I have seen posts about teaching more frequently on here. I am finishing my 14th year and I wanted to share what I did that allowed me to not hate teaching. Hopefully, it helps a couple of teachers out there.
Accept what you can’t control.
People are going to hate you, accept that. Either from past experiences and unreasonable expectations to insecurities, some people will just hate you. You can’t change the pay on your contract. Every district has a pay scale or formula that they use to calculate teacher pay. You won’t win teacher of the year. Teacher of the Year is about making sacrifices for the school. It’s draining and will burn you out. You can’t change a student’s life unless they let you. You are not responsible for your student’s mental health. It’s not in your contract and you most likely are not qualified to address the issue. Heck, most school counselors are academic counselors and are not qualified for it either. Refer the student to the appropriate resource. You don’t have to like it but learn to be ok with the parts you can’t control.
Control what you can control.
If you don’t like an aspect of your school/district, join the Union/Association. I have been a part of negotiations on PTO, extra prep time, increase pay, and more. Yes, it costs money but I believe it’s worth it for change. This gets to my next point. Stop working for free. If it is needed, have the district pay you your hourly wage or don’t do it. This includes taking work home. I would rather throw away work than take it home and ruin my home life. Find your teaching philosophy. This makes tough decisions at school easier. My philosophy is that if you meet the student's needs, they will be successful. This includes physical and mental. While I’m not qualified to speak to them about their depression, I can give them a snack, prepare them for a job interview or put them in situations to make friends. It doesn’t take that much time to show them you care. I also use my teaching philosophy to question the admins’ intentions.
These are just the main areas that help my life. I’m not working 90 hour weeks anymore and actually get to spend all that vacation time that people are jealous about with my family. I still don’t love it, but I don’t hate it for now.