Being a teacher is one of the toughest jobs out there. First of all, it involves lots of hard work, from creating lesson plans to grading papers to giving lectures. It’s also an important job for the health of our society. A teacher’s job is to teach students how to learn–a skill that you need in order to learn literally any other skill. (And let’s not forget that some of these students are actively resisting their education!) Then there’s the fact that teaching is basically an eight-hour public speaking gig you have to do every day. I couldn’t do it!

And on top of all that, teachers aren’t paid too well. A high school teacher’s median income is just $58,030, which is lower than the salaries for TV camera operators, golf course groundskeepers, and executive pastry chefs at casinos.

We here at Awkward can’t change teachers’ salaries–but we CAN give them a laugh. Just in time for the start of the school year, here are 15 memes (via Bored Panda) that nail what it’s like to be a teacher.

 

1. Messing with students 101.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

2. When the school day ends, the work begins.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

3. You’re the reason Staples stays in business.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

4. Class size: always gets bigger, never gets smaller.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

5. The four types of headaches.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

6. Burnout is inevitable.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

7. The next best thing to vacation.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

8. Coming soon to your life: Brat II, Brat III, and Brat IV: The Revenge

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

9. Every Freudian slip happens in front of an audience.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

10. Fact: a teacher has one of the strongest bladders in nature.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

11. The official teacher retirement plan.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

12. You know how pharmacists can read doctors’ messy handwriting? That’s a teacher x1000.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

13. Hope you like repeating yourself! Hope you like repeating yourself!

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

14. At least you get a bunch of happy memories…right?

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

15. Honestly, this one’s not much of an exaggeration.

Photo Credit: Bored Panda

 

 

 

Overworked and under-appreciated. Until now.

 

 

h/t: Bored Panda