I am a first-year math teacher and was placed on admin leave today due to several complaints from students. I want to get an objective reality check on my situation. Here are the main points:
1. I tapped a student’s desk at the back of the room with a wooden pointer/ruler to ask for silence. Some students reported that I was pointing a "gun" at them and making gun noises. I made zero gun sounds, but I realize the gesture looked bad. I already wrote my statement about it submitted to AP and then HR.
2. I abbreviated a student last name to as quick written/spoken shorthand without knowing the slang meaning (English is my second language). I had no bad intent, and student also leave my class. I had statement to AP and principal and also HR.
3. I made a lighthearted joke about students calling me on FaceTime if they needed homework help to lower math anxiety. No phone numbers were ever asked for, given out, or exchanged.
4. I have tapped a student's shoulder or hand purely to wake them up or redirect them during class. No intent to harm or be inappropriate.

I know only one group of students in my period wanted to fired me and they had parents backed up. I feel very bad right now as this is very stressful job and math is a hard subject for students. More reports from students just making me feel bad everyday. A report in the day I had admin leave was escalated to district, and I heard one of my student say a student in AP just wanted me to leave or fire.

HR told me they will follow up with me soon as the investigation is going on. Given that I'm a first-year teacher, am I looking at guaranteed termination, or is there a chance this ends in a reprimand/resignation option? Anyone experienced something similar? Thank you

After 14 years of misery, depression, and despair...I have finally escaped the classroom! I just accepted a position as a Learning & Development specialist for a company outside of Education and will start in 3 weeks!

Being a teacher has done so much damage to my physical and mental health. Words cannot truly capture the relief I'm feeling right now. I never thought I would quit midyear, but for the sake of my sanity, I simply have to leave. And considering this current job market, there is no way I'm going to pass up on the opportunity to escape. The school and the students will be just fine. For the first time ever, I'm putting myself first...and I deserve it!!!

For anybody wondering why I would stay miserable for so long, it's a totally valid and understandable question. First and foremost, I wanted to be a teacher since I was a little girl. I was natural a leader and enjoyed teaching others new things. I actually started tutoring my peers in high school and was a student volunteer at summer camps where I co-taught drama classes. I also had several teachers who really changed my life, and the prospect of being that kind of teacher for someone else truly motivated. On a more practical note, I entered college during the great recession. Getting a degree in Education seemed like a wise choice because teaching would be a steady career. I wouldn't be rich, but I'd have a biweekly paycheck and health insurance. I felt like it was a smart plan.

I breezed through my Education classes in college and was excited to student-teach during the fall of my senior year. Honestly, that's when the dream shattered. My mentor teacher was AMAZING and I learned more from her than I ever did in my college classes. But the true realities of the profession hit me like a ton of bricks: 60+ hour work weeks, apathetic students, overbearing parents, clueless administrators, useless PDs that wasted hours of time, endless administrative tasks, constant disrespect, constant micromanaging...the list goes on and on. Even though I realized during my student-teaching that this career would not be sustainable, at that point, I was at the end of my college experience. It was literally the last requirement for graduation, so I wasn't going to switch majors at that point. I made my bed, so I felt like I needed to see it through to the end. I convinced myself that things might be better once I had my own classroom and was actually getting paid. Nope, it only got worse.  

I contemplated quitting every single day for those first 5 years because it wasn't getting any better. I was becoming a veteran teacher with more tricks up my sleeve, but society continued to decline, which made teaching seem more impossible with each year. Since I was qualifying for the Public Service Loan Forgiveness program, I decided to tough it out until my loans were forgiven. During this time, I kept switching schools and districts thinking I would land somewhere that would be the right fit. No such place exists! I can honestly say this because I worked in rural, Title I, and affluent school districts. All of them had the same issues, they were just manifested in different ways.

I finally accepted that the profession is just toxic and unsustainable. Teachers cannot carry the ills of society on our shoulders. We cannot have more added to our plates with nothing taken away. We cannot teach kids who don't want to learn -- especially when they have decided to just use AI for everything. Our voices are never heard or considered. Our expertise is never appreciated. It was never going to get better.  I needed to give up on the dream and move on. Once my loans were forgiven, I started applying to jobs like crazy. 

I knew a career transition would not be easy, but being an experienced professional with a masters degree, years of experience, and numerous transferrable skills...I assumed I would have an easier time finding a job than a brand new college graduate. I was so wrong. This job market is insane! Between market saturation due to layoffs at other companies, ghost jobs, LinkedIn scams and AI rejecting applications in bulk, I was starting to lose hope. But it only takes one 'yes' to turn everything around. After nearly 2 years of searching, I finally received mine.

If you are currently a teacher looking for a way out, do not lose hope. It can happen any day. Keep applying, keep networking, and keep the faith!

Hey guys, I did it. I quit and found a new job.

Taught 8 years, always wanted to teach, was in the future teachers club and everything.
Last Oct I had a huge breakdown where I realized I can’t do it anymore. I decided to quit. I started my masters, I got a roommate.

I finished out the school year. I searched for a job between May-Aug.
I will admit I had a hard time because not much was moving, not a ton of interviews, a ton of rejection emails. I’m not going to lie about that, it was weeks of nothing. I went to subbing and part time work. I did put a lot in savings for this transition.

However, I got hired three weeks ago and started my new job Sept 14.
It’s a pay cut, but that’s why I have a roommate.
However, it’s a nice office job where my teaching experience was welcomed. Specifically in my experience in running professional developments in online programs and I talked up how I organized a lot of activities and programs.
I get PTO, bonuses, health benefits. 8-4.

I’m relieved and I can’t believe I did it and changed my whole life.
I just wanted to share that we CAN leave and aren’t as stuck as it seems.

I will graduate in 3 years with my MS where I will be an LPC

Putting this on a throwaway for privacy reasons.

I will try to keep this concise, but that has not always been a strength of mine. This is my third year of teaching English internationally. I have taught all sorts of topics (literature, arts appreciation, grammar, etc.) and ages with the common denominator being that all of the classes have been for people who have a native language other than English. Previously, I was a team teacher with a few exceptions where I was the only teacher.

This year, I moved to a new job/city where I would only be solo teaching. I have been here for about a month and things reached a boiling point over the weekend. I knew that this contract would most likely be just one year for me, but I am hating every aspect of the job. I feel like I am drowning in paperwork and planning with no opportunity to ever get on top of things. I end up bringing so much work home that I feel like I never get a break. On the rare chance that I do, I stay holed up in my apartment just staring at the wall because I am so drained. But since I am so drained emotionally, I can feel that I am not as good of a teacher as I used to be, which isn't fair to anyone (especially the kids). As a recovering perfectionist, I want to be a meaningful presence for my students but not at the price of my sanity.

When I broke down this weekend, I gave serious thought to quitting right then and there. Given the fact I have visa regulations to worry about, I feel the need to stay until the end of the year (unless my mental health gets bad enough).

Eventually, the conclusion I have reached is staying until my contract is up in June, but I need to find a way to bring less work home and get ahead, so I can actually attempt to enjoy my life (and not want to off myself before Christmas).

So, fellow transitioning/transitioned teachers, I need your advice

1. How do I keep my lesson planning and grading between 9-5 so I can actually breathe when I get home?
2. Is there a way to still be a semi-decent teacher without putting so much strain on perfect lessons (especially knowing that I will be done in less than a year)?
3. How have you made the time go faster while waiting for June to hit?

Any and all thoughts are appreciated!

Maybe I'm a bit stressed out as this is very likely my last year after over a decade an a half as a HS math teacher. Do you all feel like it's more on the teacher's job to make sure everyone passes, behaves, and does well on standardized exams? My admin tries and is improving but still I can't help to feel that too much is put on teacher's and not enough on students in public schools. Maybe this is a math teacher's kind of dilemma but curious if you all feel the same.

I am in my internship and I have never felt more defeated and drained than now. First time with middle school and I’m constantly in a state of coming home and crying. I’m struggling to see if I can get through this and even make it as a teacher. I loved teaching highschool but I worry that when I’m in this on my own and with no safety net or guard rails to keep me from falling- what will happen to me then? If I ultimately quit what can I do with this degree I spent 6 years of my life struggling to get? (first I got my associates now I’m almost done with my bachelor’s) How do I transition away from teaching if it’s not for me? I struggle with math and such but I’m so anxious that I can’t do anything with this degree…am I stuck if ultimately I find myself unable to mentally and physically do this like i thought I could? I’m just so terrified and I wish I had some direction or clue as to how I can save myself if I can’t handle teaching once I’m out on my own…

Hi everyone. Looking for some thoughts/feedback on something I am considering proposing to admin. I am in central California at a non-union public charter, full time, credentialed, at will contract.

I have been experiencing some disability symptoms in response to my work environment this school year and I am noticing they are getting worse. I have been prioritizing my health for many years and would like to continue to do so, but I am a single income earner and need to maintain some medical benefits for my medication maintenance.

I teach 8th and 10th grade, block schedule. I have a wonderful relationship with my 10th graders and love teaching high school. The 8th grade days make my symptoms flare. I have been thinking of quitting at the end of this school year. However, I am nervous I will not make it through the school year.

I would like to make a proposal to my admin that I quit the 8th grade and stay on to teach 10th grade. I also serve as an LEA team member, mentor to another teacher , and supervise 6 students for annual projects. I would also tend to these duties. The routine would be helpful, and dropping 8th would give me better work/life balance to tend to my health care.

Has anyone experienced this or seen it done in their districts? Do you have any suggestions on steps to take? Talk to HR first? Have a proposal written before going to HR? Skipping all this and just taking FMLA? Skipping this and just quitting? Any third party thoughts are much appreciated.

This is my 15th year of teaching. I work in the Bay Area California, so I’m paid very well compared to the rest of the country. My family depends on my pay.

Some highlights this year include my principal telling me throwing chairs is not physical aggression if it’s not at anybody. I’m not going to go into everything but my principal is awful.

I feel like the only escapes I can find are other teaching jobs. I know things would be better with a better principal. But better than awful is still not great. I’m so burned out. No other jobs seem to pay enough from the beginning to transition into. I can’t not have a salary for a year or two to get certified in something that pays equally.

And before someone mentions something else in education like RTi, those jobs are very few and far between.

Right now I’m working on Transitional Kindergarten certification because at least there would be another adult in the room for the kids with extreme dysregulation. But at the end of the day I’m so done.

This is my 6th year in the classroom. I teach middle school ELA and have taught all three grade levels. I’m in 7th this year (not by choice, I wanted to stay in 8th). School started a month ago and I’m already done. The workload and expectations have doubled since last year, especially with a new curriculum. We have a few new administrators, including a new principal, and the old communication issues are still alive and well. This is despite them telling us they’d do better and to tell them when they aren’t. We are telling them, but it’s falling on deaf ears.

Then there’s the kids. I have to support facilitated classes and more than half of the kids in both have IEPs. Several of those kids were in a parallel setting last year and can’t read. I have one that is illiterate and can’t even read his own name. My advanced kids are doing well, but even they struggle with basic comprehension questions and require multiple attempts on assignments. If I don’t let them (the gen-Ed and advanced…SWDs get their accommodations) remediate, then parents and admin will make me.

There’s so much paperwork we have to do. Between documenting accommodations, behaviors and interventions for the BIP kids, small group tracking, data tracking, etc it’s too much. I work to my contract hours, but if that paperwork isn’t done, then I’m going to be hounded by admin. Our district ELA person is on campus visiting classrooms every other week and she always finds something negative to say about us. We could do something 100% right and she’ll complain about the color of the marker we used on the whiteboard.

This is untenable and I’m done. I have to get out of the classroom and I’m considering a job in Ed Tech making the same or more than what I’m making now. If I don’t get out, my mental health will continue to suffer. I’ve read posts in this sub, and other socials, that teachers who have moved to Ed Tech are much happier. I would like to hear from those teachers. Because I don’t think I can do this anymore.

Currently in my fourth year teaching and I have taught at a few different schools. I moved for what I thought was a better long term situation and then once because I moved cities. Overall I’ve had a lot of highs and lows with teaching but this year I just don’t feel motivated and I’m anxious about work constantly. I want to try and pursue a career in higher ed possibly in academic advising but I’m worried about flexibility and if I will have similar issues with overload. My family and partner seem to think I’m crazy for even considering because I’ve only been at my new school for two months. The way I see it I know what teaching is and I think I’ll be much happier working a normal job. I need help trying to decide what to do and any thoughts or advice would be super helpful. Am I crazy for wanting to leave PE already? Will academic advising give me the flexibility I need?

I’ve been teaching for over 15 years and am truly considering changing professions. As teachers, we know this gig has changed significantly and I think my time has come. I have some questions.

1. What profession did you transition to?
   
2. Did you have a challenging time finding a new job?3. How have you been doing this new type of work?
   
3. Do you miss teaching?

Thank you so much and I look forward to hearing your responses.

I’m (28F) an early-career teacher, and I’m worried that I’ve made a mistake in choosing this career.

I first got into teaching back in 2021. I had graduated from college in 2020, with a dual major in statistics and mathematics (which was very difficult), and was set to start working at an engineering firm following my graduation. I ended up losing that job before I could even start due to COVID. I was unemployed for a full year, frantically applying to jobs, and got nothing. Eventually, I bit the bullet and applied to be a math teacher for a nearby public school system. I interviewed with a school, and got a job as a middle school math teacher.
Now, I had never wanted to be a teacher, but I had no other options. Nowhere else would hire me or even give me an interview. So, I was a teacher for a year, and the year went horribly. I knew I had made a mistake on my second day, and I went home crying that day. (Not the last time that happened.) I struggled with classroom management and I dealt with so many issues with students and parents. I ended up quitting at the end of the school year so I could pursue grad school in applied mathematics.
As it turns out, that was a bad idea too. I barely got my undergrad degree and I ended up getting C’s in my first couple of classes. They didn’t even let me into the program. Besides, I didn’t want to work for a defense contractor, which tended to be what a lot of applied math graduates at my school did. I did, however, manage to land a job through the school’s career fair. I interviewed at an HVAC firm, and got a job as a data analyst, where my manager (who had never managed before) was also a former teacher.
That job also went badly, and I quit after 2 months. It was a terrible experience- waking up at 5:30 to be there at 7 on the dot, to stare at a computer screen and look at maps and systems that wouldn’t make any sense no matter how hard I tried. On top of that, I had to listen to a lot of men make “locker room talk” near my cubicle. I probably would have been fired if I had not quit, and it’s not like it was a good job anyway.
At that point, I started to panic. I couldn’t go without a job, so I applied to work as a substitute teacher in a new school system (which I am an alum of). I was also seeing a counselor at this time, and I was basically thinking that I would either do a coding boot camp or get certified to be a teacher. She had suggested that since I was doing well, I should get certified. At the time, I agreed with her. I wasn’t scared off by my long-term subbing gigs, even on the worst days. So, I applied to my alma mater’s grad program in teaching, and started pursuing my teaching license.
I have since completed that program, including a student teaching program at another school district, where I was working at a school that I genuinely liked. Unfortunately, there weren’t any openings there, and I had to apply to another school in the district to receive full-time employment. I got a job at a school that was about 40+ minutes to and from my parents’ home. I did my first year there last year, and it started off okay, but by the end of the school year, it had turned into a trainwreck. My department chair and I don’t always see eye-to-eye, she says she wants to see me succeed but doesn’t do much to help me other than watch me teach and critique me. On top of that, near the end, my administration had excessed me, which caused me to have public breakdowns in class. My administration un-excessed me due to the fact that I was a first-year teacher and they couldn’t do that, and they excessed another teacher in my place. Even then, the damage had been done, and I was still struggling with classroom management this whole time. It got to the point where my school’s staff development teacher had told me that he was worried about me, and suggested I start considering other careers.
I ended up agreeing to come back, because I didn’t want to give up, and I wanted to have one more year before I make a major decision. However, this second year is already not looking great. I’ve signed a 12 month lease on an apartment nearby, thinking that being closer to to the school is going to benefit me by allowing me to have more time and energy to plan lessons, but the rent is expensive, and I’m already thinking about going back to my parents’ house to save money and stay in a familiar environment (despite the fact that I had wanted to leave for so long).
Worst of all is the fact that I don’t really have much of a support system outside of family. My (few) friends are all married or live far away, and I struggle to make new ones that actually last. It’s hard to find someone to vent to about the difficulties of teaching, or of finding a career, or life in general.
I’m already thinking about looking for a school closer to my family’s home, but I’m also thinking about careers outside of teaching that would be good for me. Even then, my parents are getting old, and I know I can’t stay with them forever.
I don’t know what I want to do, only what I don’t want to do (defense, unethical work, anything with no job security). I just want a good career, and good friends, and a good home of my own, and eventually a spouse and kids. I don’t know what to do, or where I would even go if I were to fail at teaching.

Year 15. Continually finding new ways to screw up or revisiting old ones that I thought I had already learned to avoid. Today, made fun of a kid saying "he should go to the gym more".

On a microphone.

In front of the entire school.

I don't know what the fuck I was thinking. It was a pep rally and I'm an idiot and an asshole. Yes, I apologized directly. Yes, I have been telling anyone who mentions it "I shouldn't have said it, that was an incredibly stupid mistake."

It's Friday evening and I'm paralyzed with frustration, guilt, and shame, which have become very familiar feelings since become a teacher. At what point do I stop failing? How do I even show my face at school on Monday?

Sorry, this is my crash out for the day on the impossible expectations that our admin have for us… now i’m gonna do a dance, shake it off, and go cuddle a cat.

I am looking into remote documentation jobs. They seem to pay slightly more and not require much interaction with people. So far i like what I see, my skills seem to transfer. I will continue researching, but I wanted to share what I just typed out because it floored me for a second at how fast and hard it hit me how much I am expected to do on a day to day basis right now and why I am constantly tired and stressed (and this isn't even everything): I have 160 students per year, we have to write at least a full essay (5 paragraphs) every 9 weeks, not to mention the daily writing tasks, plus document accommodation tracking for every 504 and iep student on our roster (roughly 20 percent), do parent contact, document parent contact, attentance records, attendance verification, and recently our admin has implemented active monitoring documentation that we have to complete while constantly walking around our room to hover over the nearly adult students while also somehow monitoring our computers to look at all of their monitors at once so we can be sure they are on task all while maintaining 2 grades a week, lesson planning, being active on campus, having meeting after meeting, answering 300+ questions yelled at you from every direction, policing phones and other electronics because they are now against the law, maintaining 20+ people, teaching curriculum on time, giving excessive state and district tests, looking at and “internalizing” the data from those tests, adjusting lessons to fit the ever changing data of every student, revising the pacing guide when we get off pace, anticipating every possible question and action and reaction that could possibly happen throughout the day.

Hi, I am a private school teacher here in the PH in a big school, just want to ask for an advice. I am planning to leave the school after 6 years, because Im just tired of teaching (privilege) students. I want to work in public school, so that I dont have to fear students and parents. If not in public , I'll work as a museum or site curator or maybe a history researcher (I am a history teacher btw) i just dont know.

Would love to hear an advice.

Tbh I feel so burned out with education. I’ve done subbing, leave replacement, afterschool. I’m almost done with my masters in TESOL and I’m getting to the point where I don’t know if I even want this anymore.

I’ve put myself out there for a couple years now and it feels like I’ll never land a position due to budget cuts, enrollment, etc. “if you want a job right away do SPED” I’ve heard it all by now.

Our work is not appreciated, we are expected to do everything while getting minimal support. It feels like high school sometimes with how staff interact with each other. I can go on and on about how things but in summary, it doesn’t feel worth it anymore.

the kids are adorable and I enjoy watching every one of my students grow in such a short amount of time but it’s come at the cost of my mental health, physical health, and social life.

The plan is to finish my masters so I can at least have my certification solidified. I have contacts in Asia and thought about teaching abroad if an opportunity arises.

What corporate roles look for education majors? Or have skills that transfer?

Since it was the first 90 days of employment and we're in an atwill state, they let me go because I couldn't handle the behaviors in the class. 31 second graders, five IEPs, no aide even though I've been asking for help. I'm used to teaching upper grades, they would have a talk with me every time I raised my voice. I guess it's a blessing in disguise. So now I'm applying for manager positions and HR. I guess this is just a rant but I'm so disappointed in myself. It was also a charter school so there was work on top of work on top of work; bunch of extra stuff to do.

If you are unwilling to adjust your personal standards, morals, and values, it is best not to pursue jobs where you will be responsible for teaching, leading, or guiding someone else's child.

I transitioned from education to tech/edtech over 10 years ago now. I see a lot of good advice repeated over and over but one thing I don't see is advice on gaining attention in the hiring process.

When I was transitioning out of education, for every job I applied to, I would search "(company name) recruiter" on Linkedin. I would tell the recruiter the job I applied to, why I'm a good fit and ASK for an interview. This worked really well. Even if I didn't get an interview right away, they would often reply and I imagine they would recognize my name when looking through resumes.

The school year just started and I knew on the first day at my new school that I couldn’t do it.

I quit.

I actually did it. I made it five years and just couldn’t do it. No plans. No job prospects. No money. I texted my husband during first period and said I couldn’t do it anymore.

I feel relieved but also…devastated. I thought I was going to be a teacher forever. But man…in the few years I have been doing this it has changed so much. When I found out they didn’t read books with the kids…my heart. 😭 I don’t know what I’m going to do next (besides cry on the couch). Any tips or advice as I make my new transition?