Chapter 3The Ungrateful Class: A Teacher's Exodus

My blood pressure instantly skyrocketed.

In that moment, I wanted to curse them all out.

It's true that homeroom teachers get paid slightly more than regular subject teachers.

An extra hundred dollars a semester.

Can you believe it?

Waking up earlier than the roosters, going to sleep later than the dogs.

Spending seventeen or eighteen hours a day at the school. Endless homeroom teacher meetings, endless class administrative tasks, endless performance evaluations to write, endless parent feedback to reply to. Even on weekends and holidays, the progress reports and summaries never stopped.

My phone was on 24/7, ready to handle any sudden emergencies at a moment's notice.

All in all, the workload of a homeroom teacher was more than ten times that of a regular subject teacher.

Did they really think I was working myself to death just for that extra hundred bucks?

Am I really that pathetic?

The attacks against me in the group chat continued.

"Not only do homeroom teachers get paid more, but they also get priority for 'Teacher of the Year' awards and promotions. There are plenty of perks!"

"No wonder he couldn't bear to give up the homeroom teacher position even when he was sick... Heh, I'm speechless."

"Damn it, if you want to make money, don't drag our kids down! Do we owe you something?!"

"Hurry up and get out!"

I was so angry I couldn't even speak.

If I just wanted to make money, I would have left a long time ago.

The private high school next door had previously offered to double my salary to poach me, but I politely declined.

What was I doing it for?

Wasn't it for the students?! For their precious little darlings?!

Ms. Roberts, the English teacher, couldn't stand it anymore.

"Mr. Vance has pushed through his illness for the sake of the students. Not only are you completely un-understanding, but how can you say such awful things to him? Are the students' grades not enough to prove his dedication?"

In the two years I had led this class, they had gone from being ranked at the bottom of the grade to being number one.

That was an undeniable fact.

There was a brief silence in the group chat.

Then, one parent suddenly said, "That's because the kids worked hard themselves. It would have been the same no matter which teacher led them; it has absolutely nothing to do with you."

Immediately after, a wave of agreement flooded the chat.

"Exactly! My son studies until midnight every day. With that kind of effort, how could his grades not be good?"

"The practice workbooks my daughter has completed could stack up as tall as a person!"

"He really knows how to take credit for other people's hard work."