Excessive testing, teaching to the test, can't balance a life with the work hours (8-5pm every day, most times even longer), teacher turnover is not good for the students developmentally, coming in mid-year will be a huge struggle, high expectations as soon as you arrive in your teaching position where you can be immediately reprimanded in an extremely disrespectful way, and compensation. There's no true job security unless you're a part of the "in" crowd. If you aren't a top producer of results, your days really feel numbered. No true support for the arts or creativity. Not enough exposure to different cultures. I remember being in staff meetings where the principal would literally curse at us because of an infraction of one staff member. I had been made to cry on multiple occasions. I have had students taken out of their music class all because on one test they didn't score high enough and had to be place in a title one elective when an elective would've benefited them significantly. Some of the boys at the middle school can be amazing but some of them really don't have manners and make female employees feel like pieces of meat even when you're covered from head to toe and I received no help from administration on the issue. In 3 years I never saw a pay increase and I, along with other teachers, were paid below the average of the city for teachers. Many times I had to keep a second job that I sparingly worked because I still had to complete lesson plans and submit grades on time in order to keep my full time pay and I was still an adult living with a roommate.
