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Fragile Hearts
Don’t think students are the only ones with fragile hearts.Teachers have them too.
After all, we're all human, and each of us has just one heart.
I still remember my early days as a rookie teacher. Back then, I'd go out of my way to do all kinds of things for my students.
But more often than not, the feedback I got was:
“I hate English,” a student would mutter with a dismissive smirk.
“I hate you,” another would sneer, raising their eyebrows with malice.
At first, when faced with students like this,
I was heartbroken. Why didn't my efforts mean anything to them?
I did so much for you— wasn’t any of it what you wanted?
My heart, fragile as glass,
shattered into pieces.
I almost wanted to say, “May broken pieces bring peace.”
Back then, as a greenhorn teacher,
I lost hair, struggled to sleep for weeks, and even ground my teeth from the stress.
Over time, though,
I learned to protect myself.
When it’s time to clock out, I clock out.
When students, parents, or the company come with requests or pleas, I no longer say yes to everything. Keeping some distance, maintaining a little mystery, is better for everyone.
Because, let's face it—
even if I go above and beyond for them, they'll take it for granted.
Why?
Because teachers are seen as heroes, and heroes are meant to sacrifice themselves. Heroes don’t have off hours. Heroes shouldn’t expect anything in return. Heroes work for free, and at most, they get a pat on the back: “Great job!” “You’re the best, teacher!” And that’s it.
Dreaming of a raise, a promotion, or reaching the pinnacle of life?
Don’t kid yourself.
You're a candle,
born to burn.
Burning is your destiny.
Expectations—
an endless stream of them from students, parents, and the company— with no end in sight.
Can You Even Make a Living?
The salary in cram schools?
It’s dismal, especially in the beginning. The demands are endless—piles of exams to prepare, and years spent building your own teaching materials. The truth is, this line of work just doesn’t pay enough at first—it’s grueling and barely enough to survive on.
If you check Taiwan’s Salary Condition Platform
you’ll see education (outside formal schools) is at the bottom of the industry rankings.
Maybe only a handful of people actually make good money in this field?
For most teachers, it’s a beast-of-burden kind of life. I remember when I first graduated and applied to various cram schools and after-school programs. Most places offered salaries in the range of 20k to 23k TWD. My first-year salary was 22k, working as an after-school program teacher. In my second year, I switched to a cram school, thinking the pay would be better. It was only slightly higher—still in the 20k range.
For the first two years of my teaching career, my expenses outweighed my income.
Teacher = penniless pauper?
Back then, my partner supported me most of the time.
Later, when my sweetheart lost jobs, I supported my babe instead.
We leaned on each other— everyone has their rough patches, right?
Thankfully, as my skills improved,
I stopped being just another overworked, underpaid teacher. I leveled up, and now I earn enough to support my family.
Appendix:
This article reflects only my personal experience and doesn’t represent the full picture of the industry.
玻璃心
不要以為只有學生會玻璃心
老師
也會
大家都只是人類
每個人都只有一顆心臟
猶記得
猶記得我初出茅廬，那時候會為了同學做這做那
但是
常常獲得的回饋是
「老師，我討厭英文。」學生撇了撇嘴
「老師，我討厭你。」學生充滿惡意的挑眉
一開始，面對這樣的學生。
我
很傷心
為什麼好意沒有獲得回報？
我為你們做了這們多
難道都不是你們想要的嗎？
我的心
就像玻璃
破裂
碎了滿地
都快要講
碎碎平安了
那時候，菜鳥老師的我
掉了頭髮
一、兩個星期睡不太好
連睡覺都壓力大到
磨牙
後來
我學會保護自己
該下班
就下班
作夢
加薪升職走上人生巔峰
你開什麼玩笑
你在作夢
你生來就是蠟燭，命運就是被燒
燃燒本應是你的宿命
期待
面對學生、家長、公司
無止盡的期待
沒有盡頭
養的活自己嗎？
補教業的薪水
一開始真的慘不忍睹
牛馬老師
是最瘦的牛、最餓的馬
要求還多
考試一大堆
你還要花好幾年時間打自己的一套講義
做這行真的
哼哼
哈哈
哼哼哈哈
其實看行政院主計處的薪情平台大概就可以看出
教育業(除了學校)薪水真的很差
在台灣各個產業裡面是墊底
這行業可能就是少數人賺錢？
牛馬級老師或許不能養活自己
我記得我剛畢業，去各個補習班+安親班應徵老師
開出的薪水大部分是20k-23k
第一年我是22k (安親老師)
第二年當老師，我覺得安親老師薪水太少，跳去補教業，
結果補教業一開始更少，一個月不到一萬
後來也才二十幾K (比安親好一點點)
那時的我，覺得三萬元薪水好多
真是可笑
附錄
此文僅為筆者經驗，非業界全貌
