The following list is a SARCASTIC view of how I, as a future teacher, respond to people that say degrading or shaming things to me and my friends who are already teaching. I wish I could say I made these quotes up. But you should know, hearing it in person is way worse than you could ever imagine. Full disclosure, my comments underneath were not my actual replies, just what I want to say when someone speaks to me like that about my passion!

1. "Wow, you must really like school."

I get to teach. I don't get to "school". Don't sound so shocked that I enjoy educating young minds.

2. "Why would you want to spend your day with children?"

Why would you want to spend your day looking at a computer screen? Or looking at numbers. Or doing whatever your profession requires you to do. You must enjoy it or something. Same goes for me, buddy.

3. "Those who can't do, teach"

As one of my wise freshmen said "If you don't know the material well enough to teach it to someone else, then you don't know what you're doing. So the saying really should be "Those who can't teach, can't do correctly either"

4. "I didn't go to college, but I'm still successful"

Good for you. I bet you had a teacher at some point during your mandatory 12 years of elementary and secondary education who taught you skills to be successful in whatever you decided to do. Go thank that teacher.

5. "Oh, you're a teacher? I'm so sorry"

Oh, you're a lawyer? A doctor? A plumber? I'm sorry. Do you feel angry yet? Because you should be. I just made you feel like your profession was an embarrassment and you should be ashamed. Why are we still "teacher shaming" if we can't shame all professions?

6. "Teaching is so overrated"

Yeah, so is reading and writing and solving math problems. You obviously either learned that on your own or just don't do anything all day.

7. "You mean you actually spend your paycheck on supplies for your job."

I forgot that your job wasn't federally funded and being cut annually. That you actually got all the pens, paper, staples, etc you needed to do your job without having to do fundraisers, beg your coworkers for working printers or in my case, spend a little bit of your pay check to make sure your job has adequate supplies to do everyday tasks.

8. "You know you'll never make any money, right?"

Wait, so you're telling me I won't make ANY money?? Not even 50 cents? Here I was thinking that working a job meant I would get paid for it; silly me.

9. "Why do you always bring your work home with you?"

As a secondary educator, I could see an average of 150 kids a day. At a small school. That might not be all the students I see in one week if they are on block scheduling. In addition to teaching, attending meetings, checking up on my students, planning my lessons, covering for other teachers, and other miscellaneous things, when in an 8 + hour work day would you like me to grade assignments? That being said, just be glad they are getting graded at some point and not lost only to be redone by the students. This question is usually followed up with...

10. "If you can't grade my assignment in one night, then you shouldn't have assigned it."

The reply to which is very similar to the "150 kids a day" speech. Except, I usually add in that the students have 8 classes a day. One assignment per class is cake. Use some math skills to figure out how many "assignments" teacher have if they make 1 assignment due for all 25 kids in each of the 6 classes in which the teacher is in charge. Don't ask me about grading anymore.

11. "What do you mean my child is failing?"

Have you not noticed your child not doing homework when they are at home? Have you not checked their backpack for their returned, graded assignments? What about checking on the classroom website for their grades? Or attend a parent-teacher conference once in a while. MAKE GOOD USE OF THE RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO YOU.

12. *2 days before grades are due* "Is there any extra credit I can do?"

Yeah. Sure. Let me just come up with more assignments for you to not do. Like you didn't do the ones I assigned in the first place. So let's save each other both time and energy and you just take the grade you earned.

13. "Teachers get enough time off, why are they asking for snow days too??"

Let's refer back to the little speech about having many, many papers to grade. And lesson plans to make. And reports to keep up with. Activities to create, new standards and technology to become familiar with. I would like one free day every now and then to catch up on all of this never ending "inbox pile."

14. "Why don't you just call in sick?"

Because my students are on a precise schedule. They have to meet specific standards by a certain date and missing one day causes utter chaos in that schedule. Also, have you ever made a lesson plan for a substitute?? I'd rather be on my death bed in class than make one of those.

15. "If you complain about teaching so much then why do you still do it?"

Are you freaking kidding me? What do you mean why do I still do it?! I get to do what I love to do. Changing young minds every day is the most rewarding feeling out there.