Teachers are some of the most important members of our society, from forming life skills in children to helping them figure out their future. Many teachers say the best part of their job is watching their students progress throughout their academic career. However, like every job, there are downsides to being a teacher. Sara Warner, a former teacher in Wisconsin of 14 years, describes some of the problems with being a teacher.

“A lot of times there’s a lack of understanding between administration and the teachers,” she says. “People in admin would place unrealistic expectations on the teachers.” Sara recalls a time when teachers were required to submit their lesson plans for the upcoming week on Friday night and have them approved by admin before they could teach on Monday. Another expectation given by administration is that students receive high test scores on standardized tests. When students of a certain class wouldn’t score as admin wanted, teachers would be looked down upon by administrators and teachers alike.

Despite the discrepancies between teachers and administration, Sara describes teaching as one of the most rewarding jobs, especially seeing former students succeed in their academic career. Upon moving to Tennessee Sara didn’t return to teaching, but instead started working at a bank. Sara said she “wanted to try something new” and experience new things. This is a good reminder that you don’t have to know what you want to do right as you graduate high school; there’s always time to try new things and find something you enjoy.