Ive never had a job where I was so busy during the dayand teaching never stops. After a year without them, you might miss their unbridled school spirit during Homecoming Week, their contagious sense of humor, the way they draw pictures for youand wave joyous hellosin the hallways. She gave me another huge hug as I was headed out the door. These stressed-to-the-max, ready-to-quiteducators keep finding their way to my blog, and its sort of weird becauseIve never written a post about that. An unhappy and physically, emotionally, and mentally unhealthy person. I hope some of your former teachers stumble upon this comment and recognize your name! This might be the last. Yeah, well, its kind of hard to match his outcomes. Part of it is not being able to stay at a school for more than 1 year, but a bigger part of it is just the weight of the disrespect I face daily. Im a recently retired elementary teacher who could have taught a few more years but decided Id had enough. Thank you so much for taking the time to read and reply your comment means so much to me. I noticed that some things had been pilfed from my room, and I know who did it, too. Its Robert, or just Bruce., Look you have an obligation to teach in the way I have prescribed for you, and to get those test scores up. At school, wed been under intense pressure to get more children to expected levels to show the school was improving and were always on edge thanks to drop-in observations. That suckers going up in flames. Three more years until this English teacher can retire with 30 years. But even brand new teachers can tell: the view looks a whole lot different from behind the podium. Scott was, quite easily, the most brilliant history student Ive ever had. That is every where & why teachers are completely leaving the profession. He also told me the ways in which he supported teachers when behavior issues came up, and I was impressed. It paid well and had fantastic benefits. I really appreciate the share! The average person changes careers 12 times in their lifetime. The general public needs to hear more from people like you. I teach art (and coached basketball) and am unhappy! No. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Im pretty sure the real reason summer break exists is because the School Gods counted up all the secondsyoudont get to use the bathroom and handed them back to youin one big chunk. Each case is different, but they are all negative. Negativity. I started my school in 2017 in the lower level of my own home, and with the coaching of microschool builders (www.microschoolbuilders.com), I moved to a stand-alone school three years later. I have been a high school history teacher in Phoenix, AZ. I was a teaching assistant in grad school, but I finished during a lousy economy. They are the ones that care endlessly, almost to a fault. . Art and music programs are still in grave danger and, An elementary school teacher I know who is a part of one of the wealthiest, most reputable districts in her state attended a recent meeting where staff members wereinstructed to drastically limit or entirely eliminate story time. I know how to push my way through the muck of our politically driven, ill-informed, and unrealistic goal setting public school system. Most of the work Im required to do has nothing to do with them and everything to do with jumping thru hoops for disconnected idiots who have no clue how to teach or how children learn. In fact, I would wager that your life is better due to people who didnt quit because they didnt like something. They pointed it out and pushed for change. Teachers often missed their PPA (planning, preparation and assessment) time because they were dealing with pupils behaviour. Lastly, Ive found that teachers have low career self-esteem. Some days I get one period off. After a year without them, you might miss their unbridled school spirit during Homecoming Week, their contagious sense of humor, the way they draw pictures for youand wave joyous hellosin the hallways. Save my name, email, and website in this browser for the next time I comment. Well done, well done. Understand the differences between the levels. You have transferrable skills and can leverage your education and experience. Elementary schools in the district are open for in-person instruction five days a week, while secondary schools were operating under a hybrid model until late November, when the board voted. I feel fortunate (so far) that the push toward rigor, data, measureable goals and informational material has on balance not prevented me from teaching material that resonates with the students. Why? This can lead to two major roadblocks. Challenging students, prickly parents, crushing paperwork: They all go with the territory, and contribute to a level of attrition among special educators that is said to be much higher than that of. That way, you wind up getting the nicer kids assigned to your homeroom. I have always felt that I dont have a creative bone in my body. Most people spend half their day dealing with email and responding.we all spend half of our evening catching up with it! And nowoff to indulge in some Animal Fries. I hope and pray that my future kids have teachers like you! How are the educators soBRAINLESSS? 2. I think that being a teacher is what I am best at. I first taught students incarcerated, then elementary school. At this point, I was devastated, but I wasnt going to let this prick know it. You might even feel that you dont have any other skills. (Its more common than you may think). I missed the students terribly, so I started teaching part-time at the community college level. You know whats probably going to happen? I wish you the best in this next stage. Whether you desire more autonomy, work-life balance, opportunities for growth, or financial freedomor you simply dont think its the right for whatever reason its important to know that you dont have to stay in the classroom. The second being they arent sure what else they could do. Theyll cringe at you with raised eyebrows and endearing self-awareness. Totally agree! When my daughters preschool notetells me she was not a good listener that day, I feel frustrated and helpless and a little bit sure the teacher is just being too demanding. Thank you, Matthew! The current job scope that I have includes that aspect and teaching as well and I find that it is really hard to give both the time it deserves. A lot of teachers get caught up in this sense of stability and a lifelong plan. In fact that "bad kid" track record let's me see things in ways that most teachers don't, particularly the useless nonsense in education which they love perpetuating. If I have to hear "Celebrate Good Times" one more time, to start off Fall PD, I will hurl something at the speakers. You should be the commissioner of education. School expectations take a big leap forward. Im a first year teacher and have experienced a much more difficult year than I had even imagined knowing full well that teaching can be an emotionally and physically draining career and first year is a whole other ball game. Our building always had several retired teachers who loved to sub, as well! Speaking as a supply teacher, we are massively disrespected on a daily basis by snotty 14 year olds. It was Number 7. Yes, there is no way to know who is really good at this and, yes, test scores mean nothing. There is a lot of truth in this article! Thank you, thank you, thank you for the share! the succinct and intelligent writer you have become. And whats worse, the education system is forcing the children into that world. Do you want to take your dogs for a long hike? I want to eat my lunch at a consistent time. We still are frozen in this hierarchical/ caste system. Courtney (Phillips) Palen. Thank you for this article. I want to help you get some clarity in the options available to you. Hope to see you in the movies someday soon. A plethora of versions abound. If youve ever found yourself thinking, I hate teaching, but youre not alone. Which educatorswill potentially sacrifice their own careers to guidethe students who work hard for a D+? I remember you (and your brother) very well, of course although your new name threw me off for a second. I negotiated a settlement with the district, and only went back the next August before school started to clean out my room. Now what? Somehow, I was blessed with a windfall of a bank account I didnt know I had, set up by my grandparents when I was a kid. Its incredibly frustrating whenall that glorious innovation serves as more of a distraction than a learning tool. Though I do not have to follow the Common Core or state standards, those expectations are entering our school environment. The bell schedule. There were a lot of extra duties and assignments at the school - weekly lesson plans that were often criticized for minor flaws, morning and afternoon duty to make sure there werent fights on campus, etc. ( Though I realize that comment may not mean much, considering reason #7 :)) I remember enjoying every visit to your classroom. Im done. Despite my aforementioned friends ignorance, Ill give her this:sometimes you arepainfully aware that your real job does seemsuspiciously different from other real jobs whichrequire a college degree. I teach studentsyou know, young people? I kept chalking it up to being a new teacher, but after years of being unhappy, I knew I needed to develop an exit plan. This was my Facebook post when sharing your great piece of writing: It is showing teenagers how to debate thoughtfully, how to think critically, how to disagree respectfully.. So I concentrate on the kids I can help, the ones whose scores will make me look good. To make matters worse, a child who had special educational needs was subjecting me to frequent physical assaults. Not to mention the embarrassing issue of content area expertise: how can an administrator with a history degreeassess whether or not a physics teacher is delivering accurate information? What a moving and accurate account of what is going on in education today. Sure there are wonderful students and wonderful classes but they are few and far between as I get fried working the challenges ones. Id like to add that it is very hard to email during the day! The system is toxic at best. First, allow me to say that I am a high school English teacher, and I have also taught in Michigan. And I see it all the time; teachers talk themselves out of even applying or truly starting the process of a career transition for fear that no one hires teachers., With this low self-esteem, many teachers fall into the trap of believing their profession defines them. Aargh! When I walked away I knew it wasnt because of the kids and their cellphones or the unresponsive parents or those who just blamed me. I know that I made the right decision prioritizing my mental health and taking a new role, but before I could get there, I had to realize that it was okay to be a little selfish and put my needs above anyone elses. Dr Mara helped me build the school of my dreams without sacrificing my salary or sanity! Point, I would wager that your life is better due i hate teaching elementary school people who quit! 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