TT0304: What It’s Really Like to Leave Teaching

Teachers are leaving the profession in large numbers. Most teachers leave after 5 years of teaching. In many states there are teacher shortages, especially in certain content areas. Regardless of the reason, teachers are leaving. Some because they are overworked and overstressed, others because they need to make more money. Teaching is a complex profession in a difficult time. In this episode, we are going to talk about what it’s really like to leave teaching. Anyone in the profession can understand the desire to leave. We’re often stressed and overworked. A large portion of society believes that they know what we can do and that it’s easy. Many believe that we don’t work very many hours and don’t deserve the “breaks” that we get. If we were to listen to the media, the picture portrayed of teachers is not a pretty one. We know though. We know how hard we work and the great importance of our profession. The reward of seeing our students develop new habits and skills as a result of something we’ve done is an amazing experience. The relationships that we build are incredibly fulfilling. Watching students build their confidence and advance through the world can make us so proud and humbled. There are many positives to our job. Teaching is a unique profession. We are basically performing in front of an audience all day, every day. A very critical audience that expects us to know everything and be perfect. On the other hand, a lot of office jobs involve a lot of time spent sitting in front of a computer. Days might be monotonous, where every day is the same. People might be isolated and have minimal interaction with other people throughout the day. Human connection may be minimal. For teachers, every day brings a new challenge. There is no danger of boredom, because there are so many decisions to be made at every given moment. We spend nearly all our time surrounded by these young people yearning so desperately for attention and connection. We may never have a moment alone throughout the day. We may only get a few moments to sit down throughout the day. Our job require mental, physical, and emotional stamina. What is it really like to leave teaching?I’ve spoken with a couple of different people about their experiences with leaving teaching. For some, it was a change in life situation - a move or baby, or both, like Lulu! For some, it was some event that was the last straw. And for others, I think they just realize that it’s time to move on. I’ve left teaching twice. The first was after my first 5 years. Look at me, being a statistic. After 5 years working at the same school, I was let go. The events leading up to that  could fill many hours of podcast, so we’ll save that for another time. What I will say is that it was a difficult experience that left me with a lot of hurt and anger. I found myself without a job and uninterested in starting over at a new school at that point. I also had an opportunity to travel to Africa over the summer for a class about Diversity in Education. I decided to stay for a few months. I worked remotely for a tutoring and test prep company, writing practice ACT tests. When I got back, I continued working for the same company, but added after school SAT and ACT prep classes at a few different schools throughout the city. I had to use their curriculum, and didn’t like the freedom to decide on my own lesson plans. I decided that if I was going to be in a classroom in any way, I wanted it to be on my terms. When I got the opportunity to go back to the classroom, I went. The second time I left, I went to work at a science museum. I thought that it would be fun and a good application of my teaching background. I took a major pay cut and because of my experience level, the only positions that made sense for me were management or director positions. As it turned out, this meant that my job consisted of more planning and management tasks than being on the floor and interacting with the museum-goers. I occasionally got to get out to different schools and work with teachers, but for the most part, I was isolated in a cubicle at a desk, which is NOT for me! With both situations, moving out of the classroom led to more time in front of a computer instead of in front of other humans. That was definitely a challenge for me. I’m an introvert and I have no problem with alone time, but long days without much interaction was too much of a drastic change from teaching. That was definitely a difficult adjustment. I also found that the beginning of the school year was the hardest for me. Seeing all of the back to school posts on social media made me feel like I was missing out. I would get messages from former students and colleagues that they missed me, and that was definitely hard. Especially when I found myself in a new job that I didn’t particularly love. On the other hand, it was amazing to have my evenings and weekends back! When I left work, I left work completely!! I didn’t have to bring anything home. I wasn’t constantly thinking about students or my lengthy to do list. I had time to spend with my husband. I had the energy to cook myself a healthy meal for dinner. It was incredibly freeing. To me, that was the best part of not teaching. I think any teacher who decides to leave teaching will miss the students and the relationships that we are able to build. From the teachers that I’ve talked to, those are the biggest treasures and joys of the profession. When I asked a couple teachers what they would do if they ever left, both of their answers involved continuing to work with young people in some capacity. That’s what drives us. It’s all the other stuff that can wear us down. If you’re thinking about leaving teaching, I would encourage you to really weigh the pros and cons. Consider what other work you would enjoy doing and whether it will be able to fulfill you in the same way. Sometimes just thinking about the reality of what it would be like to leave can help you change your perspective to focus on the positive aspects of teaching. And sometimes, it’s just what you need to help you make a change in your life that will make you happier. We have an incredibly difficult job with a great amount of stress and small amounts of pay and respect. However, we also have one of the most rewarding jobs there is. It’s up to you to choose which one you focus on more. The post TT0304: What It’s Really Like to Leave Teaching appeared first on Teacher Tribes.