It started as soon as you walked into the classroom this morning. One student started tattling about something that happened on the bus, a parent has already emailed you 5 times this morning, and the copy machine jammed before you could finish making your homework copies. It’s going to be one of “those” days where your teacher pet peeves are really getting under your skin. ? You are NOT ALONE!!!
Teachers deal with so much on a daily basis… the tapping, humming, whistling, singing, and the list goes on and on. People should be amazed that we are able to make it through most days without losing our minds. If you started writing them down, what would be number one on your list of Biggest Teacher Pet Peeves? I’m pretty sure that it’s a tie between #13 and #24 for me.
Teacher Pet Peeves That Get Under Our Skin
1 – Lying, cheating, and stealing (yikes!).
2 – Students who need to use the bathroom over 20 times a day.
3 – Faking injuries and illnesses to go to the nurse. (We have teacher friends who purchased a scan thermometer to stop this. LOL)
4 – Getting sneezed and coughed on. (Thank goodness for masks these days.) Or picking noses.
5 – Tattling.
6 – Students who aren’t willing to try on their assignments.
7 – Talking when you are teaching, or when a fellow classmate is sharing an answer or explanation.
8 – Tapping you to get your attention. “I AM NOT A TREE AND YOU ARE NOT A WOODPECKER!”
9 – Students repeating a behavior you just asked another student to stop doing.
10 – Students having learned helplessness and not being able to solve small problems in the classroom.
11 – Tapping pencils.
12 – Humming and whistling during class.
13 – “Teacher, Teacher, Teacher”.
14 – Always having to take the “tough” kids.
15 – Tying shoes.
16 – Whining.
17 – Repeating instructions over and over and over again.
18 – Missing glue stick and dry erase marker caps.
19 – Constant crying.
20 – “No name” papers.
21 – Calling out.
22 – Everyone has to use the bathroom at the same time. When one asks to go, it starts a vicious cycle.
Teacher Pet Peeves with Parents
23 – Parents who accuse you of being wrong just because their child said so.
24 – Parents that make excuses for their child’s misbehavior in class, or who say “They don’t act that way at home.”
25 – Having unanswered emails, phone calls, and other types of communication to parents.
26 – Chronic absences and no support at home to make up the work.
27 – Going over your head to admin before speaking to you about an issue.
28 – Not reading the newsletters and then asking questions that have been answered in the newsletter.
29 – Sending kids to school sick… come on, especially this year.
30 – Asking me to heat up their child’s lunch. (Say what?!)
31 – Homework folders that never get checked.
Outside the Classroom Pet Peeves
32 – Outrageous administration requests.
33 – Boring staff meetings.
34 – The pettiness of colleagues and those higher up.
35 – Having to do other peoples’ jobs on top of your own.
36 – Teachers who use improper grammar.
37 – Poorly planned professional development.
38 – No substitutes.
39 – An empty coffee pot in the staff lounge.
40 – No respect from the administration.
41 – Meetings during planning time.
42 – Having to type up formal lesson plans.
43 – No consequences for students when sent to the office.
44 – Meetings that could have been an email.
45 – My salary…
Did any of these teacher pet peeves ring true for you? Do you say a mantra each day to get through them? LOL Some are funny and we can sit back, shake our heads, and laugh it off, while others should be taken seriously and fixed so teachers no longer have to deal with them. Did your biggest teacher pet peeve make the list? If not, please drop it in the comments below. I’m sure that it is number one for many other teachers out there as well. ?
Written by – Janessa Fletcher
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