So anyway, to clarify as I probably was not clear enough before, my point wasn't that teachers work harder than anyone else, it was that they are undervalued regardless. Education is a fundamental part of civil society and one of its backbones. Its one of the most important parts of human history and there was a time when it was very prized. Nowadays education is not seen for its value in the same way.
My issue wasn't that educator's definitely have the hardest job or should have the right to whinge and moan over everything, it was that if someone chooses to have a moan about the demanding strictures of their profession, it doesn't seem fair to me that people will jump on it and try and shut them down. I think the fact that the OP's original post has been skewed into a thread on moaning teachers and the legitimacy of their right to moan is evidence of this. The OP came on here to ask advice on her particular situation and did not imply anything about teaching, she was asking an earnest question, yet look at the outcome.
All jobs are hard in their own way or have their drawbacks.
But teachers do work hard, it is a demanding job. A good point has been made several times and I feel, overlooked. Teaching jobs are all different, even I stated very early on that I was talking about this from the perspective of someone who's partner is a teacher in an inner city secondary school. He teaches English too which makes a difference and the amount of work he puts in to bring him up to next to outstanding status by ofsted ranking also makes a difference. There are lots of variables. But the conditions of teaching make it somewhat different, as are many public sector jobs. The constant interaction with young people and members of the public is one factor. You don't just go in and teach and plan lessons and finish for the day, you are also dealing with young people, many with problems at home or behavioural problems. Some have emotional and psychological problems too and you are dealing with this day in and day out. So there is not only the working aspect but the emotional input that comes with a teaching job.
In short, there are a lot of variables too, but on the whole, teaching is invaluable to us as a society and I do feel that it deserves more recognition than it gets. That doesn't mean treating teachers like royalty, but just understanding that if teachers want to have a moan, they shouldn't be jumped on about it but should just be given enough respect to let them have a moan. Or if they are just talking about the demands of the job as on this thread, not to define it as an unjustified moan "because other jobs are equally if not harder", no one is disputing that.
Anyways... Spech over [humble courtsey] 