Teacher Misery: Helicopter Parents, Special Snowflakes, and Other Bullshit

On the front of this book, in a review by Laurie Notaro, she says "I laughed out loud". I am on page 114, & I have yet to find anything that even resembles humor. I purchased this to give to a friend who is a second grade teacher, thinking she could relate to everyday happenings, such as kids talking out of turn, saying funny things, etc. You know, the kinds of things all teachers encounter.But I am too embarrassed to give it to her. If she encountered anything in school even vaguely similar to what this book talks about, she would have quit long ago, I am quite sure. Yes, the author taught higher grades, but I simply can't imagine any teacher having to submit to such vulgar talk and disrespect, plus completely inappropriate comments directly to the author, in her classroom, concerning how sexy she was.Perhaps most ridiculous of all was when the author saw a couple having sex in a staircase while classes were in session,and what actions were taken? The assistant principal had a conference with the parents, & the mother of the girl tried to argue that the students weren't doing anything wrong, since it doesn't say in the school rulebook that students can't have sex! She was correct! The author said the school needed to add a rule, and specifically indicate the location where sexual activity is forbidden.Much as I hate to, I am going to use this time-worn saying, "You've got to be kidding!"If her examples of incompetent administrators and out-of-control students (and parents) is any indication of what is going on in many of our schools, our country is in seriously deep trouble.And where is this school located, so any sane parents, with potential students, might avoid even considering the idea of moving there?I am going to ask for a refund.Update: Dec 15, 2018After reading past page 114 , where I could find no humor whatsoever, the author shed a lot of light on what's wrong with our educational system; clueless administrators, endless catering to ridiculous helicopter parents, ineffective (actually, missing) discipline, and perhaps most of all, control of education by the federal government.The author points out why schools strictly follow the Common Core standards: To get federal money. She mentions that out of the 135 authors of Common Core, only seven were actual classroom teachers, and none of those had any training in early childhood education. But she got to the heart of the problem by stating that the Common Core-aligned test was designed by the for-profit company, Pearson, which was paid $360 million of taxpayer money for that.Texas alone pays Pearson $500 million for the contract with Pearson, a company that takes in $9 billion annually.I could go on & on, but I will simply change my rating for the book from one star to 5, something I have never done before.

The author deals with a lot of entitled kids and while I have some and they can make life miserable, I don't have them on as consistent basis as Ms. Morris. She highlights a three fold problem: lack of structure and accountability for students, the emergence of a philosophy of victimology to excuse bad student behavior and the unwillingness of schools to control technology use.I experienced situations that were adjacent to the author's and so could relate to the book. The hardest situation is entitled parents who baby their kids and won't hold them accountable. There really is no solution to that issue except to know that at some point in the kid's future, he will get a reality check. All we can do as teachers is be role models.This book could scare new teachers away from the profession but it all has to do with school culture and location. It is so important to research districts and how much they support teachers.

Jane Morris, an English teacher writing under a pen name to protect her job and privacy, writes this collection of stories from mostly her own teaching career, but also compiles stories from some of her peers as well. She tells anecdotes of dealings with parents, interesting students she has had in her classes, and of her guidance and lack thereof with administrators. She provides examples of real student work that has been turned in to her and of emails that have been sent to her from students, parents, admin, and other staff she works with. She discusses other topics like standardized testing and grading policies as well.While I was super excited to read this book as a teacher myself, I wasn't sure if it would be amazing or whiny and pessimistic. I absolutely loved it and think anyone who works in a school or coaches kids should read it. I related to everything that she said, and I didn't feel at all that she was using the book as an outlet to complain about how horrible the teaching profession is or deter people from becoming a teacher. Though she does highlight many of the frustrating aspects of being a teacher, she also makes it clear that she enjoys the madness and doesn't regret the profession she chose. The book was wildly entertaining and fun to read, but it also put my own school and students into perspective. I look forward to reading her second book. Follow her instagram account @teachermisery if you don't already!

The book is actually pretty funny. I noticed that the author doesn't really tell any stories of successes with students, or any good times. However, the book is about teacher misery. She teaches high school, which I have never taught (and never will teach), but unfortunately, it was not unrealistic. Sadly, the parents and children, and the situations she finds herself in happen all of the time. It is frustrating how far we've regressed as a society, with the breakdown of the family unit, with entitling children. The part where a student sues a school on the grounds of free speech because she put up a group page on social media dedicated to bashing her teacher, and was suspended, is an example. She won. It's a shame the judge wouldn't admonish her about her behavior, or that her parents would stand behind her. Funny how schools have these "anti-bullying" policies, though they don't seem to apply to teachers. Some of the book is funny, though. The author includes short essay responses of students, and some of them made me laugh out loud, as well as the names she comes up with for emails. I'm wondering if this woman is still teacher, I hope that she is, and it has gotten better for her.

Llego super bien

This book was exactly what I've been looking for! It was such a great read as a teacher and put so much insight into what happens in schools and the classrooms.Will be recommending this book to all my teacher friends and family just to show them the things we teachers go through on a daily basis.

This book is incredible. I read it in two sittings, promptly ordered her other books, as well as copies for my teacher brother. This hilariously and perfectly encapsulates teaching in today's classrooms. Just read it.

I'm a teacher and I can relate to many things in this book. The emails are crazy and I can't believe parents can be this crazy.

Great book! A must read! Made me laugh, made me angry, but mostly made me laugh. If you’re a teacher, this is a lighthearted read to help you reminisce on what this profession can sometimes be like...or that it can always be worse.