By Shannon Clark
Arianna Dastvan remembers using her birthday money to buy a projector for her room as a child. Then, she imitated the teachers she admired by teaching her stuffed animals.
Part One: The Teachers Who Left
Jamie was an English teacher and librarian in a southern state. He taught for about eight years before leaving. Like most teachers, she knew the job would be difficult and was prepared for it.
“Teaching is not a profession you go into thinking it’s going to be easy!” she says. “You know you’re there for the kids, you know you’re there to build a better world, you know you’re there to move it forward. And there have always been times when I thought about other careers, but never had anger like the brutality of the treatment by our own leaders in the pandemic.”
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Within a school district, there are few opportunities for a teacher to push themselves into exciting new roles. teachers leave the classroom for administrative, TOSA, or curriculum specialist positions, yes that many of them on career breaks Over the years, they have less motivation to expand their professional skills The professional development opportunities provided by the administration are often outdated, disconnected or often have too many pain points for teachers as a whole
Not only does this not help many teachers have an unspoken expectation that teaching will be their lifelong profession. With this in mind, there is often an unfair stigma on teachers who are considering quitting. People are often angry when teachers leave to seek career opportunities elsewhere, and others in the school system may see it as an easy way out. But the average person changes jobs about 12 times. Unfortunately, many have less than three teachers, and teaching was their last job.
Teachers leave because there are not enough breaks.
“I continue to teach at the moment, but I plan to quit school after this school year if the opportunity arises. I like breaks, but sometimes it’s not worth it. I’m thinking of leaving because now it’s about numbers – not kids. We are told what and how to teach. It is becoming increasingly difficult to follow the new rules, laws and regulations imposed on us. The pay is too low. Teachers are not respected. School is a place where children are sent so parents can work (at least in my county). Children become more stubborn (I teach in secondary school). You can’t defend yourself…the list is very long.
In the end we love children so we stay. I would have gone this year, but there is a very serious shortage of teachers in our district and I feel sorry for the children. Holidays and summer vacations are good too, but in the end they are not enough.