Should I Stay or Should I Go?
Help for Teachers Feeling Stuck (Untangle Post #1)
Do I go back to the classroom again? Finances say, maybe. My heart said, “you know why you left. Are you ready to go through that again?” Instead of confronting this question, I escaped it, put aside and as a result, I was stuck for months. I know many of you are in the same situation. This article series is about how I got unstuck and how it might help you choose what to do.
I left teaching twice, both for family reasons. The first time I left in 2014, I already have my own company plus 6 months of expenses saved. The cash flow did not work out the way I expected so I went back to my old job in 2017. I was expecting the worst but they were the best years of my whole classroom experience. My 3-year hiatus from the classroom gave me a new perspective. Then, my school suddenly required us to cover other classes, again and again. It was exhausting. So when the full-time caretaker of my special needs son is no longer available, it was easy for me to choose to quit. I experienced both: quitting and going back in the classroom.
If you are thinking of leaving the classroom, you are not alone. The National Education Association reported that 55% of teachers plan to leave the profession earlier than they planned. Chalkbeat reported in May 2023 that “more teachers than usual exited the classroom after last school year, confirming longstanding fears that pandemic-era stresses would prompt an outflow of educators.” But you and I know that it is not that simple. Your decision will be influenced by your expenses, family responsibilities and more.
Should I stay or should I go back to the classroom? Actually, if you are thinking about this, you want to leave. But something is holding you back. Probably, money including retirement and benefits. Maybe you feel stifled and not given a chance to implement your ideas. Or somebody or something in the school system is getting in your nerves. We’ll tackle the following in the next posts:
YOU: Your Own Understanding
I decided not to go back to the classroom this time; I’ll tell you more about it in the next posts. Your answer will come from YOU: Your Own Understanding. It will not come from me. I’ll only share how I dealt with it and give you resources. And by the way, subscribe for free so you’ll not miss any posts. I'll do my best to keep this newsletter mostly free as a service to my fellow educators.
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