"Kids these days," people say. But teachers deal with them every day and somehow still keep it together.
Well, mostly! Endless grading and (passive-)aggressive parent emails can test the limits of even the most patient.
To highlight what it takes to survive in the modern classroom, we compiled a list of memes created by educators about the highs and lows they experience at work.
When you're a student, you don't always appreciate the person in front of the blackboard — but later, you realize they deserve a medal for their efforts.
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I teach English as a foreign languge. The assignment says in big bold letters it should be done in English. "Do I need to write English?" The assignment says it counts towards their final result. "What do you mean, this mark counts?" Rinse and repeat.
Load More Replies...This is why it's good to ask the kids to repeat what they have to do
We do not provide a service. We provide education. In order for that to work students have to participate and engage. You can't teach someone who doesn't want to learn. Which is why you are the way you are. Bless your heart.
Load More Replies...This works, up to a point. If the riot is still going on after 5 seconds of the 'peeved' look, better look for another job.
This looks more like me exasperated and tired, waiting for everyone to be quiet and line up properly so we can go outside. Took about 10 minutes one day last week. After telling them what to do three times, sometimes silence is best.
Yeah, I had my teacher face. Learned it from the pros - 1950s nuns.
Data collected by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) echoes many of these memes. For example, its ongoing School Pulse Panel surveys public K–12 schools in the United States on various high-priority topics, and the latest results show that 31% of public school students were reported to be behind grade level at the end of the 2024–25 school year.
However, administrations across the country are trying to address the problem, and 64% of public schools that hired additional educators to provide more small-group and individual instruction reported that this strategy was “very” or “extremely” effective in supporting learning recovery during the current school year.
Funny anecdote: daughter's Geography teacher decided to (unknowingly) take the class to a nudist beach for a field trip. Mistakes were made and regrets were had.
"Time spent on reconnaissance is seldom wasted..."
Load More Replies...I teach at college. When I first started I had students who were far older than I was. I was silently waiting for the moment one of them was going to say, "Who are you to tell me that?"
I was just sharing with my 20 year-old granddaughter -- a manager at a boutique cookie bakery -- how difficult it can be for some people to respect and work under someone who might be much younger than they are. And... how closed minded they must be. Unable to see the big picture -- including education and struggles that the youthful boss endured to get there -- they often act childish and refuse to acknowledge the authority. I am 58yo and am the oldest in the medical/surgery clinic where I work. Frankly, I would rather be a warrior and not the chief. Thus, I am content to follow those who have book knowledge -- that likely exceeds my own -- more than experience. I also know full well that there are many things I can teach them too.
Load More Replies...Additionally, 70% of public schools said that students missed too many classes because they stayed home unnecessarily for minor symptoms, even though 73% of public schools gave incentives for students to improve attendance.
When it comes to teacher absences, 50% of public schools reported that it "remained about the same" compared to the previous school year, and 45% said that the ease or difficulty of getting substitute teachers was "about the same."
"You may very well think that, I couldn't possibly comment"... saved my face more than once
Pretty JoyBird, I feel bad. You got six downvotes, and then I downvoted. Quick, downvote his comment again
Come on - 67 is actually pretty funny. Don't you watch South Park?
Load More Replies...I was teaching s*xúal reprodüction to my students. Wanted to finish it before any awkwardness creeps in. One girl stopped me and said so she will become pregnant if a boy kisses her. i was so surprised, almost doubted myself if this is what I have been teaching.
I'd never agree teaching is a walk in the park. It takes a stamina I know I don't have!
I'd say Jurassic Park captures it pretty accurately. There's a lot of chaos. The person in charge clearly shouldn't be. The competent people are doing all the actual work while those theoretically in charge just keep cheerleading the utterly outrageous ideas. The expectation is that lack of resources, excessive hazards, and unsafe conditions should have no bearing on the outcome...yup checks out.
Load More Replies...Anyone who thinks teaching is a walk in the park should teach for one full week.
Mostly because it makes all my preparation worthless and I have to do it all over again, but to suit the new (meaningless) rules. And , somewhere, someone with not enough to do is working on the next total change of direction, starting next year. Without warning.
I always voiced enthusiasm for new school initiatives and then ignored them completely. The people in charge had so little understanding of what anything involved meant that I knew they could never tell if I was following the new initiative or not.
However, 36% of public schools reported that the percentage of staff expressing concerns about themselves or their colleagues exhibiting depression, anxiety, trauma, or emotional dysregulation/disturbance has increased compared to the last school year, but only 59% said that employee assistance programs (EAPs) with a mental health component are available to their staff.
The NCES also found that 64% of public schools reported that a lack of qualified candidates was a challenge for them when filling vacant teaching positions.
Covering up some ignorance with a comment to say I quite like the opossum here
You're not "covering up" anything. All you're doing is drawing attention to the comment by making sure people go look for it. Please do NOT this! Just downvote and report it. It will get hidden by downvotes anyway.
Load More Replies...I had a teacher that was giving 0 (f for americans) if unable to read what was on the paper. His excuse was if we didn't put any effort to write correctly he didn't have to put any effort in decipher hieroglyphics.
Believe me, exams in the UIK work like that. Especially at 'A' level - if the marker can't read your scrawl, they send it to a second marker. If the second marker can't read it, ... you're the loser ...
Load More Replies...I had a friend whose handwriting was "poor", to put it mildly. Her idea of writing "neatly" was to write as small as possible, so it was almost impossible to read at all - the teachers had warned her about her handwriting, many times. One year, come exam time, for the first time, she got a fail! She lamented long and loudly to me "But I wrote SO NEATLY! Look how small the letters are!" and she shoved her returned exam in my face to show me. Readers, this girl had written the words so small, that I thought I was looking at a ruled line! I kid you not! She STILL couldn't understand that that was what had made her fail - the teacher would have needed, not a magnifying glass, but a *microscope*, to read her exam paper!
I have a horrible handwriting. I write like my soul will escape my body any second and i have to finish writing before that happens. I have lost marks because I didn't write even words like 'and' properly. Can't blame the teacher, there are time when I couldn't understand my own handwriting
A physician/doctor's handwriting can be just as atrocious. Perhaps poor handwriting as a student is a predictor of future success?? Hmmmm....
and the Head of Department 'sitting in' on one of them
Load More Replies...In the 5th grade my desk was in the back of the room facing a wall. Between 2 bookshelves. 😂 I thought it was awesome that I had my own cubicle. It was the only way the teacher could keep me from talking to the other kids. Poor woman - I was ridiculous. 🤣
I'm currently an after school care educator and we are only licenced to use the school hall. Not the classroom attached or even the front foyer. When kids need a quiet space, the best I can do is give them a pair of ear muffs and a pop up play tent.
A nationally representative survey released in 2024 by the RAND Corporation discovered that six in ten teachers (59%) experience frequent job-related stress — almost double the rate of the general working adult population (33%).
Teachers were also more likely to report symptoms of depression, at a rate of 19%, compared to 12% of comparable workers. Additionally, 60% of teachers indicated experiencing burnout, compared to just 33% of comparable workers.
Amelia is hilarious. Discovered Chicken Shop Date on YouTube this year and fell in love with her sense of humor.
Literally just had a student ask " If I can't lick my elbow, why is it there?" I teach high school ( ages 14-18)
It seems like staring in an exasperated manner is at least 25% of the job
It is. That's until someone from exec walks past the room.
Load More Replies...Teachers reported working an average of 53 hours per week, compared to 43 hours per week reported by comparable workers.
However, teachers reported an average base salary of $70,000, compared to an average base pay of roughly $88,000 for their peers in other fields.
So it’s not surprising that, on average, teachers said they wanted a $16,000 increase in their pay and that teachers in all salary bands indicated that they should earn more.
Got 'talked to' once as there was a couple students in house after dismissal and I, the custodian, called them on it, which triggered them to take off running. "Aw HELL no!" was my infraction.
Load More Replies...I once said “Oh shanana!” In front of little kids that’s a fake curse from a kids show I had to explain to the parents why their kids were repeatedly saying “shanana!”
Words are only considered "bad" words because we decide they are. So this is hilarious to me! I'm gonna start using oh shanana!
Load More Replies...I want to say "do as I say, not as I do", but that's kind of a paradox here
I was said chatty child thank you teachers for putting up with me you guys were the only social life I had.
Hey we love you. We appreciate that you want to talk to us and it makes us feel like at least one kid doesn't hate us.
Load More Replies...But in the face of all their challenges, teachers seem to be hanging on. Only 22% of them said they wanted to leave their current job, compared to 24% of adults in other sectors.
Do we thank them enough for what they do?
I was shocked to learn that middle- and high- school teachers generally accept late assignments at my child's school. When I was in school, one day late meant a zero. There are pros and cons to this arrangement!
Well I think it boils down to do I care more if the kids learn to follow rules or do I care more that they learn the material in my class.
Load More Replies...One thing I learned as a teacher: no matter how low you lower the bar, some students will still find a way to slip under it.
When there's a bar set, some kids are high-jumpers but most are limbo dancers
Load More Replies...My high school history teacher (who happened to also be a PE Coach) used to give us a "pre-test" on Monday, go through it word by word over the next few days, then give us the test on Friday... that was word for word, the pre-test, with the SAME EXACT missing "fill-in-the-blank" spots to complete. Well, we all learned really quickly how to write in very small script, the single missing words in order, and where it was best to hide them during the test. Many of us aced the class... But learned absolutely nothing about history.
Something similar happened with us in a mandatory language class. For a revision test, the teacher would give us the same exact questions. I even scored 85% and not one student failed but none of us can speak in that language
Load More Replies...I had one 'test' in psychology where we had to write an ERA (I don't even remember what that stands for, experiment report or something) during class time. Our teacher had gone though the whole thing during a previous class and we got to take our notes home to study and into the test. One or two students still failed.
One of my best friends is a Kindergarten teacher and her back is totally messed up. I don't know how she does it!
I worked at a daycare and this is what it felt like. It was cute though, loved those kids. It was the parents that made it awful. :P
That's how I got COVID from my toddler: directly into the eyeballs....
Oh I do love that...said no teacher ever. Bonus points if you did spend your break prepping a class that no longer exists and are now frantically prepping for a class you didn't know you were teaching.
Load More Replies......and as a custodian, especially during Covid years, wiping upper door frames.
I usually just go with : Hey I am glad you made it." The more welcome a kid feels the easier it is to get them to show up
Grading essays and the kid has veered off into some weird tangent and just keeps wandering.
In Australia we have a 'right to unplug' and I've been exercising it since before it was a law.
My favorite description is "trying to keep 1240 corks underwater for six hours".
I bombed out after 6 months! Turns out I will never be able to do full time work, though I feel just as stressed while working part time.
There's a hilarious teacher on social media who makes videos of crazy parent requests. Some of them are truly unbelievable.
Once had a parent file a district complaint because I refused to take her phone call. I was in the hospital in labor at the time.
I swear it would solve so many problems if they would just read the directions and the questions.
Load More Replies...No teacher (who works full time at a school) finishes at 3, even if that's when the bell goes. That just dismisses the students.
We did the oral exercises going around the room. Then we did the introductory written exercises the same way. Then the math problems that need time and focus were assigned as homework, with about half the class time left. As they worked, I was there for questions and help. Most students had the assignment done by the time the bell rang.
Load More Replies...Are they supposed to thank you? Do you enjoy working for 8 hours and going home and working more?
Ask the football team if they just look at the playsheet , or ever go out and practice the plays? Then ask *why* they practice them? They usually get it ...
Load More Replies...There’s not enough context here. Most teachers are only giving unfinished work as homework, so, the full scenario is likely that they were talking rather than working and now have homework.
I just want to know what they are doing with the pencils. I mean how on earth can I go through 3 gross of pencils in 4 months? Where are they going?
I work out of a school hall and am constantly picking up pencils, erasers, paper, hats, jumpers, anything else you can think of, that students leave behind when they have had class in there.
Load More Replies...I do, often as much as 5 minutes into my first class of the day
Load More Replies...My daughter generally does summer school. Last year they ended up paying her $45/hr as NO one wanted it, they started at $30, and increased the offer until she COULDN'T say no. She couldn't this year as she has an outstanding opportunity to get her masters, paid for by the local Tribe.
Oh that's awesome that she has that opportunity. Might want to suggest she gets a masters in non education related field so she can switch jobs when needed. Not sure teachers will exist in the next 4 years.
Load More Replies...'My' teachers were gratified during lock down(Covid). They had SO many parents realize it's not all decent pay and benefits. They actually EARN those. Shown lotsa love after that.
I love when they think we won't notice they've suddenly become masters level informed on a topic and incredibly eloquent in their writing after producing 5 paragraph essays with dozens of mistakes the week before
Have you heard of the "Now make it dumber so it looks like I wrote it" incident?
I have been stunned over the number of massive arguments online from parents raging about sending in school supplies. But not surprised. I mean the reason we need to ask for supplies is because they refuse to increase taxes to pay for the supplies. But they also want us to provide all the supplies.
Where I live, parents do provide all supplies (except certain text books) anyway. Used to be the schools would give everyone a set of supplies with the money coming from school fees, now either you order through the school and pay separately, or buy them from outside (my mum always went for Kmart, mostly bought the year before when they were discounted).
Load More Replies...If he has enough self-control to tell people he's about to lose his self-control - he's just acting out again.
It wouldn't be so bad if you didn't know for a fact that your end of year assessment would stress about your difficulty with class control ...
My first year of teaching, I got all the challenging students, because the other two 3/4 teachers didn't want them, then the principal wondered why I had so many discipline problems...
Having read the book, there appear to be two sides to it; it's our job to find the new location for cheese, but maybe the C suite should ask itself "was it such a good idea to move it in the first place?"
Load More Replies...My first school was rather formal, teachers were addressed as "Sir" or "Miss". Kids invented a knight from the olden days, called "Sir Jafta..."
It's another of those English irregular verbs. "I am speaking normally , you are shouting, he has lost the last vestiges of his self-control".
Parents need to know. They tell us EVERYTHING. We know every single fight you had with your SO, every gossip piece you talk about, and every thing you say around your kids. Everything.
I always took this as a complaint that the assignment was too short or too easy. I was always eager to correct my error.
Beware any new word or phrase an administrator brings back from a conference.
Chewing gum was permitted in my classes. Blowing bubbles was not, as it looks like your bladder is coming out of your mouth.
Oh 100%. Kids joking with you is the ultimate in acceptance.
Load More Replies...Yeah this is pretty much baseline how I start the day
Load More Replies...In high school, my theology teacher assigned us a five-page paper. When asked if it could be longer than five pages, he replied "Sure. Just mark the five pages you want me to read."
It's work that has to be done. Just lucky it's being done by someone who's motivated and effective ;-)
Thankfully my school has cameras in the classrooms. It's amazing how quickly the student's tragic tale of unhelpful, demanding teachers who cruelly rebuff their desperate attempts to gain education change when their parent can see video evidence of them sitting in class after class playing on the phone and refusing to work.
... and in too many cases, the number was scary . Percentage but still singular 'number' ...
Teacher takes out mark scheme. Teacher marks assignment in front of pupil. In red. Lots of red. Teacher hands assignment back, with a spar sheet of paper for second attempt.
With the email heading " Why didn't you tell me he was failing" I'm sorry ma'am we only post the grades online for you to access any time, call and leave a message, send an email, send progress reports, request you come in for a conference, and sent you 4 letters detailing our concern over your student's grade.... how could you have possibly known he wasn't doing well?
It's OK, they're going to be a manager so they will never actually have to face a crowd of disaffected teenagers on a Friday afternoon
My niece.... I have tried repeatedly to convince her this is a terrible idea. I have no clue how she could have watched me teach for the 6 years she attended our school and still think teaching is a desirable job.
I did strictly deadpan humor. That way, if the joke didn't go over, they didn't even know I'd made one.
Or cry... I am notorious for getting choked up reading certain passages or stories.
"So sorry, did the middle of my speech interrupt the beginning of yours?
It's called "the Fall" because that's what happens at that time to your morale, joi de vive and general mental health
My job is wanting me to start doing this (I'm not a teacher), but the problem is I still have to check over everything to make sure ChatGPT didn't miss something or mess it up...so instead of just doing my job first they now want me to do a second step then review it all over again. Stupid!
That is my go-to answer. Class ends at the same time every time.
Load More Replies..."Well, it's going to be a few minutes late, because of all the interruptions "
"That depends on how much time we have to make up at the end because of dumb questions."
In a perfect world admin would understand that this is the problem I face, not the problem I create
What a shame that school policy is that nobody is allowed to leave a State test before time is up, so they'll just have to sit there - to avoid interrupting the others, of course ;-)
The ones who don't need to show up always do. And vice versa, of course.
{50 years ago the picture would have been of Snoopy and Woodstock doing their happy dance, but I'm prepared to bend with the times}
"Group work" = 1 person in the group does all the work, the rest just giggle
I hated group work in high school, I absolutely LOATHED it in college.
Load More Replies...I never applied to be an administrator because I felt that I had not done anything to deserve a demotion.
(I'd knock over the tables , too, if someone had just dislocated both my wrists )
... and you know that , when the Principal fails abysmally to solve 'this little problem', it's going to be front and centre of your next professional assessment. Not the Principal's, yours. Because the Principal "had to step in to remedy the situation".
Well, hippos are well known for their ability to spread their excrement far and wide ...
Note - this phrase is always, without exception, used in the second or third person . There is no documented evidence of anyone ever saying (or thinking) "If I don't study, I shall not pass". Study is for nerds, apparently, and full scholarships to top Colleges are for quarterbacks - at least, in the fervently held opinion of the athletic members of the class.
"Imagine my pleasure" / "Words cannot express my feelings" / "I mustn't embarrass you by answering that question fully" / "You arrive like a streak of gold in a darkened cave" (IYKYK)
I am. Honestly if you don't enjoy the kids why would you even do this. The pay is bad, the benefits suck and you have to deal with angry parents, clueless internet folk who see you as baby sitters, no respect whatsoever, and threats/violence. Why would you do this if you weren't enjoying the kids?
The fact that you just earned your Doctorate is, of course, totally irrelevant ...
OP missed out "Frantically persisting in the doomed search for something nice to say about so many of the class"
