An intellectual, hard-working senior sits in class. He asks questions and comes in before and after school to check his understanding. He has already applied to colleges and is only waiting to hear back. Beside him sits a student who puts forth no effort. He is failing every class, but his grades are the last thing that he cares about. Instead, he kicks back in his seat with his ear buds in as he texts his friends. The challenging part for the teacher is that they have to help these students reach the same goal.

Although teachers admit that their job can be challenging, most find that it is worth it because they make an impact on young adults. Each teacher has to find his or her own way to deal with the stress that comes along with their job.

 “You’re always going to have students who don’t care to learn,” government teacher Mrs. Schroeder said, “but you always have one or two students who make it worthwhile.”

Although there are a few students who don’t always like to cooperate, teaching is worth it to most teachers.

“Just like any other job, you’re always going to have those days, but if I really found teaching that frustrating, I would have left a long time ago,” Mrs. Schroeder said.

Sometimes, teaching and grading can get overwhelming. Ms. Wallace, business and AVID teacher, has her own way of dealing with stress.

“I lock up my classroom, and I leave all the stress at school,” she said.

Mr. Shaw, English III teacher, has his own way of handling stress as well.

“To escape, I coach baseball and softball after school or on the weekends,” he said.

English teacher Ms. Hardy deals with school-related stress in several ways.

“I exercise and am part of a roller derby team,” she said, “I also know when to leave my work at work and take a break.”

Some teachers quit their jobs because of the few disadvantages of the profession.

“I think that some quit for more pay or maybe they want a job where they can leave their work in the office,” Mr. Shaw said.

According to Ms. Wallace, teaching is not for everyone.

“Just because you’re good at what you do, it doesn’t mean you can teach it,” she said.

For some, the amount of training teachers receive makes it difficult to know what to apply in class.

“Our district provides ample opportunities for training on teacher theory, and sometimes it’s hard to pick what to apply in the classroom, with the limited amount of class time we have,” Ms. Hardy said.

Although there are a few disadvantages to being a teacher, there are many advantages.

“Since high school, I wanted to teach.  The bad teachers influenced me to become a teacher because I knew I could do it better,” Mr. Shaw said.

Ms. Wallace has a passion for teaching. She loves the youth-filled environment and being able to teach business, an area she enjoys and is proficient in.

“I had really good teachers growing up and the job looked appealing. I love being with kids all day,” Ms. Wallace said.

Teaching is not for everyone, but those who are meant for it find it fulfilling.

“I’m glad I became a teacher and I have no regrets,” Mr. Shaw said.