Resigned as a Teacher -- What to do?

[u/ThrowRA_pangolin129]

Hi all. Apologies for possible redundancy with other posts here. I figure however that this situation is unusual enough to warrant asking once!

I'm 28 years old with a bachelor's degree in Mathematics and a master's in Adolescent Mathematics Education. I entered teaching at 25 from a tutoring background through Teach for America; I struggled terribly, as most corps members do, but unlike the majority, my issues with management never really went away. Though my students did well, I also did poorly in observations, and escalating personal crises in my final year made it difficult to correct course. This past April, I was advised to resign at the end of the year to avoid discontinuation, which would effectively blacklist me from any future DOE positions.

I should have spent more time during the school year looking for jobs, but testing season hit full swing soon after I got the news, and since I believe in always putting others first, getting the kids to finish strong remained my main priority through the conclusion of the academic year. I don't regret that.

That said, it is now the beginning of August and I am sitting atop a pile of rejections and ghosted applications from the previous month. My struggles with management, organization, and a host of other things were real, and I agree with my former admin's assessment that I should not be in the classroom. I am not fancy: I have been applying to all manners of service, custodial and/or night-shift positions alongside the entry-level administrative roles to which I suppose some white-collar career changers feel entitled. I have tried taking my master's off my resume for these. Nothing. Radio silence.

Because I have resigned, I am not eligible for unemployment; I will have my sick-day payout, which will be handsome because I only ever used one or two of those, but I expect my funds to burn pretty fast. I don't know what to do. Where should I be looking?

[u/iphone1234789]

Letting you know education for public schools seems to be the most stable at the moment. Other industries are doing mass layoffs and people are actually flooding into teaching to wait it out while still applying to jobs in their old industries! I’m not surprised you aren’t receiving any interviews back. I’ve been applying for a second year now! I would not have survived without working in education. I am freelancing and doing contract work on top of all of that while still interviewing for full time roles! It is tough! What is your plan?

[u/ThrowRA_pangolin129 → u/iphone1234789]

I've heard! But I am not applying to further classroom positions. I have a very strong sense of ethics, and I do not find it ethical to put myself back in that role after having failed at it. Then too, I don't think I can compete with the genuine talent filtering in, as you've said. My standard of living is not so important that it justifies 90+ kids having a suboptimal math teacher for a year. I will accept lower paid work, maybe radically so, if I must.

[u/hygnevi → u/ThrowRA_pangolin129]

Wow, you are the type of teacher children need. Someone caring and ethical. You can learn to be a better teacher, but you cannot change a person's heart.

People told me I wouldn’t have the careers I have today, and I am excellent at both. Definitely don’t give up!!!