Teaching is an incredible profession filled with gratifying moments and rewards. To the average person, a career in teaching seems like a breeze, but this is not quite the case. Teachers face many challenges in and outside the classroom. 

While it’s possible to add many more suggestions to these lists, we’ve listed five rewards and challenges commonly faced in teaching. 

Rewards Of Teaching 

From shaping young people’s lives to continuous growth and development, a profession in teaching is incredibly rewarding. 

1. You Can Change Lives 

As a teacher, you have the power to make a difference in the lives of your students. You can inspire a child’s passion for a subject, develop their academic abilities and nurture their self-esteem. It’s incredibly exciting to get to watch your students grow in all aspects while they are under your tutelage. 

2. You Can Influence the Work Culture

In most careers, you have to fit into a work culture. However, as a teacher, you are the one who sets the rules in your classroom, so you can influence the environment. If you want to foster passion, curiosity and out-of-the-box thinking amongst your students, then you can do it!

3. Opportunity For Continuous Learning 

As a teacher, you will need to continue learning and completing certifications throughout your career. This will ensure that you are on top of the latest teaching methods so that you can test them out in your own classroom. In a broader aspect, it’s always important for teachers to learn things outside of the classroom, such as current events and the latest book recommendations. 

4. Every Day Is Different

While year on year, you might follow the same or a similar syllabus, no day will ever be the same. Each class of students will be unique, and you will share special moments with your students. This makes each day of teaching new and exciting. 

5. Great Holidays 

While this isn’t directly related to teaching, the perks of school holidays cannot be left out of this list. This gives teachers the necessary time to relax and recharge for the next term or school year. 

Challenges Of Teaching 

While you cannot argue that teaching isn’t a rewarding profession, it doesn’t come without its challenges – something which all aspiring teachers should be aware of. 

1. Dealing With Children’s Learning Difficulties 

Within a class of students, there will always be a variety of learning challenges that demand your attention. With eight different learning styles, teachers must think creatively when it comes to meeting the needs of each of their learners. 

2. Budget Cuts 

One of the biggest challenges facing the education sector today is the lack of funding, especially in public and independent schools. When schools encounter budget issues, the first step is to reduce pupil to teacher ratio, which directly impacts the scholars’ learning. Teachers face a growing number of students per class, which prevents them from providing crucial one-on-one attention. The result is lower student achievement and satisfaction.

3. Lots Of Paperwork & Long Hours 

New teachers who are fresh out of university may think that the majority of their time will be spent teaching, but they’re wrong. Teachers are always up to their necks in marking, grading papers and tracking student progress. This often requires teachers to work after hours. 

4. Bullying & Student Family Issues 

Unfortunately, bullying and family problems are still issues that occur today, and it often falls on teachers to provide their students with emotional support and safeguard them. Because teachers work closely with vulnerable groups and children, they must complete an enhanced DBS check.

5. Disciplining Students 

While you’re guaranteed to have delightful children in your class, it’s not uncommon that you’ll encounter students who lack good manners and are disrespectful. Disrespectful students can kill your love of teaching, but you also have to be careful in the way you go about dealing with disruptions and disciplining students. 

You can combat the lack of manners by implementing justified consequences, getting to the root of the problem, involving parents and creating intervention plans.