Why I Left Teaching (The Honest Truth)

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

Thanks for watching! Let me know if any of this resonates with you or if you disagree.

[@tedmorrissey]

All well-said. I taught high school English and speech for 38 years, but, still, I retired three years ahead of plan. What drove me from the classroom ahead of schedule was the hostility and harassment from parents -- something I'd never experienced for 33 of those 38 years; then overnight it became a weekly occurrence. A steady stream of people who didn't understand what my job was, let alone how to do it effectively, was suddenly directing what should and shouldn't be taught in the classroom -- and my administrators were giving their complaints validation. A "the customer is always right" mentality -- when, really, no they're not. Thank you for posting this video.

[@achangeofeve2511]

I am a nurse but i follow educators because I feel we have many similar grievances, considering we both work with the public. I am rooting for you and all former and current educators. We need an education system reform in this country.

[@littlebitofhope1489]

Unfortunately it's only going to get worse now. Much, much worse.

[@An1m0d]

The same dynamic occurs in healthcare. Education and training are woefully disjointed from the job demands. Being a trained healthcare professional is a debt trap nowadays. Universities, licensing boards and certification agencies are adding more to the discipline. Hospitals are overworking staff with inane restrictions and responsibilities. The whole thing is not serving anyone despite being painfully bureaucratic AND expensive to operate. I wish a new labor movement existed to instill better quality of life for all professions. Money doesn’t ameliorate systemic workplace abuses.

[@txspacemom765]

Teachers do not teach anymore. We are data collectors for the State and government. The times I was able to teach, taking my kids, giving them hands on activities (I taught STEM), I could physically show the upper management and board their grades went UP and they were engaged. I'm into data collecting, for myself and NO ONE cared. You are Principals and AP's who have no experience. My last AP taught for 4 years, received her Graduate Degree and became an AP. She was clueless and just walked around, bullying people, telling me taught, what was our problem? Add in parents, who the SECOND you contact them, scream and degrade you and you are left just standing there, unable to say anything. Lack of discipline, especially when it comes to the kids who, if they were adults, would go to jail for their actions. No joke. That's just the surface.

[@kris78787]

Lack of discipline, yes, totally. I deal with this every single day. These kids have literally gone feral. Teaching has become a nightmare because of this

[@txspacemom765]

@@kris78787 Feral is the word!

[@gooutsideeveryday2017]

My yearly medical checkup is this way. It's not even a doctor, it's an NP, and they record my answers to questions on a screen. Asking me whether my smoke alarms work and my guns are locked up...

[@3056398]

The head principal at my school only taught middle school choir for 5 years..

[@kris78787]

This is my 4th year teaching. I literally dread going to work every single day due to out of control students and constant fights going on.

[@littlebitofhope1489]

I was lucky. I taught when there was a shortage of teachers. My background was as a Behavior specialist for a research ADHD school at a University. That training was MUCH more important than any teaching credential. I ended up ultimately teaching at the University level, but watching the teachers with zero training in classroom management was a real eye opener. They gave me the "worst" kids, and it really wasn't an issue due to my training. If you can get that training, it will make your life much easier.

[@leotardbanshee]

Read the Harry Wong first 100 days of school book, it will change everything. Implement it after winter break.

[@kris78787]

@leotardbanshee I'm afraid you all don't understand what type of students we have or the lack of support from administration that we have at our district. 75-80% of my school are tier 3 students, with 40% of the students being ese. We have a very high teacher turnover here because of the students' behaviors and lack of support. I am also looking to leave as well because I cannot take the stress anymore. It's way beyond just reading a classroom management book.

[@nuhabashir1672]

I've started my teaching carrer and already regretting it

[@S2023.]

Thank you for your time teaching

[@shaker1024]

I'm from Ukraine and I work at school. Occasionally found your channel a few days ago. Thank you a lot! I see that you have absolutely the same problems we have here. Our educational system is inefficient, teachers are poor-paid. Another problem - gadget addiction among kids. Kids aren't interested in studying even if you're trying to make your lessons interesting to them.

[@paulaguerra8775]

It's the same here in Chile 😢

[@kris78787]

Yes these phones are a huge problem even in elementary school

[@mephesh]

This problem is everywhere. Analytics, stats, stakeholders, tracking, its all juicing us out and the only choice is to exit.

[@benjaming7325]

This is my first year teaching, and it will my last

[@ms.nfrmed]

Leaving in the next two years after almost 20 years. Hopefully got into graduate school so I can get out. Save yourselves! It isn't worth it anymore. I'm spending every weekend trying to recuperate from the week. I'm so sick of it. It's effecting my mental and physical health. Everything you are saying is a reflection of my experience. Thank you for speaking your truth and speaking for us ❤

[@patrick39432]

I taught for 27 years and couldn't go another day😥. I too was idealistic about making a difference for kids, but the humanity of teaching was lost when the state testing began! My students became numbers, statistics, data; not little people trying to make their way!

[@rodneymills6477]

I am fixing to leave because I'm tired of getting bullied by kids.

[@TMeyer-ge5pj]

Honestly i thunk standards themselves ruin education. They're not necessary for people to learn at all.

[@DalesValor]

Thank you for your service.

[@Taylormarie8]

Thank you for touching on this subject. I graduated in 2020 just barely because I struggled with my home and mental health at the time and I knew deep down that they only cared about the numbers. Kids also don’t try anymore because they all know it’s about the numbers and not us as individuals. I feel this also creates conflict in the classroom making certain kids act up just to be seen. If kids know it’s about the numbers they themselves will give up making it even harder for teachers who try and help them.

[@Mr.BTeachingSPED]

Thank you for so clearly sharing a lot of the flaws of public eduction

[@jerrywells5551]

Im in year 23 and still really like it. Teach hard grade VERY easily, do NOTHING at home. Plan about 3-4 activities per class the last part of class assign individual work and let kids use ear buds while they work. Once every couple of weeks assign " research" assignments and just sit at your desk and chill. Invest in good relationships with the kids and if your in a tested class focus ONLY on standards based instruction. Biggest thing RELAX people are not lined up for our jobs. Currently making 83k hope to work til 62 with my pension and early social security I will make a little more than I am now.

[@johnnyboyvan]

I taught for 32 years and loved it. The kids were starting to change and so was admin. I also mentored 26 student teachers, who are all working in education and are already burnt out...not a good sign. The money was fine at 80 to 100k a year.

[@alicelaybourne1620]

Wow. 80 to 100K. Wish I was going to see that kind of money. we used to top out at 60K, and there was a big reform, so we now top out at 70K. (Starting teachers in my state *(prior to reform) were making less that a manager at a fast food restaurant and other non professional careers.

[@littlebitofhope1489]

@@alicelaybourne1620 What they don't tell you is that you don't get raises. You either have to work decades to get that, or you have to get salary advancement, which is done through more education. And that education put's you in debt. It sounds better than it is.

[@flowerlass]

@@littlebitofhope1489 Or you become an administrator! They don't deal with children and make way more money.

[@lindseyh8841]

So much of this has to be parent involvement. I homeschool my kids and teach a class at a homeschool co op 1x a week. We have about 100 kids and they are so kind to each other and well behaved. Mom and dad must be willing to give the children attention and be involved in their schooling. Even if a child is a public school student its up to the parents to make sure their kid is engaged.

[@DavidB.Fischer]

I really like what you mentioned about making the connection with kids, if you don’t have that connection or not, give me anything really

[@oophelia46]

Life is too short to be miserable! Glad you're doing what's best for you

[@Insightful_Locs]

The obsession with data and test scores sucked all the fun out of teaching !! 😅it’s so annoying

[@marcmeinzer8859]

Bertrand Russell pointed out back in the day that overwork tends to make school teachers nervous. And that was back when the kids were routinely either caned or paddled to intimidate them into conforming. So what do you suppose it’s like today when the kids are permitted to run wild? Another thing which has been largely abandoned is tracking so you’re not over-schooling persons of below average intelligence.

[@mysadlife1771]

Yep, I was told to stay positive LMAO. The “specialist” was saying I was being too negative when I mentioned all the problems the students had issues in the class.

[@DancingSk3L3tons]

13:01 this is just the corporate structure of America now. I know I'm over simplifying this, but I blame the boomer generation. On their way out the door they normalized toxic corporate work life. Zero worklife balance, unrealistic work loads (unless you eat, breath, live the job even working off the clock), toxic POSITIVITY ( You had better not complain about any of it or you aren't a team player), and low pay for anyone not in upper management. This is in every industry right now. They fkd us, and now they're all retiring nicely while we are stuck with the BS system they created.

[@WorldTurndUpsideDown]

Data analysts, data entry, test proctors, secretaries, security detail, entertainers, free school funding sources, professional meeting and DP attendees.

[@ga6589]

I've been retired for ten years after having taught elementary school for 35 years. Yours is the by far the best articulated POV about the problems facing teachers today and why they are leaving in droves. All of the problems you mentioned were a reality my entire career, but they have grown out of control as education has become even more politicized. Teachers are caught in the middle and villified for everything that is wrong in our public schools. We now have a president-elect who claimed to the American people that kids are being sent to school in the morning and coming back home a different gender. We are doomed.

[@qwertyqwert2772]

i hate to think the pressure on a teacher every single freakin day of every damned year wtf!!!!!!!!!!!

[@JJlsd-]

It seems like a lot of teachers face similar problems and that a large number of new teachers quit shortly after being hired. I am just curious how it is possible that teachers do not experience any of these problems before getting their own classroom. (I am assuming most teachers have some sort of experience in the classroom before getting their own like assisting teachers and substituting.)

[@alicelaybourne1620]

No, you go straight into the classroom. Depending on the type of certification you receive, you may have student teaching for 12 to 18 weeks prior to being a full classroom teacher.

[@Ellehcareidnam]

For me I worked in the schools for years as a paraprofessional before becoming a teacher. By the time I got my degree I was “pre” burnt out, but now I have tons of debt and no way to pay it off except teach.

[@leotardbanshee]

It's simple, when you do practicum or student teaching you are not directly responsible for placating parents or administrators.

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

You do a short "internship" or "student teaching" depending on the program that you are in. Yes, you're in a classroom, but you're responsible for very, very little. The lead teacher is still in control of everything and your requirement may be to eventually "teach a unit" for a couple weeks. Even still, you're only responsible for planning and delivering lessons. There's very little of the reality of teaching while in your internship or student teaching.

[@WorldTurndUpsideDown]

@@EllehcareidnamDon’t forget the money for never ending recertification credits.

[@JellybeansDad]

I'm curious about your opinions on Trump's proposed changes to the education system

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

Regardless of political belief or affiliation, I don't believe getting rid of the DoE is the answer. It needs REFORMED, not removed. However, there's no political will to do what we know is best for kids.

[@Mellonen-Galadh]

IMO, school is one of the actual monsters that society has created. I mean, human beings are not meant to sit 7 hours and listen to another human talk, almost every day for YEARS on end. Besides, people are not interested in everything. I watched one of your videos in which you complained that around 5 students in the entire class listened to you and were actively interested. That is, in my opinion, completely normal. For me, I was severely disinterested in 75% of the subjects taught to me in school. It makes sense, not everyone is a polymath, especially at that young age. So, don't blame yourself for not making more of them interested, nor should you blame your students. They are just being human. Apart from this, I have another strong opinion about school, Steve: its purpose is not to teach. Its purpose is not to "brainwash" kids into submission, as some conspiracy theorists might assume, although a lot of bad teachers consider that it is essential for students to "respect their authority".... No! In my mind, the purpose of school is to keep your children in some place, without them injuring themselves, while you, the parent, toil away and get taxed. It sounds like a conspiracy, but it's a reaction to industrialization: you cannot toil away your whole day if you have kids at home drinking bleach and falling from trees and stuff.... you have to "park" them somewhere safe, right? So, it's okay to feel bad about the whole school system, but if you perceive it like I do, it starts making more sense, imo..... otherwise, why so many hours? Why so many tests? I think you can impart essential knowledge to kids in less than 6 years, 3 or 4 hours per day. 12+ years of 7 hours makes no sense, other than keeping kids busy while the parents work and get taxed, to keep the "system" running, regardless of what that system is (communism, capitalism, I've been through both, I'm from Eastern Europe). Cheers, mate!

[@TheMidlifeDropout]

Cheers buddy! Hope things are going well for you. We often "joke" that we're glorified babysitters now.

[@WorldTurndUpsideDown]

You haven’t been a school in 20 years. No one is sitting and listening for 7 hours a day and no teacher is lecturing (oddly, the most effective teaching method).

[@gooutsideeveryday2017]

Some of the best teachers I had were retirees and double dippers. Threaten to fire them, they're fine, they dont care. They can go golfing. They don't need the money. They cannot be browbeat or bullied.

[@igoreduardo657]

i didn´t know you have a beatiful girlfriend. I´m a young teacher but a really struggle in the love departement.

[@freedomishavingachoice3020]

You'll find people leave online platforms for the exact same reasons my dude. Section 230. We need to be able to hold people liable for hate. Kids included.

[@freedomishavingachoice3020]

Sidenote What part of graduation gets us housing? *shrugs* We'd all of been better off building our own tinyhomes in school with taxpayer money so we all get a starter home we own, and making the maintenance and living it without assistance a graduation requirement. If they can't live on their own without incident, then they aren't ready to graduate. Most teens haven't done a load of laundry themselves, or cooked a meal from scratch. School isn't teaching us to live, so we survive to get to the end of the school day to start living "real life". Make them figure out what a septic system is please for the love of gah.