27 Phrases Teachers Are Tired Of Hearing

It’s back-to-school season again, which means there’s no shortage of commentary about the essential work that teachers do and the sacrifices they make. Veteran teachers are accustomed to being told — by administrators, parents, politicians or simply members of the general public — how to do their jobs.

Maybe it’s because teachers’ salaries are funded by taxpayers, or simply because we all have our own classroom experiences as students to reflect back on, but few other career professionals are subject to so much public dialogue about how they should approach their work, and what they should and should not say.

Increasingly, teachers are held accountable not only to school administrators, parents and students (their most critical audience), but also policies like book bans and laws like Florida’s “Don’t Say Gay” bill, that restrict what teachers are allowed to include in their curriculum.

When we asked teachers in the HuffPost Facebook community to tell us which phrases they are sick of hearing, few mentioned things that they hear from students. Mostly, it seems, teachers are tired of adults who feel entitled to air opinions about their vocation.

One phrase mentioned several times was, “Teachers do it for the outcome, not the income.”

Jess Parish, a teacher in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, explained why, although there is truth to it, this phrase still stings: “While I appreciate the intent behind it, deep down this is toxic for teachers. Teaching is absolutely a ‘heart job.’ You cannot be a successful teacher if your heart isn’t all in. But teaching is a job performed by highly trained and skilled professionals. We deserve to be paid like the assets we are, because when it comes down to it, it is a job. In no other sector do we