"It must be nice..."

This phrase has stuck in my head for the last couple of days because I'm hearing it a lot right now. That's what happens when you're a teacher and Summer Break is right around the corner. I think I speak for all teachers when I say this is the time of year we are most misunderstood. And I'm only a substitute teacher. It's worse for full-time teachers. I know, I'm married to one.

Over the last few days I've been trying to figure out why this phrase bothers me or if I'm being too sensitive and I've come to the same conclusion that urban dictionary has: Whether it's intended to be or not, this phrase just oozes sarcasm and jealousy.

And I just want to set the record straight. There is very little to be envious about in regards to teachers. Seriously. On average new teachers last 3 years. And then they quit. Give up. This is one of the hardest jobs out there. If you disagree, I dare you to volunteer in a local classroom for an entire week. In June. Double-dog dare you.

It must be nice to be able to have summers off...

...after putting in 7 day work weeks from September to June, while trying to teach 37 middle-schoolers in one classroom, while being blamed for every thing that's wrong with the entire education system in America, taking another pay cut, losing more support services, and sharing textbooks between classrooms because there simply aren't enough to go around. Yep, after all that, it sure is nice to get 10 weeks 'off'... to pay for your own continuing education, move and re-set up classrooms, to re-do everything again because once again the terminology is changing because some politician who has never spent more than a few minutes in a classroom thinks he knows better and got all the other politicians to vote yes. It must be so nice to have summers off knowing that even though you carry crippling student loans and hold a professional degree, people still think you have it easy, are lazy, and trying to get rich off unsuspecting taxpayers and that is why 'you teachers and your unions' get a 10 week 'vacation'.

In reality, if it weren't for summer break, there would be no teachers. For reals. We'd all go certifiably insane. Because of your kids.

So this summer, if you meet a teacher, instead of saying "It must be nice", say Thank You- and then buy them a beer, because Lord knows they need it and you wouldn't want their job.