13 Frightening Things Teachers Really Fear (And It’s Not Just Halloween!)

Let’s be honest: October might be the season for ghosts and goblins, but if you’re an Ontario teacher, you’ve probably been spooked since… well, the first week of school. There are plenty of things teachers face daily that make Halloween look like a walk in the park. From the creeping dread of indoor recess to the soul-chilling sight of a broken photocopier, here’s a peek into the scariest realities haunting teachers’ lives. Grab a pumpkin-spiced latte, take a deep breath, and let’s dive into the 13 true horrors of the classroom.

1. Mondays

Mondays hit like a haunted alarm clock: jolting, unavoidable, and often requiring several cups of coffee to even attempt survival. What’s scarier than the end of the weekend? Probably that glazed look on your students’ faces (and your own) that says, “We’re all still in weekend mode, and you’re asking us to learn math?”

2. Lice

Not many things can clear a room of kids faster than a lice outbreak. Suddenly, everyone is scratching their heads. Teachers, we know you’d rather walk through a field of spider webs than endure that terrifying moment of seeing kids scratch.

3. Full Moons

Ever notice how kids go a little… let’s say, “energetic” around a full moon? It’s as though the moonlight flips a switch on the classroom chaos machine. Teachers have long suspected that full moons unleash an extra dose of unpredictability, and every time it proves true.

4. Indoor Recesses

One rainy day turns your classroom into an endless cycle of games, crafts, and noise that no noise-canceling headphones can mute. With zero fresh air and all that energy bouncing off the walls, it’s enough to make you question every career decision.

5. Broken Photocopiers

It’s always right before a big lesson that you find the photocopier out of order. Your meticulously planned handouts? Gone. The realization that your backup backup plan is basically winging it? A true teacher horror story.

6. Parent-Teacher Meetings

While some parents are supportive angels, the buildup to parent-teacher night is nerve-wracking. Suddenly, you’re on stage explaining every lesson, every grade, and why little Sam hasn’t been handing in his work. And you just know they’ll bring up something awkward at least once.

7. Teacher Performance Appraisals

Nothing is scarier than having to put on a “this is my best teaching self” show for an evaluator who may or may not understand the realities of your classroom. You’re juggling performance, discipline, and a surprise fire drill, all while trying to act like you’re having a normal day.

8. New Report Card Software

A new report card system arrives, but the training session is mysteriously missing. You’re left pressing buttons in the hopes they’ll work while trying to avoid a total meltdown. Why does it feel like this software was made by a team who never met a teacher?

9. Doug Ford (and All Things Politics)

Every time there’s a budget cut or a policy change, you brace yourself. Your workload, your classroom size, your resources—each is under threat. The constant political turbulence adds a whole new layer to your list of worries.

10. Class Sizes

Who hasn’t looked at their ever-expanding class roster and thought, “I signed up to teach, not run crowd control”? With more kids than chairs, it’s an ongoing juggling act to give each child the attention they deserve.

11. No Budget

You want to bring a world of wonder to your classroom, but with minimal supplies? It feels like an uphill battle. You’ve MacGyvered enough craft projects from paperclips and felt markers to know that budget miracles are not happening.

12. Lack of Support

Maybe it’s a difficult student, maybe it’s the pressure of standardized testing, but nothing chills teachers more than feeling like they’re in it alone. When the going gets tough, the lack of support can feel like a real-life horror movie.

13. October Burnout

October’s end signals both Halloween and the realization that winter break is still two months away. Teachers are caught in a spooky loop of fatigue and busyness, but we keep going because resilience is kind of our thing, right?

We know these challenges are no joke, but that’s why the Resilient Rebels are here. With each laugh, each shared story, and each resilience tip, we’re proving that while teaching can be terrifying, you’re never alone. Sign up for the Resilient Rebels Roundup Newsletter for more tips, resources, and maybe even a little humor to keep you going through all the scares.