get him supports as soon as possible if needed. We are not judging your babies; we just want to help them the best we can.

I recommend watching the debate between the president of HSLDA vs. an anti-homeschool professor on Mikala Petersons podcast. My children are plenty socialized as homeschoolers. And it’s not unschooling and it’s not that expensive and it’s not as hard as she’s making it sound.

TFD this is another great episode! 💕🙌🏽 Thank you to all the teachers who help shape our next generations. I don’t know how you guys do it. Grading assignments, managing multiple personalities inside and outside of the classroom. I think it’s criminal that teachers are not paid more.

We need teacher discounts everywhere like we have military discounts, there is not enough done for our educators.

such a great chat about this topic, very helpful! thank you

49:15 so true. Professions that are traditionally seen as “women’s” work are often undervalued. Secretaries were often men and well compensated until women entered the profession, so the work was then paid less. The reverse happened when men entered nursing and programming profession, the pay went up! Recommend the book Brotopia if anyone wants to explore this topic more.

Thanks a lot for this deep insight about pros and cons of teaching in the US. What's astonishing is that many trends and patterns are the just the same across the ocean (by the way, I'm writing from Italy). For instance, parents who are getting more and more anxious about their children at school and who end by constantly controlling both their children and the teachers, often negatively interfering with the day by day activity of the school.

I'm a teacher and KZfaqr from the UK. I really enjoyed listening to this and related to a lot of the points raised!

As a homeschooling parent I want to offer my prospective, with total respect for both women: First I'm not anti school, I just don't choose it for my family. I actually support taxes going to public schools and each year decide if maybe this is the year we'll send them to school. Second, school isn't safe in America anymore. Several times you mentioned it being a safe place-- statistically this is just truly less true than it used to be. So it's not unexpected that parents would not treat it like it is. Third, school as it currently exists has only been a concept for a couple hundred years max. Really as it is structured was born in the industrial revolution. For the vast, vast, vast swath of human history the vast, vast, vast majority of kids stayed with their parents until they got married, or maybe until an apprenticeship. They were educated at home, albeit maybe not in a literate way. They'd learn from their parents (often boys with dad and girls with mom) the skills needed to use as an adult and they'd go into the same profession as their parents. Now I'm not saying that's the best way either but as far as Chelsea thinking sending kids off to school and being away from them is "normal" in human history it's really not. Aside from nobles who sent their kids to be foster kids with other nobles or to boarding schools most of humanity's history parents and kids stick together until at least adolescence. We're NOT evolved to be away from our kids this much. It's new. Good or bad, just like we aren't evolved to deal with smart phones so that doesn't make it bad, maybe being separated isn't bad, but maybe it's also unnatural. I totally agree with the difficulty of not having the teacher to be bad cop with homeschooling. I am currently wrestling with that with my kids, they don't always behave as well for mom because they know even if they're naughty she'll still love them, where as teacher's affection seems conditional. So that's a point. Lastly, I think a lot of this shift in attitude has to do with a shift in demographics. She said that parents sending a third kid to kindergarten were much more chill-- but most parents I know don't have a third kid. More and more 1 or 2 kid households are the norm, so the percentage of classrooms occupied by first time sending their kids to that grade parents is rising, simply because of how much smaller families are. I mean even if someone has 4 kids we now see that as a big family-- when my mom was a kid she was the eldest of 5 and saw her family as medium sized. And I also think individualization has become huge for the culture in sooo many avenues of life -- we know kids learn, develop, and prioritize at different rates and in different ways more now than before. Yet at the same time budgets have been cut to schools so we have more kids per classrooms and less teachers aides so the teacher child ratio is worse and they're simply less capable of individualizing education despite any desire they have to do so. I think that's a huge reason for the rise in homeschool. I hugely feel for teachers and personally don't see myself as against them, but instead as a type of teacher myself, albeit a different kind. So I feel kinship with them and wish the system worked to help them and empower their good desires to love their students more.

I think sometimes schools overcommunicate now, which I assume is in response to the parents. I will sometimes miss important announcements because I received messages from multiple teachers and the principal from Class Dojo and email.

It's so interesting how the issues with increased access to communication and erosion of boundaries echoes the shift to increased access to medical data and to after-hours emails etc with medical staff. It absolutely increases anxiety and is bad for the patients and the medical staff. I cringe every time I hear a betterhelp ad about how great it is they have instant and constant access to their therapist for when a crisis happens. It sounds like such a good thing but it represents a real detrimental shift.

Remember that good benefits does not necessarily mean free benefits. We have several different health benefit choices in the districts in my locality, but the medium cost one still costs teachers, $1000 per month approximately deducted from their paycheck. And yes, that is for a single person, not for their children or spouse. Whether you think teachers are paid too much or too little, it’s still important to note that the amount paid and benefits very significantly between districts even within the same state.

Great video! As a former teacher myself, I can totally relate to these mistakes. It's so important for educators transitioning into new careers to be aware of these pitfalls. Thanks for sharing!

And if you switch between districts, they only let 10 years of experience follow you for the pay ladder. Getting my masters, where I can teach dual credit courses with the university in town, means I get 1000 dollar pay bump. but I can only have that pay bump or move up the experience side of the pay ladder (500 per year), not both.

Regarding what to look for in a school that would be a good place to work at, completely agree with the commute and the school spirit. Also, if you can get any impression of how the teachers feel about the administrators. The two schools I have worked at were night and day in terms of how involved the administrators one. At one school we lived in fear of the admin and at the other the admin were again just so present and there for us. She is right - you will need help and when you need help you want the admin who will support you.

I’m a first year teacher and I don’t know if I want to continue after this year. I love kids, I worked full time as an instructional assistant during the day while going to school full time at night to get my education degree. Now that I’m here, it’s so different. It’s 2 jobs. The job you do when you’re teaching the kids all day, and then the administrative job you have when kids leave. I’m doing this, LETRS training, taking 2 graduate courses and trying to lesson plan and prep for the lessons I planned and all the data collection on top of it. It’s too much. Not enough hours in the day to get everything done.

Amazing! Thank you for your wisdom, Natalie! Please keep advocating.

Hello Chelsea. Thanks for sharing you tough experience . I love the way you communicate your idea and I love you, too. I'm Dereje, from Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

I completely agree with you. You have a master's degree. It's a no brainer that your education and your skill set should promise a salary that far surpasses an income a teenager could make. And I'm not being sarcastic here. I work in fast food.

I did teach for awhile and found it very difficult to deal with things like not holding children accountable for their school work, grade creep and parents forcing children to enroll in classes the child is not prepared to take despite teacher and administrator warnings. I can’t imagine continuing to handle all that plus not being able to use certain words like “gay” or having to teach “intelligent design” as a science (rather than a philosophy). Thanks to this small but loud and vicious minority, school is no longer safe but a political cesspool. Having said all that, I suspect (or at least hope) that this hard right politicizing of schools is similar to the prohibition era of the 1930s….a blip in the road and something we will laugh at decades down the road. This to shall pass…

It’s the same in the UK. The sector is in crisis. 😢

Thank you for addressing these mistakes head-on. It's refreshing to see someone discussing the challenges teachers face when transitioning careers.

I'd be curious to hear from caregivers or former teachers who home school and the students who are products of home school. I think like the public school system, there are home school situations that are fringe (abuse and illiteracy) and the other end of the spectrum that produces smart and well adjusted and socially thriving kids. I've mostly witnessed children on the positive end of that spectrum. Kids who are homeschooled are part of teams and other co-op groups to help them socialize and learn to be in teams. I think in both public school and home schooling, it's about being intentional. I just wanted to jump in add a different perspective because the discussion on homeschooling seemed to be negative-leaning.

As a parent I agree that as much as I love seeing pictures of my child at school I also then get thoughts of “why are so and so in every picture and why is my child in so few pictures- do they like her less?” Thoughts that I know are ridiculous and a waste of time but I can’t help. Sometimes it’s easier to let go without getting so many updates

Even in Australia, where there are pretty strong Teachers Unions, and Primary school teachers are paid well, nothing can really compensate for the fact that there is so much unpaid labour occurring outside of the workplace. I know primary school teachers who leave because even after putting in a 6 hour day, they then have to do report writing, and class preparation, in their own time at home which isn't usually paid for. Never underestimate the ability to leave work at work. Being able to mentally clock off when you leave work is super important.

This is why after 1 year of studying for a Certificate of Education, I quit. I love teaching kids, but I don't ever want to talk to parents. LOL. And when I learned about progressive education, I knew this was something I would advocate for, which I know MOST (if not all) parents would be appalled and HATE to know about. Now that I'm a parent, I'm much more forgiving to teachers than when I was single and a student. I get the hard work behind what they do. However, I do hate teachers who are passive-aggressive to their students because of this stress. That's who my kid's first grade teacher was; she was so critical that my kid develop anxiety about "breaking" the rules (i.e. coloring outside the lines, knowing how to correctly write letter A). I'm pretty laid back, even taught my kid about fonts and that there is no correct way to write letters and it wouldn't matter as long as anyone can read what they wrote (hello, doctors?!) So it was just stressful to balance being compassionate to the teacher (30 to 1 ratio per class) and also wanting to protect my kid from "stressed" teachers. I'm just glad my kid has a much more laid back 2nd grade teacher now.

She is so absolutely telling the truth. The pay does not match the stress and it becomes insulting to see how others are able to advance in their careers and increase their income without a degree. Private tutoring when done correctly brings in more money than a regular teacher salary.

Great talk! Though I have to disagree about homeschooling! In the UK a child doesn't receive extra care/attention/help unless they are disruptive. My daughter is a quiet, well mannered child that struggles to focus. As a result they sat her at the back of the classroom for 2 years. They then complained to me that she was falling behind and suggested I take her to see a doctor. I trusted the school but they were not interested in pursuing a special needs assessment because it costs them money. Socialisation and it being hard to plan lessons are not Cons, they are a part of home education, especially for those of us who have no choice. Having 30 kids in a class and expecting a single teacher to make sure my daughter has a good education is not feasible. I worked diligently with the teacher to ensure my daughter was not behind but she was not disruptive enough to warrant the teachers attention or concern. She was too. Busy firefighting other kids behavior. I haven't listened to all of this talk but I hope you mention that a homeschool setting does benefit some kids, like my daughter who would get left behind through no fault of her own.

Not to try to prove by anecdote, but regarding your section on unschooling - it worked for my brother and me. All the typical stats, PhD in anthropology for me, MA in math for him, good and fulfilling jobs, etc. I’m known among my friend group for being the one who knows all the cool places to go and the one with the massive social network. It helps that we have a family that’s very focused on reading and that our mother was an excellent math tutor, to cover the basics. Part of the reason my parents proposed homeschooling to us was having had negative experiences with bullying (and because we lived in a rural area that liked to ban books). That period wasn’t exactly my social peak but I felt like it set me up for success later in life - and now, living in a walkable city has probably been the single greatest factor contributing to having a great social life. In other words, my circle probably would’ve been pretty small in Upstate NY, whether homeschooling or going to public school.

10:10 To be fair, while Target might pay well on the surface, it gets undercut if you can only work part time or they barely give you hours which lowers the amount you would have actually made. (From someone who has tried to get a job at Target)

No, you are absolutely right! The constant need for access creates a tense sense of mistrust. Many children have become impossible to redirect because of this parental mistrust. Children usually mirror their parents’ dominant perspectives.

I'm a soon-to-be former teacher. This year was the first time I've actually felt politics in the classroom...on top of the apathy, entitlement, and lack of backbone from "leadership". Now I'm looking to leave, despite a few of my trusted students begging me to stay for their senior year. Nah...I'm good.

As a former NC public school teacher who also taught from 2012 - 2017, this is VERY close to my experience. North Carolina is an awful place to teach.

Last year, the state of NC, decided that we needed even more work to do-on our own time. It's called LETRS training. (Which you work on at home 2-3 nights a week plus weekends.) No, we were not paid for this, yes, it was a yearlong training, and surprise! This year is Part 2 of the training. I retired last summer after 36 years. I miss my students, but I do not miss the unrealistic expectations and never-ending paperwork. I feel SO sorry for anyone getting into the profession. I don't think it will get better anytime soon.

I’m a teacher, 💯in agreement! Thanks you!

I made it 2 school years after my master's in teaching before retraining at community college. It's completely unsustainable.

Thank you for sharing your story. I’m a teacher in Michigan seriously rethinking my career path.

I don’t think it’s a matter of not enough money. It’s a matter of family values going down the drain and the finances that are there going to a bunch of administrators instead of to the actual teachers. The reason why I don’t believe it’s just not enough funds is that other countries who spend less per student are getting better educations.

Great interview!! Natalie is spot on about everything that teachers have to deal with!!!

For me as a teacher right now isn't the pay even though it is very important to be paid well. However, the number one reason to quit is the verbal abuse and sometimes physical abuse teachers have to endure. The level of disrespect is terrible. The emotional turmoil that you have to keep inside, on top of the problems and afflictions we have in our own home. The abuse we have to tolerate and endure from students, particularly in middle school and high school is bad.

I’m 50+ and have 8 more yrs of teaching high school to go! Teaching requires 1,000’s of decisions per class! But I’ve recently discovered how to use the Chatbox AI and admit that it’s a game changer! I’ll get better at it; saving me hundreds of hours and giving me a better work life balance. Teaching is in my DNA 🧬. I’m sure teaching will change again in the next few years.

She nailed it on the professional aspect. Teachers are professionals and honestly need to demand to be treated accordingly. The way kids behave towards teachers would be illegal and escalate to a lawsuit if they were in any other professional environment. It’s a hostile work environment, bullying etc

"Teachers are underpaid because it's traditionally a woman's job, and women are undervalued in our culture." WOW 🤯👏I have never heard anyone say that and it's makes so much sense. Thank you, Natalie!! As a college professor contingent faculty, I understand a lot of these issues.