Leaving teaching

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So true, and we don't know where the OP is writing from. Many teaching positions are paying 60k to people who have taught for 20 years. If the pandemic has taught us anything is that life is too short to compromise. While it is not the best thing to leave mid year, if you need to do it you need to do it. [

quote=Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think evoking a lot of guilt and emotion is just one of many toxic reasons teaching has turned into a hellscape. It's a job. That's all. If the job isn't a fit, then start working on employee retention, but guilt isn't appropriate.

+1,000,000. So tired of people expecting more “for the kids.’ Without considering worker rights At. ALL. Hell we can’t even pee when we need to.

+1

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:So true, and we don't know where the OP is writing from. Many teaching positions are paying 60k to people who have taught for 20 years. If the pandemic has taught us anything is that life is too short to compromise. While it is not the best thing to leave mid year, if you need to do it you need to do it. [

quote=Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think evoking a lot of guilt and emotion is just one of many toxic reasons teaching has turned into a hellscape. It's a job. That's all. If the job isn't a fit, then start working on employee retention, but guilt isn't appropriate.

+1,000,000. So tired of people expecting more “for the kids.’ Without considering worker rights At. ALL. Hell we can’t even pee when we need to.

You can't pee, eat, leave the building, run to your car to get something, take a damn sick day without working several hours to make plans, have even 15 minutes to organize, get a phone call from your dr, spouse, bank at any time, talk to anyone...and that is just the structural hygiene issue...not even going to start with all the other stressors of which there are a million.

[Anonymous]

I’m a HS teacher and have been working all weekend. I have a total of 35 college recommendations to write.
I still have to prep for my classes and get grading done.
I have emails from parents saying I am not doing enough to help their kid in class when I have over 30 kids in each class period.
I had one parent email me in all caps - DO YOUR JOB!
I have a dozen special Ed reports to write. I never take a lunch break as students always need extra help.
I don’t get paid enough for the work I put in. I’m not ready to quit yet but I’m getting close. It is a broken system

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I’m a HS teacher and have been working all weekend. I have a total of 35 college recommendations to write.
I still have to prep for my classes and get grading done.
I have emails from parents saying I am not doing enough to help their kid in class when I have over 30 kids in each class period.
I had one parent email me in all caps - DO YOUR JOB!
I have a dozen special Ed reports to write. I never take a lunch break as students always need extra help.
I don’t get paid enough for the work I put in. I’m not ready to quit yet but I’m getting close. It is a broken system

Another high school teacher here and I’m also working all weekend. For those who don’t teach, we aren’t talking 1-2 hours on a Saturday. We mean *all* weekend. It isn’t uncommon to work 15 extra hours prepping, grading, etc. For me this weekend, it’s all about the last-minute college essays. I checked my email and saw a ton of new emails this morning, each a panicked request to look (again) at an essay draft. I’ve been offering since September. I’ve held after-school workshops. No matter what I do, I still get to participate in the last-minute panic. And if I don’t? I have angry parents because I wasn’t available to help their child.

I’m exhausted.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:didn't you sign a contract? I would lose my teaching license if I left mid year.

Does that matter if you have no intention of teaching again?

Also, depends on the principal. You'll only lose your license if the principal decides to go after it by going to the state.

I am a principal. I've only gone after one license in all my years. It was because the person really, really, really screwed us. I'm pretty Zen most of the time; however, in that case, I went scorched earth.

OTH my best principal friend always goes after the license if the person leaves mid-year.

What district are you in? In MCPS, if you break your contract, your file indicates you left with prejudice and it impacts you being rehired by any district in Maryland.

[Anonymous]

Can you time your leave so it is at the end of a marking period or semester? Not that you’re under any obligation to have it align, it just makes it easier on the new teacher and students.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a HS teacher and have been working all weekend. I have a total of 35 college recommendations to write.
I still have to prep for my classes and get grading done.
I have emails from parents saying I am not doing enough to help their kid in class when I have over 30 kids in each class period.
I had one parent email me in all caps - DO YOUR JOB!
I have a dozen special Ed reports to write. I never take a lunch break as students always need extra help.
I don’t get paid enough for the work I put in. I’m not ready to quit yet but I’m getting close. It is a broken system

Another high school teacher here and I’m also working all weekend. For those who don’t teach, we aren’t talking 1-2 hours on a Saturday. We mean *all* weekend. It isn’t uncommon to work 15 extra hours prepping, grading, etc. For me this weekend, it’s all about the last-minute college essays. I checked my email and saw a ton of new emails this morning, each a panicked request to look (again) at an essay draft. I’ve been offering since September. I’ve held after-school workshops. No matter what I do, I still get to participate in the last-minute panic. And if I don’t? I have angry parents because I wasn’t available to help their child.

I’m exhausted.

Why are you doing the essays? That’s not part of your job and my teachers never did that. I would view that as a volunteer position that you do because you want to — like being a scout leader or working at a soup kitchen—and not part of your job responsibilities. If it’s too much for you, don’t do it. This is such a classic female thing—voluntarily take on too much and then just silently simmer with rage instead of just saying “no, I’m not able to do that.”

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a HS teacher and have been working all weekend. I have a total of 35 college recommendations to write.
I still have to prep for my classes and get grading done.
I have emails from parents saying I am not doing enough to help their kid in class when I have over 30 kids in each class period.
I had one parent email me in all caps - DO YOUR JOB!
I have a dozen special Ed reports to write. I never take a lunch break as students always need extra help.
I don’t get paid enough for the work I put in. I’m not ready to quit yet but I’m getting close. It is a broken system

Another high school teacher here and I’m also working all weekend. For those who don’t teach, we aren’t talking 1-2 hours on a Saturday. We mean *all* weekend. It isn’t uncommon to work 15 extra hours prepping, grading, etc. For me this weekend, it’s all about the last-minute college essays. I checked my email and saw a ton of new emails this morning, each a panicked request to look (again) at an essay draft. I’ve been offering since September. I’ve held after-school workshops. No matter what I do, I still get to participate in the last-minute panic. And if I don’t? I have angry parents because I wasn’t available to help their child.

I’m exhausted.

Why are you doing the essays? That’s not part of your job and my teachers never did that. I would view that as a volunteer position that you do because you want to — like being a scout leader or working at a soup kitchen—and not part of your job responsibilities. If it’s too much for you, don’t do it. This is such a classic female thing—voluntarily take on too much and then just silently simmer with rage instead of just saying “no, I’m not able to do that.”

+1. If someone asked you to come clean their house would you do it? Hopefully not because it's not your job.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a HS teacher and have been working all weekend. I have a total of 35 college recommendations to write.
I still have to prep for my classes and get grading done.
I have emails from parents saying I am not doing enough to help their kid in class when I have over 30 kids in each class period.
I had one parent email me in all caps - DO YOUR JOB!
I have a dozen special Ed reports to write. I never take a lunch break as students always need extra help.
I don’t get paid enough for the work I put in. I’m not ready to quit yet but I’m getting close. It is a broken system

Another high school teacher here and I’m also working all weekend. For those who don’t teach, we aren’t talking 1-2 hours on a Saturday. We mean *all* weekend. It isn’t uncommon to work 15 extra hours prepping, grading, etc. For me this weekend, it’s all about the last-minute college essays. I checked my email and saw a ton of new emails this morning, each a panicked request to look (again) at an essay draft. I’ve been offering since September. I’ve held after-school workshops. No matter what I do, I still get to participate in the last-minute panic. And if I don’t? I have angry parents because I wasn’t available to help their child.

I’m exhausted.

Why are you doing the essays? That’s not part of your job and my teachers never did that. I would view that as a volunteer position that you do because you want to — like being a scout leader or working at a soup kitchen—and not part of your job responsibilities. If it’s too much for you, don’t do it. This is such a classic female thing—voluntarily take on too much and then just silently simmer with rage instead of just saying “no, I’m not able to do that.”

+1. If someone asked you to come clean their house would you do it? Hopefully not because it's not your job.

I’m the PP. It is absolutely part of my job. I am told by my department chair, my admin, and our counseling department that I must be ready and willing to help with college essays. I have to attend additional trainings about college essay writing just to make sure I’m prepared for this part of my job.

I *wish* I could say no when students ask for this help last minute, especially when I made myself available after school each day in September. Unfortunately, this is a requirement all teachers in my department must fulfill. We receive no stipend, no compensation at all.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I’m a HS teacher and have been working all weekend. I have a total of 35 college recommendations to write.
I still have to prep for my classes and get grading done.
I have emails from parents saying I am not doing enough to help their kid in class when I have over 30 kids in each class period.
I had one parent email me in all caps - DO YOUR JOB!
I have a dozen special Ed reports to write. I never take a lunch break as students always need extra help.
I don’t get paid enough for the work I put in. I’m not ready to quit yet but I’m getting close. It is a broken system

Another high school teacher here and I’m also working all weekend. For those who don’t teach, we aren’t talking 1-2 hours on a Saturday. We mean *all* weekend. It isn’t uncommon to work 15 extra hours prepping, grading, etc. For me this weekend, it’s all about the last-minute college essays. I checked my email and saw a ton of new emails this morning, each a panicked request to look (again) at an essay draft. I’ve been offering since September. I’ve held after-school workshops. No matter what I do, I still get to participate in the last-minute panic. And if I don’t? I have angry parents because I wasn’t available to help their child.

I’m exhausted.

Why are you doing the essays? That’s not part of your job and my teachers never did that. I would view that as a volunteer position that you do because you want to — like being a scout leader or working at a soup kitchen—and not part of your job responsibilities. If it’s too much for you, don’t do it. This is such a classic female thing—voluntarily take on too much and then just silently simmer with rage instead of just saying “no, I’m not able to do that.”

+1. If someone asked you to come clean their house would you do it? Hopefully not because it's not your job.

I’m the PP. It is absolutely part of my job. I am told by my department chair, my admin, and our counseling department that I must be ready and willing to help with college essays. I have to attend additional trainings about college essay writing just to make sure I’m prepared for this part of my job.

I *wish* I could say no when students ask for this help last minute, especially when I made myself available after school each day in September. Unfortunately, this is a requirement all teachers in my department must fulfill. We receive no stipend, no compensation at all.

Private school? Charter?

If it is part of your job then it needs to be part of the classroom assignment. Next year can you assign "college essay" for the month of October and make that be your classroom project/assignment?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:didn't you sign a contract? I would lose my teaching license if I left mid year.

Does that matter if you have no intention of teaching again?

Also, depends on the principal. You'll only lose your license if the principal decides to go after it by going to the state.

I am a principal. I've only gone after one license in all my years. It was because the person really, really, really screwed us. I'm pretty Zen most of the time; however, in that case, I went scorched earth.

OTH my best principal friend always goes after the license if the person leaves mid-year.

What district are you in? In MCPS, if you break your contract, your file indicates you left with prejudice and it impacts you being rehired by any district in Maryland.

There are ways to word it so that’s not an issue.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I think evoking a lot of guilt and emotion is just one of many toxic reasons teaching has turned into a hellscape. It's a job. That's all. If the job isn't a fit, then start working on employee retention, but guilt isn't appropriate.

My mother was a teacher - classroom and then specialist for 35+ years. At one point long after she retired she said she regretted always giving the district 110% to the detriment of the family. Guilt is used as a tool, but the appreciation factor is quite low.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think evoking a lot of guilt and emotion is just one of many toxic reasons teaching has turned into a hellscape. It's a job. That's all. If the job isn't a fit, then start working on employee retention, but guilt isn't appropriate.

My mother was a teacher - classroom and then specialist for 35+ years. At one point long after she retired she said she regretted always giving the district 110% to the detriment of the family. Guilt is used as a tool, but the appreciation factor is quite low.

NP. It's not guilt, it's responsibility. Your mother knew that, even when she was complaining.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:didn't you sign a contract? I would lose my teaching license if I left mid year.

Does that matter if you have no intention of teaching again?

probably not. I'd give up my pension though.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think evoking a lot of guilt and emotion is just one of many toxic reasons teaching has turned into a hellscape. It's a job. That's all. If the job isn't a fit, then start working on employee retention, but guilt isn't appropriate.

My mother was a teacher - classroom and then specialist for 35+ years. At one point long after she retired she said she regretted always giving the district 110% to the detriment of the family. Guilt is used as a tool, but the appreciation factor is quite low.

NP. It's not guilt, it's responsibility. Your mother knew that, even when she was complaining.

responsibility to who though? moral? requirement? duty? the kids are 100% why most teachers stay. I was at a preschool Halloween parade and every kid had a parent there EXCEPT for my sons friend whose parents are both teachers. Took pics for them but when all the kids got to give their family member a hug, he was left standing there. I called my best friend, also a teacher, and it dawned on me how much of their own children's lives they miss to be there for other people's children. And it doesnt come with enough pay to offset being a 50-60 hours workweek. There are no funds to outsource compared to physicians and sales. There are no FT rotation positions in the school so that people can leave for a few hours or miss one period. It isnt worth it to make the sub plans to only take a few hours so when most teachers take leave, they have to take 1 full day and the calculus for taking 1 day out of the 6 (?) they get doesnt make sense.