First-grade teacher Carol Fernandez uses her online platform to share teaching ideas, classroom management strategies, and other educational resources. Teachers and parents alike love her clear, confident approach to teaching, but even the best teachers have days that break them.

Fernandez shared a vulnerable video in which she tearfully tried to explain how exhausting teaching is. She teaches 34 students in her classroom, which would even be a lot if they were older kids. It’s an absolutely bonkers number of little kids in one room.

“I was nervous about posting it because I love being a teacher so much, and I never want people to misunderstand that,” Fernandez tells Upworthy. “Teaching truly feels like a calling for me, but the reality is that it can also be incredibly exhausting and heartbreaking. I’ve been feeling a little down lately, and I think I reached a point where I needed to be honest about that side of teaching, too.”

@.carolgiselle I went back and forth about sharing this video, but today was honestly one of the hardest days of the school year so far. I love being a teacher. I truly believe this is my calling, and I wouldn’t share the parts of my classroom that I do if I didn’t care so deeply about my students and education. But I also think we need to be honest about how hard this job can be. It’s exhausting. It’s heartbreaking to see how many students are struggling with reading and how much support they need. Sometimes you leave school thinking about all the things you wish you could do differently, all the students you wish you could reach a little more, and everything you’re carrying into the next day. I share so much of my classroom because I want other teachers to feel less alone, and I want people to understand what teaching really looks like. Not just the cute classroom setups, the activities, and the good days, but the days that remind you just how much this job asks of you. I love my students. I love what I do. And I can be grateful for this calling while also admitting that some days are really, really hard. If you’re a teacher having one of those days, I hope you know you’re not alone. ❤️ #TeacherTok #TeachersOfTikTok #ElementaryTeacher #Teaching #Literacy ♬ original sound – .carolgiselle

I went back and forth about sharing this video, but today was honestly one of the hardest days of the school year so far. I love being a teacher. I truly believe this is my calling, and I wouldn’t share the parts of my classroom that I do if I didn’t care so deeply about my students and education. But I also think we need to be honest about how hard this job can be. It’s exhausting. It’s heartbreaking to see how many students are struggling with reading and how much support they need. Sometimes you leave school thinking about all the things you wish you could do differently, all the students you wish you could reach a little more, and everything you’re carrying into the next day. I share so much of my classroom because I want other teachers to feel less alone, and I want people to understand what teaching really looks like. Not just the cute classroom setups, the activities, and the good days, but the days........

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