Is it normal to be so unhappy about this profession as a new teacher?

Student Teacher Support &/or Advice

This is the last year of my Bachelor’s in Education (Social Studies), and my second year as a student teacher. This year, I was placed in a public school in a low-income neighborhood to teach 10th grade Social Studies, and so far it’s been a nightmare.
The students are generally behind what’s expected for their age, which is unfortunately common in many public schools, and I think that part is manageable. The real problems are elsewhere.

Punctuality: I teach them on Tuesdays and Fridays during first period. Half the class is always 15–20 minutes late, and when they arrive they have no idea what’s going on. Meanwhile, the students who are there on time don’t want to participate because there are so few of them that they feel singled out.

They don’t follow instructions: They refuse to work with classmates outside their friend groups, even when certain groups clearly need to be separated because they’re disruptive together. They simply refuse to move. What am I supposed to do? Physically drag them to another seat? I also ask them to read aloud, and if they don’t want to, they just say “nah”, leaving me standing there like a fool.

Behavior problems: One student called me over to ask a question, and while I was helping him, the friend sitting next to him started insulting him right in front of me (apparently that’s funny to them). When I confronted him, he wouldn’t even look at me while I was speaking. Later, as I started packing my things to leave, that same student began clapping and saying “Yeah, it’s finally over.”

Lack of motivation: Most of the students are not terrible. They can complete activities and behave more or less appropriately, but nothing I do seems to motivate them or make them genuinely interested in learning.

It feels like an enormous effort just to move the class forward inch by inch. Honestly, it feels humiliating. I’m 23 and already starting to hate my profession. I know teaching doesn’t always have to be like this because last year I worked with an amazing group of 10th graders. But this group and this school environment in general have been absolute hell.

Posted May 10, 2026, 2:15 PM UTC

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