hall duty — why it’s hard for ME

I’m starting to write a series of posts and the purpose is…

…to identify the dynamics in my own personal life that contribute to the pressure that I feel as a teacher.

Yes — there are many external dynamics that challenge teachers. BUT I want to write about my unique, personal, internal dynamics that make my teaching duties pressure-filled for ME.

Hall Duty Be Like

They get out of class to wander the halls, watch tik tok, listen to their music, sneak into the bathroom to vape, meet up with their friends. Some try to avoid eye-contact so I might decide to skip questioning them. Some try the friendly-distract-the-teacher method to get me to chat and forget the fact that they are cutting class.

On hall duty…

…I feel afraid.

…I feel threatened.

…I feel vulnerable.

…I feel anxious.

I probably don’t look like I feel those things on the outside. But it is very much part of what I feel on the inside.

I don’t think that every teacher feels afraid on hall duty. But I think it is important for me to honestly recognize that I DO. Among the many factors that cause those feelings is one that I’ll mention in this post.

1. I am a son of a minister/pastor.

As pastor, my dad was hired by a community of Christian people in order to be their spiritual leader. Growing up, I saw that some pastors stayed at their church for a short time and some pastors stayed for a long time. I deduced that short-term pastors were the losers that the community didn’t end up liking. Perhaps they didn’t perform well enough or didn’t work hard enough to make the people happy. Job security, then, was correlated to the amount that a pastor was liked, esteemed and approved of. And as the oldest son of a pastor, I took on plenty of that pressure. I subconsciously thought that even I, as a child, better perform well because the opinion that the church had of ME and MY behavior would directly reflect upon my dad’s status within the church.

Even though I’m an adult now (and my dad and I live in different states), I still carrying those pressures into my job as a teacher. I often think subconscious, pressure-filled thoughts like, “I better impress those around me.” “I better be well-liked by everyone.” “I won’t have the security that I need unless I perform in ways that please the people around me.”

So how does being a pastor’s son make me feel scared on hall duty?

In order to survive and be secure, I need to be liked. On hall duty, at times I can feel enormous pressure because I have the thought that, “I will never be able to please the students that are walking the halls.” “How can I ever get them to like me if I have to confront them?” I have to ask them: ‘where are you going?’ or, ‘where are you supposed to be?’ or, ‘don’t you need to be in class right now?’” Confronting students will make them roll their eyes at me and get annoyed with me and make them complain about me to their friends. All of that — to the pastor’s kid inside of me — is a terrifying prospect. It’s part of what makes me feel pressure as a teacher.

Stay tuned. In future posts I will share additional, personal dynamics that make things like hall duty pressure-filled for me.

a list of pressures teachers face

I’m not sure where to start on writing for this blog because the pressures that teacher’s face are many. ChatGPT comes up with this list of teacher pressures:

1. Administrative & Bureaucratic Pressures

• High-stakes evaluations that may not account for challenges like unreliable resources (e.g., technology issues)

• Frequent changes in curriculum and policies without adequate training or input from teachers

• Standardized testing requirements and the pressure to "teach to the test"

• Excessive paperwork and documentation requirements

• Large class sizes with limited support

• Mandates from district/state/national levels that may not align with classroom realities

• Limited autonomy in lesson planning and instructional methods

• Pressure to meet unrealistic student performance benchmarks

2. Student-Related Pressures

• Managing diverse learning needs, including IEPs, 504 plans, and gifted students

• Addressing students’ emotional, psychological, and behavioral challenges

• Balancing discipline while maintaining positive relationships with students

• Handling student apathy, disengagement, or lack of motivation

• Dealing with students facing trauma, poverty, homelessness, or family instability

• Differentiating instruction for students at vastly different academic levels within the same classroom

• Pressure to ensure all students succeed despite external factors beyond the teacher’s control

3. Parental & Community Expectations

• Navigating difficult or uninvolved parents who may blame teachers for their child’s struggles

• Managing unrealistic parental expectations (e.g., expecting constant communication, special treatment)

• Pressure to be available beyond work hours to respond to emails, messages, and meetings

• Facing criticism or scrutiny from the community and social media

• Dealing with conflicts between parents, administrators, and school policies

4. Workload & Time Demands

• Excessive grading and lesson planning outside of school hours

• Required professional development, meetings, and additional duties that cut into planning time

• Lack of sufficient time to complete tasks within contracted hours

• Managing multiple preps (different subjects or grade levels)

• The expectation to sponsor or lead extracurricular activities with little or no additional compensation

• Balancing teaching with personal life, family, and self-care

5. Financial & Job Security Concerns

• Low pay compared to other professions requiring similar education and responsibility

• Out-of-pocket spending on classroom supplies and materials

• Uncertain job security due to budget cuts, enrollment changes, or shifting district priorities

• Limited financial incentives for experienced teachers compared to other professions

• Lack of adequate benefits or salary increases despite increasing demands

6. Emotional & Psychological Stress

• Burnout from chronic stress, overwork, and emotional labor

• Compassion fatigue from supporting students dealing with trauma and hardship

• Lack of mental health support or resources for teachers themselves

• Feeling undervalued or unappreciated by administration, parents, or society

• Frustration over systemic issues that hinder student success but are out of the teacher’s control

• Pressure to maintain a calm, composed demeanor despite personal or professional struggles

7. Societal & Political Pressures

• Being expected to address societal issues (bullying, mental health, DEI, civic engagement) without proper training

• Navigating political debates over curriculum content (history, sex education, banned books, etc.)

• Increased scrutiny from politicians and media, often blaming teachers for systemic failures

• The expectation to function as both an educator and a counselor, social worker, or disciplinarian

• Fear of school violence, active shooter situations, and lack of safety measures

• Being expected to implement policies that conflict with personal or professional ethics

And the list could go on and on.

I’m siting in the corner of a bar (the turkey BLT was amazing — thanks cinder!!) waiting for my daughter to get done with theater practice. And just reading the ChatGPT list makes me feel a bit panicky. My shoulders tense and I clench…shrinking further into the corner of the bar…aching to find a retreat from the daily weight of what I, as a teacher, face.

But I don’t think I want to start this blog by commenting on educational pressures in generalities.

I want to speak on behalf of mySELF — to explore and own my OWN story.

To identify the dynamics in my own personal life that contribute to the pressure that I feel as a teacher.

stay tuned. i will publish this series in parts.

How We Feel: a free app

The app helps me avoid feeling like I’m tumbled inside of a laundromat dryer.

I heard about it from a Brene Brown podcast.

The app says:

People who use more words to describe feelings are better at managing their emotions and getting their needs met.

My family of origin was never good at recognizing, understanding, labeling, expressing and regulating emotions. (RULER approach). This app helps me with every step of that approach — especially the labeling emotions part. In the app, I click on a feelings word and its definition pops up. The definitions help guide me towards labeling what I’m actually feeling. Once I label my feeling, I have the option of exploring what might be causing me to feel that emotion.

There is also the option of allowing AI to guide me in exploring the emotion, identifying thinking traps, suggesting actions, etc. SO HELPFUL. The app also has a TOOLS section with videos, quotes, exercises and tips.

I can analyze the feelings data. It even shows me patters of how I’m feeling based on the amount of sleep I get or based on what the weather has been like!!

I can connect with friends and choose when and if I want to share the feelings that I’m logging. I’ve told some of my students about it saying, “it’s kind of like SnapChat for your feelings!!”

It kind of sounds funny to say it…but it seems like using the app helps me realize what is actually happening to me and how I’m responding to it. Without granularly labeling my feelings — I feel like I’m in a laundromat dryer being bounced around and disoriented by my circumstances. The app helps me feel more grounded and in charge of my day.

It’s free. If you end up trying it out…please comment below. I’d love to hear about it if you like it.