Why do teachers quit teaching even though they love their jobs?
Teaching is one of the most rewarding jobs (in my humble opinion). On the flip side, it is a job that can make you sprint to a liquor store like a blue light special at Kmart. It can be conflicting.
I wanted to write a blog about how sad, disappointed, frustrated and disheartened I am with our current education system. Working for a school district I feel like teachers are left without a voice. We cannot speak our minds or how we feel without fear of repercussions. But I am here to tell you, teachers do have voices, we have opinions (even though we are encouraged not to speak them) and it is high time we have a say against what is happening in education as it is a travesty to students.
I will pre-empt this post with the following disclaimer: This is my experience and it is not representative of ALL teachers’ experiences or opinions. These are my opinions and I am entitled to them whether or not you agree with them is not the purpose of this blog post. I am not posting this to engage in a debate of any sort. I will respect your opinion please respect mine. And if you don’t want to read my opinion I would tell you to kindly stop reading now and save yourself. I wanted to be able to say my peace
– This is just me: real and raw.
I love my job, going to work and my students. Truthfully though, I want to leave the teaching profession. I have struggled with this for some time. How is it I want to leave teaching and still love my job? Simply put I want to find a way to truly advocate for change and help children because I feel and I see first hand, our current education system failing children.
My job is amazing. I get paid well! I have fantastic benefits! and the hour’s I work and the holidays I receive are nothing to complain about. My job affords me a nice life and a pension when I am done. So why am I struggling with leaving? Why are so many teachers leaving the classroom?
This is key – this job has so many positives so – why or what is making teachers want to quit teaching?
When I endeavor to have a conversation with someone that is not in education about leaving my job I am generally met with eye rolls, guffaws, and snide remarks. All of those responses I understand. Many people focus on what is good in our job so they do not understand we see firsthand the shortcomings and have legitimate concerns for our students. In my opinion, social media and what is portrayed in the news is not necessarily the “truth” but more a theatrical version of the issues educators face (in attempts to gain viewers and ratings). I understand this too.
At the heart of every educator is a love for children. We do our jobs and we chose our professions because we truly care about children and want to see them succeed.
I have been teaching for over 20 years and I struggle with the decision to quit teaching daily. Truth is, I’m tired, I’m beaten down and I feel like I have no control over the direction my job is taking. More than anything, the way education now impacts student’s lives is my biggest concern. I have made a list that contains some of my main concerns and reasons for wanting to leave. I know some of you reading this may think – just leave then, there is a better teacher waiting to take your place anyway. Thank you for your opinion and your honesty.
But that won’t change things for the children and they are the ones that are suffering because no matter WHO the teacher is or HOW great the teacher is – these issues prevail and negatively impact students and this needs to change for the kids’ sake. And the next great teacher that takes my job WILL do an amazing job because they are new and fresh and are in the profession for the same reasons I am but they too will burn out. It is my hope that things get better for teachers and students. Children are worth fighting and advocating for. Here are some of my concerns.
In a recent conversation, I spoke with a health professional about class size. She was one of the ones that asked me if class size mattered. Yes. Yes, it most definitely does. The concern with the class size is what is lost and what is gained when the size of a class increases. How thin is the teacher spread? Will all students receive the time, attention and diverse programming they need? How thin are the already thin resources in the classroom? Is there physical space for the students – is there a desk or a locker for them? Many times students are added and teachers do not know until they show up at the classroom door.
Then there are the safety concerns – duty and supervision? We are not adding more teachers but we are adding more students to watch at recess and eating times – is this safe? When teachers gain students with needs it not only increases our planning and differentiation required for each lesson – there are many behind the scenes “extra time” LRT/TEAM meetings, documentation, IEP’s, medical meetings, doctor’s forms and behavior strategies to list a few. Each student is unique and different. Each has gifts to give and lights to shine. I think our education system limits this by increasing class size and not meeting the needs of ALL students in each classroom. The next time you hear a teacher question “Should I quit teaching” this could be why – not a bigger paycheck!
Funding has been cut to specialized classes that effectively teach and meet students with greater needs. When these classes are cut and discarded the students that were once in them are integrated into mainstream classrooms. Today when you enter a classroom, you are most likely going to find a student with a diagnosis of some sort. FAS, ADD, ADHD, OCD, ODD, Autism and the list goes on. Teachers are not specialists on each diagnosis and teaching children with these diagnoses takes time, research, planning, and resources – which teachers happily provide as it is our job.
The problem I see comes when we have many of these children in one class. I am only one person. I can plan and teach and (buy with my own money) the resources these children need, but when it comes to independent work, I simply cannot get to all the students that need my time and attention and it breaks my heart. I know I am failing students by not giving each student in my class the support they need because there are just too many needs and too many children. Education is failing children by cutting specialized classes and increasing class sizes. I can speak to my amazing students with a diagnosis. These are GREAT kids that need more time and attention than the education cuts afford them. It is not that I, as a teacher am failing them. I am embracing them and trying my best. There are just too many in my class for one person to handle effectively and that is not fair to them and not fair to blame me.
And many of you may ask “What about an EA?” Educational Assistants are allocated to behavior needs not academic needs. Maybe teachers want to quit teaching because our classes are too big and the needs are too many for anyone human to handle – I welcome you into my class to see first hand what we are talking about. Go into any staffroom and feel the heartbeat of a conversation – we are sad for our students, not complaining about our jobs. We know, see and hate the shortcomings of the education system.
It surprised a medical professional I spoke with when I told them we do not have Educational Assistant support for all the needs in our classroom and more often than not we do not have EA support as they are spread between several classrooms. For the large majority of the time, teachers are left in the classroom with all the students of various academic and behavioral levels and required to teach to the best of their abilities. Teachers are often scolded, reprimanded or talked down to for any shortcomings as perceived by the administration.
I take great pride in my classroom. I work hard for my students. I often plan at home after my own children are in bed for two to three hours a night. And I can tell you, I can count on one finger, in my 20+ years of teaching how many times I have been told anything positive by the administration. It is like complimenting a teacher is taboo. Saying thank you is unforgivable and being positive is a crime. I question the rationale of administration when they put teachers down, tear down their confidence and are outwardly vicious, mean and spiteful. And WHY is it so damn difficult for the administration to APOLOGIZE when they are wrong? Working for a good administration is like finding a unicorn. I know for a fact a lack of support is why many teachers are leaving the profession.
As funding is cut in education our resources dwindle. I recently changed schools and a friend of mine offered to help set up my new classroom. They were shocked to see my classroom came with 20 mismatched chairs of various sizes and colors and in varying states of disrepair and 19 desks that looked like they were retrieved from a dumpster. That. was. all. There were holes in the walls, cracks in the ceilings and dim lights to teach by. I have bought everything from the furniture to books to games. Our classroom budget is $100 a year and I generally use that money to purchase craft supplies for a Christmas craft. Gone are the days of fully-loaded book rooms, art rooms, and endless office supplies.
Please do not ask me about technology because I was taught if you have nothing nice to say you are best to say nothing. I have taught in schools where we were given one box of paper and told that was our allowance for the year. I have taught in schools where supplies are kept in locked cupboards and when I requested glue sticks for my class of 36 Kindergarten students I have been handed 4 and told to make them share. Our government is pushing hands-on, inquiry-based learning, yet we receive no resources to implement their brilliant plan.
I am going to make this short because I could be on this soapbox forever. It is my opinion (and yours may be different) that standardized testing IN NO WAY a reflection of how a student is achieving in school. Yet we are judged (dare I say persecuted) as teachers based on the students’ performance on these tests. There I said it. Now maybe I won’t have to worry about wanting to quit teaching – I will be fired.
I cannot even begin to state my disappointment with how our government is handling education. If you mention the name Doug Ford I may break out in hives. There are names of politicians everywhere that can get a teacher’s blood boiling. Why do they not see how negatively their policies hurt children?! I am not here for a raise. I am here as a voice for a child – an innocent, vulnerable child whose needs you are failing. STOP cutting back funding to desperately needed programs. STOP limiting these children by disabling a teacher’s effectiveness. STOP blaming a teacher for not “catching a ball” when you tape their arms behind their back and blindfold them. JUST STOP. I cannot take much more of this and it is a major factor in the “WHY” teachers want to quit teaching. We are portrayed as the bad guy when we fight for children because it is manipulated to look like we are greedy or ungrateful or complainers for our own gain.
I won’t leave teaching. It may end up that I quit teaching in a classroom but I will always be a teacher. I will use my gifts and talents to teach, educate and advocate for children in other ways.
I chose to become a teacher because I love children, I love teaching them and helping them do their best and achieve their potential so they can succeed in life.
If you liked this blog post, you may enjoy reading “5 things you should know about Tpt before you quit your job”.
