crucker:

Okay, I'll back off a bit--glorified child care worker was harsh.

However, I'm thinking that this country doesn't value its children as much as it says it does...why DON'T the best and brightest go into the profession when there really is so much time off? The teachers I know make decent money (those with a masters degree), 55k...around here, in the midwest, that's not bad pay.

For a lot of people, it's not even the money. You go into the job knowing you're not going to make a ton of money and that's a part of the deal.

I try to avoid complaining about the stress and the workload because it's my lot and I accept it--but it is a big deal. Just imagine the scenario: one adult in a room with 35 hormone-crazy adolescents. How many people do you know that could get through a day like that alive and with all their senses? Seriously, the amount of patience required to work with teenagers is impossible to exaggerate. We are not talking about rational beings here.

I highly recommend doing some volunteer work in a school. Lots of schools seek out parents or others that are interested in working in the office or making copies or selling t-shirts at fundraising counters, that sort of thing. You can see first hand what the day-to-day work is like. Witnessing one parent conference would probably be enough to make you realize why so many good teachers are bailing out after a couple of years. It can be truly maddening.