A teacher in the US has seemingly captured the collective sentiment of the profession in a now-viral post to social media begging parents to stop “coddling” their children.
Julie Marburger in Texas left work early on March 28 after an incident with a parent left her “unable emotionally to continue for the day”.
What came next was a heartfelt and searingly honest Facebook post about the parents who make teachers’ lives impossible.
Marburger knows people will say she “shouldn’t be posting such things on social media” but the Cedar Creek local “DOES NOT CARE”.
“I have never heard of a profession where people put so much of their heart and soul into their job, taking time and resources from their home and family, and getting paid such an insultingly measly amount,” she wrote.
“Most parents can’t stand to spend more than a couple hours a day with their kid, but we spend eight with yours and 140 others just like him. Is it too much to ask for a little common courtesy and civil conversation?”
The primary school teacher was planning on leaving the profession at the end of this year – what would be her third year teaching – but is now considering bringing her quit-date forward.
“Parents have become far too disrespectful, and their children are even worse,” she wrote. “Administration always seems to err on the side of keeping the parent happy, which leaves me with no way to do the job I was hired to do…teach kids.”
Marburger says limited classroom budgets mean teachers often pay for classroom supplies and decorations out of the own pockets.
Top Comments
Say what you want about how "terrible" the days were when kids got a spanking if they played up at school, but they sure didn't have this disgusting level of behaviour going on when there were actual consequences for bad behaviour!
What it is is that if you got into trouble at school and your parents found out you would be in deep do do.Now the parents say my child wouldnt do that
I've worked with a lot of US teachers overseas who just couldn't stand working in America anymore. Many of the problems in the article also happen in Australia, but at least we get paid a better wage, have less University debt and aren't forced to do a Master's degree to keep our teaching certification. I once was chased down a corridor on Parent/Teacher night and had to hide in the bathroom until security came. They had to walk me to my car in case the parent was still hanging around.
There are plenty of entitled and enabled children I have to teach every day. When one teenage boy went into the Staff toilet and pissed all over the handbasin and mirror, the parent claimed he had a "urinary problem".