“I Tell Kids I Don’t Give Participation Awards”: Teachers Are Sharing The “Propaganda” About Their Jobs That They’re Not Falling For

All jobs evolve over time, and education is one of the professions that experiences these changes most rapidly. However, it can be daunting to adapt to new methods and ideas, especially without knowing how it will impact students and their futures…

That’s why when Redditor u/Efficient-Flower-402 asked r/Teachers, “What is a popular belief/mindset among teachers in your building that you can’t get on board with?” educators flooded the comments with the aspects of their jobs they simply don’t agree with. From volunteer work to AI dependence — here are 19 of their most insightful responses:

If you’re an educator and want to share popular beliefs about your job that you don’t agree with, feel free to tell us using this anonymous form.

1.“That we’re supposed to sponsor 5+ clubs/sports per year and sacrifice our lives outside of school for the students, and if we don’t, that means we’re lazy and don’t care about the students.”

—u/pinkcat96

“I was the yearbook advisor, ran the photography club, and did a bunch of other stuff for my school, yet when I didn’t want to show up on a Saturday to work (for free) at the fall festival, our HR person complained that teachers only do extra stuff if they get paid for it. This isn’t volunteer work, it’s a job.”

—u/BananikaND

2.“That the pandemic is the sole reason why we are witnessing an increase in behavior and skill issues…”

“People will say, ‘Ever since COVID, etc.’

Sure, COVID was a gut punch to some kids, but the main cause for the trends we see is more likely related to technology. We are trying to educate screen-addicted kids who are experiencing withdrawals daily.”

—u/Divine_Mutiny

3.“When other educators say, ‘I don’t do this for the money.’ It. Is. A. Job. If they quit paying me, I would stop showing up.”

—u/PikPekachu

“I heard this exact sentiment from a fellow teacher when I’d expressed interest in starting an after-school club, but stopped after discovering how small the stipend was. She said. ‘Well, none of us do it for the money.’ I thought, ‘I’m an (overqualified) instructional assistant, you’re a teacher who makes triple my salary, don’t preach to me about not being in it for the money.’”

—u/alexandertushkin

4.“That because students are poor and growing up in difficult homes, we should treat them like they aren’t capable of meeting high expectations and lower our standards. Nope, these kids are 100% capable, and we’ve seen it. We have many great students and a small group who cause problems. We can give the great kids a louder voice and crack down on the others, which would solve a lot of problems. But that’s not what the current administration is doing, and school culture has taken a nosedive because of it.”

—u/napswithdogs

“My school admin does this. We’re constantly being reminded that our students often come from single-parent, low-income households, etc.

Can you think of any policy more offensive than teaching my low-income students of color that they don’t have the ability to behave and succeed at the same level as their suburban white peers?”

—u/amalgaman

5.“Those who are preaching, ‘We should use AI for lesson plans!’ I’d rather cut my fingers off.”

—u/avthoughts

“This. There are so many people right now who want to de-professionalize this job, and so many teachers are providing free data on exactly how to do it. Trust and believe that the government would love to replace us with a room full of screens and an adult being paid minimum wage.”

—u/PikPekachu

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6.“I’m going to be extremely controversial: Teachers that consistently take days off while knowing they are screwing everyone else — especially in a district or school that has shortages in substitute coverage.”

“I completely support someone taking their sick days and mental health days off, but some abuse this system and they know it.”

—u/PayAltruistic8546

7.“That we should ‘cut deals’ with kids to get them to pass at the end of the quarter instead of letting their numerical grades make the final decision. It’s not that teachers at my school are passing students who don’t deserve it, but some are much more willing than I am to say ‘Just hand in these three assignments and you’ll pass’ even if that mathematically doesn’t get them close to a passing grade. I hate the lesson this teaches the kids.”

—u/MidAtlanticPolkaKing

“It’s to avoid the admin having to prove to central office why so many kids failed. I don’t have a problem giving students a chance to do some of the work, BUT there is a big difference between telling students to do XYZ and letting them ‘pass’ than telling the student to complete their assignments and see where the grade falls.

I will also only accept handwritten work in order to take chapter tests. Tests are open notes; they could write down EXACT questions and answers, and I’d let them use that on their test, but the student must be the one doing the work. I think that goes above and beyond generous, and if students fail, it’s entirely on them and not me.”

—u/Unicorn_8632

8.“That teachers with kids of their own ‘understand’ students and the profession more. These are the educators who pat the top of your hand and condescendingly say, ‘You’d get it if you had your own children, dear.’”

—u/mouthygoddess

9.“Wanting the ‘show’ of being a good teacher rather than actually being good at teaching. I had a co-worker who was great at putting on a ‘blended learning’ show. It was all hollow. She would wax poetic about ‘voice and choice’ and ‘learner agency’ but couldn’t answer basic questions.”

“It was clear she didn’t truly understand what she was doing, but she knew how to mimic intelligence. The show was impressive, but scores plummeted.”

—u/Away_Bench7003

Related: People In HR Revealed Truly Unhinged Reasons Employees Got Fired, And My Jaw Is On The Floor

10.“People saying, ‘We need to incorporate AI into education and get the kids using it right NOW!’”

“I’m not saying that AI won’t have its place in education in the future, but I dislike the constant push to be on the ‘cutting edge’ of adopting every new technology before we’ve even understood its implications. I remember when we were pushed to have kids use their phones for ‘education,’ with the promise that it would somehow solve the problem of phones being a distraction. Now, phones are banned because we realize the overuse of screens is a problem.

Similarly, with AI, I think caution is warranted. I’m neutral towards AI, but the rush to predict how it will be used and what kids today might have to use it for in the future is premature. We do a disservice to students to implement it sloppily, and with the existing concerns about over-reliance on tech and lack of critical thinking skills, I think we need to truly think about introducing AI into education simply because it sounds snazzy to the school board.

Unfortunately, I’m a tech learning lead at my school, and the powers that be are pushing us towards AI, so I might be in for a battle this year. But I’m going back to paper and pencil in my classes because I’ve had kids request it!”

—u/annafrida

11.“‘Enforcing (fill in the blank) is impossible, so don’t even try.”

“Hall passes, cellphone use, letting students out early, accepting late work, cheating, and allowing students to play games on their Chromebooks, etc. Every time you waver, the other teachers get pushback.”

—u/therealzacchai

12.“Being evaluated based on an admin’s personal feelings about you, rather than them doing their job and non-biasedly observing you.”

“It’s fine until someone gets a great evaluation they don’t deserve because they and the admin are friends who have a weekly dinner out.

However, there are many of us who do a fantastic job and get sh*tty evaluations because we want to keep our personal lives private. We don’t deserve this hypocrisy.”

—u/_single_lady_

13.“‘Other teachers have a great rapport with this student, so any trouble you are experiencing is your own fault.’”

“It has nothing to do with the fact that the favorite teacher has only 15 students in each class and teaches an elective that the student is already interested in. Meanwhile, I teach a core EOC-tested subject with 30-32 kids crammed in each class, or the ‘golden’ student won’t complete work, watches Netflix in my class, and talks to their friends. But sure, it’s all me.”

—u/MeasurementLow2410

14.“Rewarding kids for doing the things they ARE supposed to do, like showing up on time.”

—u/Ok-Jaguar-1920

“I tell children I don’t give participation awards.”

—u/Eoganachta

15.“That having ‘Velcro students’ is positive and shows how great a teacher’s relationships are with students, when it sometimes verges on inappropriate and codependent.”

“The definition of a ‘velcro student’ is a student who wants to be around a teacher at all times, always hanging around them before and after school, during lunch, etc.

Teacher-student relationships are good, but sometimes they can enter the informal territory I mentioned.”

—u/Informal-Sea-165

16.“That every time a student misses an assignment, I should call their parents. I give my students time in class to work on all of their assignments; anything that goes home is because they didn’t finish it. I post zeroes in the online gradebook and send an email telling parents the assignment was missed, and letting them know the latest date I will accept it. I’ve been told by more than one colleague that I shouldn’t be sending emails, but should, instead, be making phone calls for each and every assignment.”

“These colleagues have half of my course load and students. I get an entire grade level, which means I’m teaching somewhere between 130 and 140 students, while these teachers max out at 70.

When I pointed out the disparity, I was told I should make more efficient use of my time. Sorry, but I don’t have an extra hour or two in my day to make calls to every parent when their kid misses an assignment. The grades are posted in the online gradebook, and I sent an email. If the parents choose to ignore those two avenues, that’s on them.”

—u/phiwings

17.“That engineering doesn’t need to be a core class, but art does. We teach science, math, and technology as a core requirement, and yet the one responsible for about 63% of our nation’s GDP isn’t taught or required in school?”

—u/Crazyhornet1

18.“I teach eighth-grade, and I hate when people say, ‘There are no bad kids, just bad choices.’ That’s completely untrue.”

“There are definitely bad kids, just visit juvenile hall and tell me otherwise.”

—u/Vivid-Cat-1987

19.“That every day must be focused on learning (I teach middle school). No, sometimes there needs to be a built-in focus on fun, and as pessimistic as I can be about pep assemblies, it’s simply due to the lack of organization and not the event itself. At the middle school level, there needs to be time dedicated to building fondness and memories, not just academic skills.”

—u/Noimenglish

“Exactly. Every moment in my classroom is supposed to be meaningful, but sometimes it doesn’t fit neatly into an objective, and making me break it down takes the joy out of it. Sometimes it would be nice to think, ‘Wow, the kids were incredibly enthusiastic about our lesson today!’”

—u/Efficient-Flower-402

Did any of these examples surprise you? Educators, what common aspects/mindsets of teaching do you not agree with? Tell us in the comments or answer anonymously using the form below!

Note: Some responses have been edited for length and/or clarity.

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