Why I Quit the Classroom
Almost four years ago I quit my job as a classroom teacher. I’d always said that I couldn’t understand how a teacher could leave her students in the middle of the school year. How heartless and cold a person would have to be to do that. And then I did it.
I became a teacher because I couldn’t get a job as a hall director. I stayed in the classroom for five years because I loved the kids, the school, and the friends I made at my first school. But I could feel myself getting restless. The pressure to stay on par to pass ‘The Test’ and the politics that came with being a classroom teacher had soured my enthusiasm.
I was fortunate enough to move right into an instructional coaching position at my same school and loved it! I got to work with teachers and students but also got to create and implement initiatives. After three years the position was cut and I decided I’d ‘just’ go back to the classroom. I’d done it before; how hard could it be?
Well I quit after six months. My son was sick a lot and between raising two kids under the age of 3, being a wife, and managing other commitments, I was drowning. Back then I said that the kids were different. Now I realize that I was different. I lacked patience, time, energy, creativity, and enthusiasm. Life had taken over.
When a friend offered me a coaching position at his school I quickly took it. At the end of the day I was doing a disservice to those 42 students I was supposed to be teaching. I wasn’t giving them my best and they deserved more.
Teaching isn’t easy. It’s emotionally, mentally, and physically exhausting. It’s time consuming and often frustrating. But it’s also incredibly rewarding. But it isn’t for everyone. And if it’s not for you, that’s ok.
Until next time…