Is there a subreddit that’s focused on positive outlooks of teaching? Because this one isn’t it.

I’ve been teaching elementary for about 4 years now and subbed around for about 2 years. I’m 27 M and really loving my job! Obviously there are horrible days and obviously there are probably worse things to come. BUT I’ve just been feeling good for the first time in my life and I think it’s because of this job.

I grew up dirt poor with a pretty shitty home life. Drug addict/alcoholic father, overbearing and intense OCD mother and myself as the oldest child who kept things together as much as possible for all my younger sisters. I was naturally very intelligent and picked up many skills on my own very quickly. I was going to be an engineer or an architect but testing the waters of those jobs made me miserable. I got my teaching degree and realized that it was the best thing I was ever good at!

Fast forward to now, I’m making more money than I’ve ever made in my life (which probably isn’t much to most people but it seems like a lot to me), I have great health benefits, pretty decent work hours (8:20-3:20), I don’t take my work home with me and I feel like I have a stable life for the first time ever! My classroom is running great compared to the rest of the building and I had arguable the most difficult section in the building! There just seems to be no other teachers to celebrate with. The system is bad, REALLY bad. But I try to take the losses with the wins and just do what I can. All my engineer friends hate their lives now and they’re making almost double what I make!

I just wish there wasn’t so much negativity and unpleasantness in all the teacher subreddits. I just want a positive teacher subreddit to share cool stories or fun lessons with the kids. I get most people hate this job and it’s all for valid reasons. I just wish I had someone to share my perspective with without feeling guilty for feeling good about it. Hoping the profession gets better at some point but maybe it won’t. Otherwise, good luck to everyone else out there.