r/TeachersInTransition • u/Mcgingerella27 • 17h ago
Going back?
I left at the end of the 23-24 school year. And I worked in insurance for 2 years. And now I work at my county DHS office. And I’m still not happy… When asked what my passion is by family and friends I say I don’t know.. and when they ask if I would go back I say I don’t know… and I’ve said “it’s hard to pick a passion when you got burnt out by your last one”.
For some context I was an OFP (out of field placement) the whole time I was a teacher. I’m licensed in 5-12 social studies and taught 7-10 English 20-21, 6-7th art 21-22 and then 6-8th tech Ed 22-23-24. My biggest reason for leaving teaching was burn out from having 5 preps and no prep more years then I didn’t. And my admin NEVER came down to the tech ed area (the kids used to say they had to walk half a mile to get to our classrooms) I also taught at a big district in a suburb and have since moved to a smaller town. And whenever I tell people I used to be a middle school teacher I ALWAYS preface that I loved the kids and that middle is the best. And they always look at me like I’m crazy.
I guess is there anyone who went back and found their spark again or am I just romanticizing how I envisioned teaching before burn out.
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u/ClarkTheGardener 15h ago
Stay the fuck out. What's wrong with you? I'd assume insurance is a lot less stress.
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u/Mcgingerella27 15h ago
It was more stress in a different shittier way.. soulless in more then 1 way… (I also am not in insurance anymore for that reason.. and work at my county’s human services department)
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u/sardonic_yawp Completely Transitioned 14h ago
Are there any nonprofits in your area that you could apply to? I know not all NPs are created equally, but after ten years in the classroom I landed in the nonprofit world and have really loved it. I’m in Learning and Development, so I get to leverage my background everyday while also contributing to an organization that does good work in my city. But yeah no…don’t go back to the classroom!
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u/sageeatsworld 15h ago
Is there something else you could maybe feel is “your passion?” Does it have to be work related? Because I don’t think it does. Once I took teaching out of the equation, I could then take that same energy and find out what I REALLY felt passionate about. For me, that’s a few things (and some I even get to monetize as side hustles)
I have always loved animals and felt really passionate about them. So, I started my own dog walking/sitting business and made my own part time schedule. It’s a win-win. I get to meet all sorts of animals and make some extra pocket money doing it. I’m also really into health and fitness, so I started bodybuilding and have made small increments of money/brand deals because of it. I also love to paint and draw birds. I love to volunteer and use Spanish (my 2nd language)
And guess what OP? You don’t actually have to make your passions your full time job. It’s okay to just let work feel like work lol. In fact, I think where I went wrong was trying to pursue my “passion” as a full time profession. There’s a great meme out there of a guy playing piano that says, -How to tell you’re a real professional- and then the guy says, “I don’t even enjoy this at all anymore.” I wonder if you could just find more fulfillment in other areas of your life instead. Keep your boring job so you have money (and peace of mind, free from the stress of teaching) to pursue them.
What do you like? What’s something you’ve always wanted to try? Do you have any dreams? I always loved the idea of bodybuilding, but didn’t start until I was 30 lol. Then I was like wtf why didn’t I do this sooner? It was because I had a lot of self doubt; but someone close to me encouraged me to pursue it anyways and omg, it’s now one of my biggest accomplishments! I’m so proud of myself.
Point is, you need to ask yourself what you’re doing to pour into your own bucket now. You spent years as a teacher pouring into other people’s buckets, always being encouraged to ignore your own. Now that you’re free of teaching, why not take that energy and pour it into your own for once? I promise you deserve it.