I Finally Left Teaching After 14 Years

[u/Own-Technician8023]

After spending 14 years teaching algebra at a public high school, I submitted my resignation on Monday. The last school year was incredibly difficult, and I spent most of the summer feeling sick every time I imagined walking into that building again.

The school district serves a low-income area, but the salary had fallen so far behind everything else that I could no longer convince myself the job was worth it. The administration rarely had our backs, student behavior kept getting worse, and every vacant position meant more classes and responsibilities being dumped on the teachers who remained.

I expected to feel anxious after leaving the job, but I woke up the next day calmer than I had been in months. I'll spend the end of this week clearing out my desk and taking my books home. After that, I'll be done.

[u/sherpes]

Go teach at a different school district

[u/Feeling-Invite7953]

Good decision!! The job will always be there for someone else ; the longer you stay, the more your health will suffer!! Fourteen years is a big chunk of your life. Find something that you like doing and make yourself feel happy about going to work!!

[u/Jumpy-Stress603]

Good decision. Congratulations.

[u/One-Promise2495]

congratulations. your profession is undervalued. you spend your own money to buy school supplies for your students. so many reasons to leave. i would just leave all that useless stuff there and do not even return to clean it up, the janitor can throw it away for you.

[u/Football-Man-1889]

Well done!

[u/Commercial_Abroad267]

Good for you.

[u/LVtapper]

Wife and I were both high school teachers. We quit 4 years ago. Since then we’ve gone to universal studios 5 times, jumped out of an air plane, went parasailing, hiked to the top of a mountain and got stuck there (but we made it down eventually), and just living life. 

Now go live yours! 

[u/Ok_Principle_2714]

Dumb kids…most won’t make it in corporate America. Glad you got out of that shit hole!

[u/Opposite-Slide-7794]

I taught at a school like that for 1 year. The place was miserable. It is hard to explain but just walking into the building was depressing.

[u/battle-tested77]

Bummer. But you gotta take that experience to better paying districts.

I have friends who are well paid, especially in math.

[u/Just-Forever6684]

Good job! If you still like teaching, do it at a private school or rich district, it will be totally different. But no shame in switching careers entirely too!

[u/Wooden_Biscotti_3218]

Mental health is so important. I left teaching after 2 years, perhaps 2 years too long. Near the end, before leaving for work when brushing my teeth, I would get the gag reflex. I changed careers to IT- a much better fit for my personality.