10 Things You Like/Don't Like About Your Job

I didn't get a chance to do my top ten list last week, so this week I'm doing both...

10 Things I Don't Like
1. Lazy students
2. Having to repeat yourself 100 times because students aren't listening (and still having them not follow directions).
3. A dirty lab room
4. Teachers who surf the Internet during class
5. Grading papers, record keeping, grading papers, record keeping
6. AYP and No Child Left Behind
7. Lunch duty
8. Parents who SHOULD pay attention to what their kids are doing or not doing, but don't.
9. Excessive student absences
10. Students, parents, or coaches who complain about eligibility for sports

10 Things I Do Like
1. Summer vacation :)
2. Building rapport with students
3. Finally getting a student to understand a challenging concept (the "ah-ha" moment)
4. Feeling confident about the material I'm teaching
5. Doing labs or other hands-on activities with students
6. The autonomy that a classroom teacher has, like making your own rules and boundaries, teaching how you want and what you want to (within limits)
7. The positive support of my professional peers
8. The comradery in the teacher's lounge
9. Posting grades online for students and parents
10. Working one-on-one with students in class