Ok - I have bitten my tongue enough and, although I know this will fall on deaf ears because some people are determined to see teachers as a bunch of whinging part-timers who exist to make their lives difficult, but I feel the need to respond.
After I graduated, (good degree, RG university) I worked for an international, corporate PR . I worked extremely long hours as the nature of the business meant I had to be at work when the clients in the States were at work. It was demanding and stressful. I didn't earn very much to start with and earned every penny several times over. I can clearly remember having a conversation, during a particularly stressful time, about how my teacher friends (who were all earning more than me) had no idea what the real world was like; about how their jobs are no harder than anyone else's so why don't they just get over themselves...
Fast forward a few years and I applied to do a Primary PGCE. The course was oversubscribed and getting a place was really, really hard. Only the academic high achievers made it. Once I got the place I endured the toughest year of my life. Out of 22 on my course, 7 dropped out before the end. Intense is not the word. When we started, the Course Director told us in no uncertain terms that for that year and our NQT year to follow, sleep would be a rare luxury and we would be teachers first and people second. She was not wrong.
Now I am 5 years into my career and I love it, but I can honestly say that I never understood before how much a good teacher has to put in. When I say that, I don't only mean in terms of time, but also emotional and physical energy. During term time, you are a teacher. It is all-consuming. My DS hardly sees me. I have never been to his Christmas plays or Sports Days. I look forward to spending our holidays together, because it's the only time I get to be Mum.
I had two months off last year through stress. I work in an extremely challenging inner city school and some of the children's home lives make me want to weep on a daily basis. I have been attacked regularly - by both children and parents - verbally and physically. There are problems with drugs, violence and neglect and the child protection log is onto it's second volume since September. I don't know what you would call real life, but I certainly do not live in a bubble.
I am a social worker, administrator, counsellor, budget manager, IT technician (honestly - that is part of my role - I have to maintain all IT equipment in the school and train the staff on software. The school can't afford to hire someone in to do this!), care assistant, furniture mover, Sports coach, choir leader, Mural artist (see my displays!), Website designer....and...well....educator when I get the chance. I have never known a job like it for the bewildering range of skills required.
So leave us alone. I'm telling you, as someone who has worked on both sides, you don't understand what it is like. You can't possibly.