First year teachers quitting

[Anonymous]

I scored really well on the SAT. Better than our salutatorian. My grades weren’t as well at all though unless it was a class I really enjoyed. I didn’t have the type of family that pushed me to get straight A’s like many other kids. I also worked in HS and just had trouble balancing that with homework and studying. This doesn’t mean I’m an idiot. My Myers-Briggs personality type is INFP. I studied psych and wanted to be a counselor but after subbing I decided to get a master’s in education. Subbing didn’t paint the picture of what teaching was really like for me. I didn’t have to spend any time planning or making materials or contacting parents, etc. I only had to do the fun parts and teach lessons they left me. But I was naive and had no idea and no one warned me what it’s really like. I didn’t have family or friends who taught. So, I studied it. I worked as an aide during and subbed after. Being from a competitive state I moved and taught in northern VA last year. It was so overwhelming and I’m not 22.... I stuck it out but I think part of that is being older I saw the huge responsibility it was and needed the check, but also I thought maybe it would get better. Second year finally teaching in my home state and it’s been worse. Student teaching was wonderful but gave me zero idea of how much work it normally is as that school used traditional methods like texts, workbooks, etc. They had a spelling curriculum and taught grammar. Stuff I understood because I was taught that way. I don’t understand or really believe in the currently education trends. This will be my last year. I’m 30, not 22. I’m enrolled to earn an HR certificate and if that doesn’t work out my sister is a real estate broker and I could try that. She has a much more flexible schedule and already owns her own home. She’s only a year older. Study education was a huge mistake but I’m glad I made it now and not later. A lot of people switch in their 30s and 40s to education and get the shock of it all that late. I’m glad I moved from the experience and can move on after this year. My position is one year only anyway. So, I’ll try my best this year for the kids then move on. I really don’t blame young 22 year olds for crying because they don’t have time for a social life. I’m newly single and want to cry with the lack of time I have to date right now. I miss 40 hour a week a jobs. I’m an idiot for ever leaving, but you live and you learn. Add to this all the crap the general population of non-teachers gives teachers and I feel bad for the young people out there feeling lost and regretting their degree. Yes, we have July off work but we are not paid in July. Some of us, like myself, get bored during that time. For some it keeps them in the profession to have a whole month off. It’s not that special for me and never has been. I always tried to work in summers if I could but that’s annoying as well, as usually I could only nanny or work retail. I’d rather have a normal work schedule year round. I feel bad the system is such a sad mess because it really hurts kids. I hate teaching Lucy Calkins but have to. I hate how bad kids are at writing these days but I’m told not to correct their misspellings and errors, and not to explicitly teach grammar and the like. Give me a freakin’ break... I feel bad for everyone’s kids. I don’t want my own and part of that is because I’d be so scared for them to be educated in this current system this country has. I like kids, but I can help kids in other ways through volunteering. I can be the best aunt ever.

The system is a joke. I don’t want to contribute to it anymore by working in education in any way, shape, or form. I feel so bad for parents.

[Anonymous]

^Not written well, but I’m just venting. Can’t edit it. Oh well.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:They don’t pay teachers enough to put up with the stress and they don’t give them any support either.

When I started out teaching at 25, I was making around 45k. I was working 80 hour weeks and my husband was making around 300k working much much less. At the he same time, I had no support from fellow teachers, admin, or parents. Everyone criticized me. I once got a bad review from my principal because he didn’t think I had enough posters or artwork up on the walls. He said nothing about the quality of the lesson he had just observed, my interactions with students, or the materials I spent hours slaving over creating from scratch.

As DH continued to make more and more money, at some point I was like eff this nonsense and left.

What did he do to make $300k?! I wanna try! Maybe...

[Anonymous]

It's rather ignorant to pin all the blame on first year teachers for quitting, the entire system is broken and to top it off we're living amidst a severe health and social crisis. Having no work-life balance, sh*t pay, poor work conditions, and no satisfaction or gratification with seemingly no light at the end of the tunnel is brutal. Nowadays every day of school reminds me of the daily chess matches that Kasparov played against Deep Blue in the late 90's. Man vs inhuman machine. Every day. Teachers have to have a paper trail for everything, they have to know how to act, what to say, when to say it, how to appease to everyone, just so that admin and parents don't stick a big red target on their back. I'm a first year teacher for all intents and purposes and since I can still live with my parents, i'll try to stick it out at least until my preliminary 5 year teaching credential runs out. I'll try to save as much money as possible, and hopefully if i'm still in this by year 5 i will either stay at a good school or change careers. Definitely won't be coming back to my current school next year, and I have more than enough reasons 2 months in.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:There really is no work/ life balance for teachers, and that alone can lead to burnout.

It dependents upon your role, system, and district. I taught English Language Learners and worked on average 45 hours my first year of teaching. I know perfectionist who worked more, and people who didn't care work less.

45 hours a week would be a great work life balance for most people

Exactly, 50 hours a week (as a teacher) is my minimum.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Where are they going when they quit?

Essentially, any type of office job in America. It doesn't take a whole lot of skill to answer phones, send emails, data enter, attend meetings, make PowerPoints, up date Excel spreadsheets, etc. I know quite a few teachers that have done this. They may make the same salary but they're stress level is nothing compared to teaching.

[Anonymous]

Yikes! This thread is depressing. Is teaching easy or fun every day? No. No job is. The first or second year can be brutal emotionally if you are in a tough school. That is usually the biggest problem. Some people just don't have the IQ/EQ to handle it depending on their placement, but it is mostly just about hard work. Slackers, people who are entitled, or those that have personality issues don't make it. It's like being in the military in a way. You need to be from a certain variety of mindsets to be successful.

What I like about teaching is that I don't have to sit at a desk all day. Every day is different. I like challenges. I can get a job in many different countries without too much effort. I have never concerned myself with admin politics. Waste of my energy. My only complaints have been about student behavior, especially when it affects others or is unsafe. Very frustrating at the moment.

I like having flexible time in summers. Some times I'll take classes all summer. Mostly it is home improvement and hobbies in the summer while taking care of my family. I can't stand to sit around and read a book on the beach like some imply. Salaries are decent and reliable if you are in a good school system/state with union support. I have benefits, pension, Roth IRA, 403b, and 457b. I can take care of my family members when they are sick. I get the same days off as my children.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yikes! This thread is depressing. Is teaching easy or fun every day? No. No job is. The first or second year can be brutal emotionally if you are in a tough school. That is usually the biggest problem. Some people just don't have the IQ/EQ to handle it depending on their placement, but it is mostly just about hard work. Slackers, people who are entitled, or those that have personality issues don't make it. It's like being in the military in a way. You need to be from a certain variety of mindsets to be successful.

What I like about teaching is that I don't have to sit at a desk all day. Every day is different. I like challenges. I can get a job in many different countries without too much effort. I have never concerned myself with admin politics. Waste of my energy. My only complaints have been about student behavior, especially when it affects others or is unsafe. Very frustrating at the moment.

I like having flexible time in summers. Some times I'll take classes all summer. Mostly it is home improvement and hobbies in the summer while taking care of my family. I can't stand to sit around and read a book on the beach like some imply. Salaries are decent and reliable if you are in a good school system/state with union support. I have benefits, pension, Roth IRA, 403b, and 457b. I can take care of my family members when they are sick. I get the same days off as my children.

I agree to a point, but the hazing and bullying was the issue that drove me out. My car tires were slashed and my family received threats, including my child. I was not prepared for that at all and decided that teaching is not a job that should be this risky. I felt safer teaching in urban publics than in the independent where I was threatened by other faculty.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yikes! This thread is depressing. Is teaching easy or fun every day? No. No job is. The first or second year can be brutal emotionally if you are in a tough school. That is usually the biggest problem. Some people just don't have the IQ/EQ to handle it depending on their placement, but it is mostly just about hard work. Slackers, people who are entitled, or those that have personality issues don't make it. It's like being in the military in a way. You need to be from a certain variety of mindsets to be successful.

What I like about teaching is that I don't have to sit at a desk all day. Every day is different. I like challenges. I can get a job in many different countries without too much effort. I have never concerned myself with admin politics. Waste of my energy. My only complaints have been about student behavior, especially when it affects others or is unsafe. Very frustrating at the moment.

I like having flexible time in summers. Some times I'll take classes all summer. Mostly it is home improvement and hobbies in the summer while taking care of my family. I can't stand to sit around and read a book on the beach like some imply. Salaries are decent and reliable if you are in a good school system/state with union support. I have benefits, pension, Roth IRA, 403b, and 457b. I can take care of my family members when they are sick. I get the same days off as my children.

You can do all of those things on just your salary? Wow. Tell me your secret. Or are you married to a higher earning spouse?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes! This thread is depressing. Is teaching easy or fun every day? No. No job is. The first or second year can be brutal emotionally if you are in a tough school. That is usually the biggest problem. Some people just don't have the IQ/EQ to handle it depending on their placement, but it is mostly just about hard work. Slackers, people who are entitled, or those that have personality issues don't make it. It's like being in the military in a way. You need to be from a certain variety of mindsets to be successful.

What I like about teaching is that I don't have to sit at a desk all day. Every day is different. I like challenges. I can get a job in many different countries without too much effort. I have never concerned myself with admin politics. Waste of my energy. My only complaints have been about student behavior, especially when it affects others or is unsafe. Very frustrating at the moment.

I like having flexible time in summers. Some times I'll take classes all summer. Mostly it is home improvement and hobbies in the summer while taking care of my family. I can't stand to sit around and read a book on the beach like some imply. Salaries are decent and reliable if you are in a good school system/state with union support. I have benefits, pension, Roth IRA, 403b, and 457b. I can take care of my family members when they are sick. I get the same days off as my children.

You can do all of those things on just your salary? Wow. Tell me your secret. Or are you married to a higher earning spouse?

Are you unfamiliar with what teachers make in this area and other well funded districts in the northeast? My best friend and her DH are both teachers and they get along just fine- sure they'll never be rich but are comfortable and have good benefits/retirement. No worse than other public employees.

[Anonymous]

Teaching is very difficult and your first few years are miserable. You are at the bottom of the pay scale. You are untenured and don't even have due process rights-you can be fired at any time, without cause. You don't have any lesson plans or materials from previous years, so the hours are terrible.
In your first year, you can expect to spend roughly the same amount of time preparing for a lesson as you do delivering it/facilitating. That means if you spend 45 minutes on a science lesson, it will take you about 45 minutes to write the lesson plan and create the materials (a slideshow, worksheets, physical materials, etc.). Most teachers teach 5 or 6 lessons each day. That means you are spending between 225 and 270 minutes per day just preparing lessons. That's four and a half hours. You don't have time for this while at school, especially with bulletin boards, writing IEPs/holding meetings, administering assessments, managing the physical classroom, meetings, administrative duties like monitoring lunch/recess/bussing, making copies, managing data, and more! I'm not even going to talk about grading tests or papers because that's an even larger time suck. This means that even if you get home at 4:00, you can expect to work until 8:30, if you don't have to cook dinner, clean your house, eat, or care for any children. Does that sound appealing to anyone for $45k? I didn't think so.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Yikes! This thread is depressing. Is teaching easy or fun every day? No. No job is. The first or second year can be brutal emotionally if you are in a tough school. That is usually the biggest problem. Some people just don't have the IQ/EQ to handle it depending on their placement, but it is mostly just about hard work. Slackers, people who are entitled, or those that have personality issues don't make it. It's like being in the military in a way. You need to be from a certain variety of mindsets to be successful.

What I like about teaching is that I don't have to sit at a desk all day. Every day is different. I like challenges. I can get a job in many different countries without too much effort. I have never concerned myself with admin politics. Waste of my energy. My only complaints have been about student behavior, especially when it affects others or is unsafe. Very frustrating at the moment.

I like having flexible time in summers. Some times I'll take classes all summer. Mostly it is home improvement and hobbies in the summer while taking care of my family. I can't stand to sit around and read a book on the beach like some imply. Salaries are decent and reliable if you are in a good school system/state with union support. I have benefits, pension, Roth IRA, 403b, and 457b. I can take care of my family members when they are sick. I get the same days off as my children.

Honey, it doesn’t make you a slacker to choose the more relaxing office job with the same salary that allows you to be free by 5pm and free each weekend. If you’re a teacher, you’re probably the way too intense kind that kids hate. Lighten up and realize every individual has the right to change careers. People leave other fields for teaching sometimes, too. Do you tell them “omg you’re quitting the career field you’re in to become a teacher?! WTF NO! You’re being a slacker thinking you wanna try a new field that might make you feel happier, less stressed, and have a better work-life balance. God, go away!”

Like Jesus lady...

[Anonymous]

Maybe go tell this person their job is just SOOOO easy and magical and they shouldn’t complain or ever think about pursuing something else. All you people thinking it’s just soooo amazing. Psh!

https://www.reddit.com/r/Teachers/comments/j1mv7t/anyone_ever_quit_for_their_mental_health/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=ios_app&utm_name=iossmf

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes! This thread is depressing. Is teaching easy or fun every day? No. No job is. The first or second year can be brutal emotionally if you are in a tough school. That is usually the biggest problem. Some people just don't have the IQ/EQ to handle it depending on their placement, but it is mostly just about hard work. Slackers, people who are entitled, or those that have personality issues don't make it. It's like being in the military in a way. You need to be from a certain variety of mindsets to be successful.

What I like about teaching is that I don't have to sit at a desk all day. Every day is different. I like challenges. I can get a job in many different countries without too much effort. I have never concerned myself with admin politics. Waste of my energy. My only complaints have been about student behavior, especially when it affects others or is unsafe. Very frustrating at the moment.

I like having flexible time in summers. Some times I'll take classes all summer. Mostly it is home improvement and hobbies in the summer while taking care of my family. I can't stand to sit around and read a book on the beach like some imply. Salaries are decent and reliable if you are in a good school system/state with union support. I have benefits, pension, Roth IRA, 403b, and 457b. I can take care of my family members when they are sick. I get the same days off as my children.

You can do all of those things on just your salary? Wow. Tell me your secret. Or are you married to a higher earning spouse?

Are you unfamiliar with what teachers make in this area and other well funded districts in the northeast? My best friend and her DH are both teachers and they get along just fine- sure they'll never be rich but are comfortable and have good benefits/retirement. No worse than other public employees.

Again, this is no doable on one salary. That was my point. I'm a teacher and a single parent and I forgo paying some bills each month just to get by. My kids used to qualify for FARMs my first few years of teaching. Good health insurance won't pay my monthly bills.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:Yikes! This thread is depressing. Is teaching easy or fun every day? No. No job is. The first or second year can be brutal emotionally if you are in a tough school. That is usually the biggest problem. Some people just don't have the IQ/EQ to handle it depending on their placement, but it is mostly just about hard work. Slackers, people who are entitled, or those that have personality issues don't make it. It's like being in the military in a way. You need to be from a certain variety of mindsets to be successful.

What I like about teaching is that I don't have to sit at a desk all day. Every day is different. I like challenges. I can get a job in many different countries without too much effort. I have never concerned myself with admin politics. Waste of my energy. My only complaints have been about student behavior, especially when it affects others or is unsafe. Very frustrating at the moment.

I like having flexible time in summers. Some times I'll take classes all summer. Mostly it is home improvement and hobbies in the summer while taking care of my family. I can't stand to sit around and read a book on the beach like some imply. Salaries are decent and reliable if you are in a good school system/state with union support. I have benefits, pension, Roth IRA, 403b, and 457b. I can take care of my family members when they are sick. I get the same days off as my children.

You can do all of those things on just your salary? Wow. Tell me your secret. Or are you married to a higher earning spouse?

Are you unfamiliar with what teachers make in this area and other well funded districts in the northeast? My best friend and her DH are both teachers and they get along just fine- sure they'll never be rich but are comfortable and have good benefits/retirement. No worse than other public employees.

Again, this is no doable on one salary. That was my point. I'm a teacher and a single parent and I forgo paying some bills each month just to get by. My kids used to qualify for FARMs my first few years of teaching. Good health insurance won't pay my monthly bills.

There aren't many public sector jobs where you'd get by in the DMV on one salary early in your career, particularly if you have kids. A $55k starting salary isn't too bad for 10 months work with a bachelor's degree.