“Why do teachers quit?”
You who are reading this — YES YOU
— have thoughts on the issue. Share them. Just leave a comment below
and let this be a conversation among professionals. With that out of the
way, here we go. Why Do Teachers Quit Teaching?
Now some of you will consider this sacrilegious for me to say that
there are circumstances when it is acceptable to quit teaching. But that
is not what I am saying.
I am saying that there are circumstances where leaving the teaching
profession is the best course of action. I think everyone should be
lifelong teachers, whether they are employed as such or not. I made it very clear that
some of the best educators are not employed in school districts.
Most successful nonfiction authors are teachers at heart, as are most
successful pastors, coaches, politicians, and
game show hosts. I mean, teachers are everywhere, as well they should
be.
When should I quit teaching? (Valid reasons to quit teaching)
1. Pregnancy/children
This, of course, does not mean that if you are pregnant or have children, you MUST
get out of the teaching business. But if your heart is there, then by
all means, do it as quickly as is financially possible for you. Once
kids have grown up, they have grown up. If we miss out on childhood, we
miss out on it. This is an issue of priorities here. Every person has a
different set of priorities and ranks them differently also. I think if
this is where your heart is, it is perfectly acceptable to leave the
teaching population. Be a teach inside your own home!
2. You become an administrator
Some would argue that teachers should NEVER
become administrators, because administrators are the enemy. Others
would argue that administrators should never stop teaching. I
interviewed at a school once where the superintendent came in from
mowing the football field to meet m, and then he went back. Both he and
the principal taught classes because they didn’t want to get out of
touch. In smaller districts, that’s fine, but as districts grow,
administrators really need to focus on the administrative tasks at hand.
If this is your goal, and it works out for you, then go for it. Be the
best, most teacher-centered administrator you can possibly be!
3. Health Concerns
Nobody will say that you have given up if you quit teaching because
of either disability, stress, or disease. This is often a temporary
change, but sometimes it becomes permanent. Either way, it is definitely
a valid reason to quit teaching.
4. You’re not cut out to be a teacher
These are those people who enter the teaching profession and think it
will somehow be different than it is. These are the people who complain
about low pay and low credit being given to them. This is one of the
biggest causes of complaints. We’ve all seen those people who are
teaching, but really seem out of place and don’t seem to belong. That’s
because they don’t belong there! This is not to be rude, but some people
really are out of place when educating children. This happens often
with coaches who enter the business so that they can make a name for
themselves or music teachers who want to conduct a professional
symphony. I know countless music majors who major in education as a
“fall back” in case their performing dreams don’t flesh out. These
people are prime candidates for a valid reason to drop out of teaching!
The education of children is too important to leave to people who don’t want to do it.
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