Do Cps Students Leave School Early on Sat

Madeleine Clays has been a public school teacher in the U.S. for twenty years. She is passionate about education.

Typically, low salaries are blamed for high teacher turnover in the U.S. But as somebody who has been teaching in public education for twenty years, I can tell you that when it comes to reasons educators quit, low salaries are low on the totem pole.

After all, don't you think most of them know what their salary will be before they go into the teaching profession? Of course they do.

The main reasons teachers walk away from their jobs is because of the poor working conditions, unreasonable demands, and unrealistic expectations they face every day. Collectively, these factors make the teaching profession unbearable for even the best educators.

Poor working conditions and unreasonable demands and expectations are the primary reasons U.S. public school teachers are saying good-bye to the profession for good.

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Why Are So Many Teachers Resigning?

• They don't have time to use the bathroom.
• They're tired of bad student behavior.
• Teachers' planning time is consumed by meetings.
• They're constantly asked for money.
• Instruction is always in competition with school programs.
• They're asked to take on too many roles.
• Keeping their students engaged keeps geting harder.
• Teachers have to share their classrooms and desks with other educators.
• Bullying among teachers is on the rise.
• They aren't allowed to give students failing grades.
• Students are coming to school increasingly unprepared to learn.
• There's too much pressure to teach to the test.
• School violence is increasing..
• Teachers feel pressured to not speak out about their concerns.

They don't have time to use the bathroom.

Teachers often have to wait two, three, or more hours to use the bathroom. They obviously can't step out of their classroom when students are there, so they have to wait until their planning period or lunch break to relieve themselves.

Urinary tract infections are common among educators.

Moreover, there are usually a handful or fewer faculty restrooms within a school building, so finding an available restroom once they can leave the classroom is the next hurdle.

With fifty or more staff members in each school building, many teachers end up using student restrooms out of necessity.

When educators use student restrooms at the middle and high school levels, they often discover inappropriate student activity going on, which they of course must address, which prevents them from using the john.

I assure you that no staff member wants to use a student restroom! But we often have no choice.

It's degrading.

Dealing with student disrespect gets old fast, especially when you're doing your best as an educator to keep up with the increasing demands and expectations in public education.

Photo by ThisisEngineering RAEng on Unsplash

Teachers are tired of bad student behavior.

They're tired of being disrespected by students and of the same students continually disrupting class. The worst part is when we call home and parents tell us they deal with the same behavior issues at home and don't know what to do about it.

In addition, educators feel pressured to not send students to the office. Administrators want us to handle student behavior problems in the classroom.

Principals are obligated to report their yearly number of office referrals to their district supervisors, and this information impacts their school ratings and image. This understandably puts a lot of pressure on administrators.

However, high teacher turnover can't do much good for the school's image, either.

The truth is, many teachers just keep allowing their students to act out in the classroom, disrupt learning, and be disrespectful because they have run out of options.

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Educators who do write office referrals when they've exhausted all their options are often looked down upon or blackballed by the same administrators who should be supporting them.

Many teachers spend a good portion of their planning periods in meetings and end up planning their lessons on their own time.

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They don't have enough planning time.

Teacher planning time is often consumed by meetings. We are often asked to attend staff, grade-level, or special education meetings during our planning block.

This is supposed to be planning time, which means time to create awesome lessons for class instruction!

We usually end up planning our lessons on our own time—after school and/or on weekends.

However, many educators can't devote their personal time to school lessons due to family commitments and second jobs. This means their lessons aren't as amazing as they could be, and it's not their fault.

Sure, we get our summers off and breaks during the school year, but if you add up all the hours most of us work outside of our contract time through the course of each school year, it more than balances out.

I am tired of being asked for money from a system that is already shortchanging both educators and students.

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They are constantly asked for money.

Teachers are routinely asked to donate money to support their underprivileged students, such as help pay for their utility bills, contribute to the student holiday shopping fund, or bring in food for families in need.

In addition, they're asked to contribute to the school's hospitality fund for staff parties and other events, and to help with meals for staff members who are unable to work due to poor health or a family emergency.

There are envelopes constantly going around asking for contributions for this or that.

Some of us are living paycheck to paycheck ourselves and even have second jobs to help make ends meet. We want to help our students and colleagues but we wish our schools would stop asking us for money we don't have.

Ongoing announcements throughout the school day are disruptive to classroom instruction.

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Instruction is in constant competition with school programs.

There are a ton of school activities competing with instruction every single day.

Announcements throughout the school day bombard educators and students with information about clubs, sports, programs and events such as spirit week, which may, for example, include wearing a different outfit each day of the week.

Often these announcements are made in the middle of class which disrupts the flow of our lessons and even leads to behavior problems.

Although many of these activities are positive and promote good causes, they are highly distracting to both students and teachers during instructional time.

Teachers often feel like they're working in a five ring circus.

We want to just focus on instruction, but we don't dare complain because it goes back to the pressure schools are under to get high ratings and maintain a good image, and the number of programs schools offer to students is a big part of that image.

Many parents want to send their kids to schools where there are a ton of activities, so administrators do their best to comply.

It's sink or swim for most of us. Many educators are on medication for stress and anxiety. Others are retiring early or changing careers.

I have compared the systematic expectations of the [teaching] profession to the list of signs of abuse provided by the Domestic Abuse Hotline. If you replace "he" with "public education," it would almost match perfectly with what we are going through all across America.

— former South Carolina teacher Sariah McCall, in her resignation letter, Sept. 2018

They are asked to take on too many roles.

Teachers feel pressured by administrators to be not only an instructor, but in many cases a parent, social worker, and psychologist—to name just a few roles—to each of their students.

We are also constantly pressured to join school committees, sponsor clubs, and help supervise after-school events. All of these activities usually take place outside of our contract hours, and in many cases we are not paid for our time.

This year the counseling department in my school is trying to recruit teacher volunteers to mentor students during our 30 minute lunch block. Come again? Since my planning block is already consumed by meetings throughout the week, my lunch block is the only solid plan time I can count on. It's also one of the few opportunities I have to decompress during the school day, and I have to somehow manage to eat at some point during that time.

Educators go to work to teach and many do it with full devotion. We go in early and stay late. We plan lessons and grade papers for hours after school and on weekends.

While we care about our students, we cannot wear all these hats. Please stop asking us to because you are literally burning us out.

Keeping students focused on class lessons is becoming increasingly difficult for teachers.

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Keeping students engaged keeps getting harder.

We are constantly having to work harder to maintain our students' attention in the classroom.

Students' attention spans keep getting shorter. Educators are competing against video games and all kinds of highly stimulating technology kids are engaged in for long periods of time outside of school.

We keep having to make lessons more fun, more lively, more exciting, and our lessons seem to keep getting shorter because many kids simply can't stay focused for longer than 10 minutes at a time.

We also have to constantly learn the latest fun online educational programs, which seem to change all too frequently. Just as we thought we mastered the current one, there's a "newer and better" one (or two, or three) we're expected to pick up.

Many of us feel that we have to practically sing and dance just to keep our students' attention. What's worse is that we feel our students expect to be entertained daily when they come to class.

It's exhausting.

Due to the shortage of space in many schools, an increasing number of teachers have to share their classrooms, and even their desks, with their colleagues.

How does this work?

Floating educators use their colleagues' classrooms to teach during their colleagues' planning time. This means these teachers have to leave their rooms during their planning period and find somewhere else to work.

It's not uncommon for host teachers to return to their classroom to find student desks have been rearranged or the room has been left in shambles.

Sure, there's normally a verbal agreement between the host teacher and the floater as to how the room will be left, but it's not always honored.

Room and desk sharing is highly stressful for educators and often causes resentfulness between them.

Host teachers resent having to be kicked out of their classroom during their planning periods and they resent finding their rooms a mess when they return.

Floaters resent the fact that they don't even have their own classroom and that they have to adjust to different classrooms throughout the day.

Classroom sharing has led to educators bullying one another in both subtle and overt ways.Teachers are often afraid to report these incidents.

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Teachers bully teachers.

We all know about bullying among students. There's also a big, unspoken problem with bullying among educators, and it's getting worse.

Classroom sharing—as shared earlier—is a breeding ground for colleagues bullying one another.

Some floaters deliberately leave the classrooms they use untidy if they resent that the host teacher has complained about things not being in order after the floater has used her room.

Host teachers may retaliate by disabling technology or hiding important equipment or materials the floater needs when she uses her room.

I have seen all of these things happen.

And we wonder why so many students bully students. In many cases, they are picking up these bully attitudes from their own teachers!

Co-teaching, a common instructional approach in recent years, also often leads to educators mistreating one another.

It doesn't take much to graduate from high school in our current public education system.

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They're not allowed to give failing grades.

We are told to not penalize students when they don't turn their work in.

That's right. In many school districts, teachers are prohibited from giving students failing grades for missing assignments.

The theory behind this is that since we haven't seen the student's work, we cannot evaluate it. An F can only be assigned if the quality of the assignment meets the criteria for an F, not for assignments that haven't been submitted.

Most educators are very uncomfortable with this approach, as it doesn't teach students to be responsible.

We know that once our students move on beyond school and get jobs, failing to perform a project for their boss in a timely manner could cost them their job, or—at the very least—a poor job evaluation.

We know that it's important to teach students that there are consequences for their actions.

But if our administrators tell us to not penalize our students for work they don't turn in, we are obligated to do that or we put our own jobs on the line.

Students are coming to school increasingly unprepared to learn.

They Lack Basic Academic Skills

More and more students are entering our classrooms each year without basic academic skills in reading, writing and math. Meanwhile, academic standards are rising across all grade levels. This means that the performance gap between where students are currently functioning academically and where they are expected to function is widening.

Consequently, educators have to work harder to bring these students up to grade level standards. With class sizes getting larger across the nation, the pressure teachers are under to bring their growing number of lower performing students "up to par" can at times seem overwhelming.

Their Basic Needs Aren't Being Met

In addition, more and more students are entering our classrooms with unmet basic needs such as food, sleep, and nurturing. It's not uncommon for students to ask their teachers for food because they're hungry, or to fall asleep in class because they're sleeping on the floor at home and are sometimes even sleeping in the same room as the rest of their family.

We are seeing an increase in students whose parents abuse drugs and cannot properly care for their children. Many of our students have been removed from their families and live in foster homes; others are homeless and are living in shelters.

The physical, mental and emotional stress many of our students experience outside of school inevitably impacts not just their academic achievement but also their behavior in the classroom. Indeed, many students who act out in class are facing great difficulties in their personal lives.

This creates greater challenges for educators.

There is too much pressure to teach to the test.

Because schools can lose their accreditation due to low standardized test scores, there is a tremendous amount of pressure on educators to "teach to the test." This means not just focusing strictly on teaching content that aligns with grade level standards, but also spending a lot of time teaching our students test-taking strategies.

Some districts even utilize a teacher merit pay model which means their teacher salaries are based on their students' standardized test scores.

Schools that are at particular risk of losing state accreditation are those with a high percentage of students from low socioeconomic backgrounds and English language learners. The academic gap between where these students are functioning and what is considered "grade-level" is much greater for these students than it is for native English speakers from higher socioeconomic backgrounds.

Some problems with excessive focus on standardized test scores:

• It puts too much emphasis on one test on one given day of the school year.
• Many grade-level state standards are not developmentally appropriate for many students at that grade level.
• It creates a school culture of competition rather than collaboration among educators.
• It creates a great amount of stress for teachers and students.
• It puts underprivileged students at a disadvantage.

Most schools have a resource officer patrolling the halls during the day.

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School Violence

Schools are becoming increasingly unsafe places to work. Many teachers already experience high levels of stress just trying to stay afloat and meet the ever-growing demands of the profession. To have to worry daily about their own safety and that of their students adds a whole new dimension to this anxiety.

It's not unusual for students to come to class with concealed knives or other weapons, to break out into fights in the classroom, to kick or throw heavy items across the room, or to threaten to hurt themselves and others.

In addition, schools are soft targets for mass shootings. The most concerning aspect of this is that there is very little being done to protect students and school personnel from this senseless violence. Despite the numerous school shootings that have occurred across our country, most schools don't have metal detectors or any other kinds of screenings in place to prevent armed individuals from entering their buildings.

Although schools usually have a resource officer present in the building during school hours, how much protection can he provide to thousands of students and staff after a shooter has already entered the building?

Slogans like this one are very popular in public schools and are insulting to teachers because they ignore the challenges teachers face daily in public education.

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Teachers are told to just go with the flow.

Perhaps the most disturbing aspect of being a public school educator today is the "Just Do It" mentality that permeates public education.

Teachers feel pressured to shut up, keep smiling and keep going.

Catch-phrases such as "Keep Calm and Carry On" are constantly tossed around in public education.

These flippant slogans condition us to accept our circumstances as if we are doing something heroic rather than running against common sense and against what is best for their students.

But we know that to speak out means putting our jobs on the line, and we have bills to pay and families to support. Many of us have kids in college and need to save toward our retirement.

We are caught in a self-defeating system.

It's no wonder many educators are retiring early or changing careers.

Unfortunately, for many other teachers, it's too late to switch careers or they can't afford to retire early.

Final Thoughts

It's easier for Americans to talk about poor teacher salaries than to focus on a very broken public education system. But unless teachers' working conditions improve and the expectations and demands placed on them become more reasonable, we will continue to see droves of good and quality educators leave the profession. This impacts teachers, students, and taxpayers, as recruiting and training new educators costs school districts across the U.S. billions of dollars every year.

© 2019 Madeleine Clays

Lana* on August 03, 2020:

I echo Kylie's comment below, well said. And I want to thank the author for this honest, well written, article and forum. Teachers are demonized for stating the elephant in the room. We constantly have to act like martyrs for the cause and saying that student behavior is a problem makes others cringe like we are a "bad person" for stating the truth and should just fake their stereotype of a "caring adult." I do care. A LOT! Which is why I'm not sugar coating it. We urgently need to address and fix this so our students can have the education they deserve and so other students who are bystanders witnessing the disruptions and are casualties of the stress it causes can be in a safe and productive environment. Parents of students who are doing well, rarely ever needs to talk to me or be involved in school politics, because they are doing their job at home; however, what they don't understand is that if they stay silent then your child's education is being affected. Please speak up against other parents and students who are allowed to bully their way through system. You may think that I don't need to get involved because my child has an "A"; however, if your child is in a class where there are major disruptions and pacing of teacher lessons are affected, then that "A" lacks any quality. It's relative. I would rather my kid get a "c" at a "Harvard" like standard school than for then to have an "A" from a dysfunctional school. Your child can get into a college with a 4.0 and will be taking remedial classes if the school they graduated from does not have quality control. Teachers need effective parent advocates to help us address the problem. Young, talented teachers are being burnt out and driven away from the profession, I don't blame them and would do the same if I were their age and didn't have a mortgage or my own family to take care of. I live in a constant dichotomy, just because I love teaching, I'm great at it, and care about students and the future of education, doesn't mean I can constantly give up every second of my day and personal life needs. That is unfair to every teacher and their families. Even being labeled an exceptional teacher doesn't protect or immune me from all the fallout of our deteriorating system. How do we fix the problem when we don't even openly acknowledge it as a school culture? It's been 15 years in a classroom for me, and although I am viewed as a teacher with strong classroom management, it is taking a toll. To be on top of outing fires while you are teaching constantly, leads to burnout. To be effective, takes a lot of sacrifice. And each year is getting exponentially worse.

We are using "restorative justice" and "student advocacy" as a guise for teenage students to justify their blatantly unexceptable behavior. Every teacher with basic educational psychology courses under their belt knows how important stability and routine is for children. There is no stability nor routine with dysfunctional classrooms. We are inundated with following policies by people who write books with the next buzz word in education, but themselves would not be able to implement the practice they are preaching or conveniently left the classroom to write the book. I will listen to the people who stay in the trenches and apply the methods and show me the data. Then make sure it's vetted and replicated by other teachers in a random selection and the same outcomes are concluded before policy makers start making top down "suggestions." We need to give teachers back the power they have earned to be in the classroom and admins (whose jobs are to ASSIST us, can take the backseat on paychecks and teachers should start delegating tasks to them on how to help). 90 percent of my students are wonderful, but with the 10 percent that are nightmares being able to disrupt the classroom and learning process with zero consequences, by the end of the first couple months of school the entire class culture shifts to apathy and mob mentality with otherwise relatively "good" students now chiming into the anarchy.

I am responsible for learning and student safety teaching a high demand area (Science), yet my experience, advanced degrees, credentials, professional acknowledgements/awards for being an exceptional teacher, and judgement are all treated as an equal claim the second kids are sent to the administrator's office. If a students got seriously hurt by being allow to play around in a lab, I would be held liable and parents would be pissed to say the least. Yet when I sit students out who are literally throwing (things) during a tantrum, they are brought back to my class or parents are mad at me and giving me advice on running my class. Although there are 30 + other students who witness the disruption and in some cases another teacher, students are allowed to lie and given a platform to "speak their truth" and I find myself having to defend myself from a 12 year old and my career and professionalism is questioned by arrogant administration who would be appalled if the tables were turned and they were treated the way they are treating us. We waste precious time talking about data 24/7, but never apply common sense knowledge about situations. We are giving students with undeveloped prefrontal cortexes who need structure while their brain are developing the freedom to run wild like "Lord of the Flies" while the teacher has to watch helplessly as we are powerless since no support is given.

We laugh at memes of parents who are going crazy with distance learning during COVID-19 (yet some, not all) parents are the same ones who deny that their child would ever act that way in a class. If you can't manage your three kids at home, imagine the unrealistic expectations you have of me to hand hold and differentiate for your kid when I have 3 different preps, 7 classes with about 25 kids equal about 175 students a DAY! So "No, I'm not going to call you every 5 secs with the time I don't have to updated you on assignments, when it's also posted online, and grade books are open for you to see real time progress." You parent check the planner and figure it out, and if you don't want to check the planner let the natural consequences happen since your kid is old enough to face the natural consequences. Don't rescue, reward, or make excuses for them. If we financially fined parents (like they would be if their kid purposely damaged property somewhere else like a grocery store, then I doubt they would let their kid purposely break and vandalized things in school. Money talks and honestly, I'm ready to take some drastic measures to hit them where it hurts— the pocketbook. Pay a fine for the book your kid destroyed and I bought as a teacher with my own money. Pay a fine for your kid disrupting other students learning. That would fix the problem fast! We wouldn't tolerate this type of behavior anywhere else, churches, libraries, businesses— so why do they get to act like a zoo in schools? The same kid is quiet in church in front of a pastor even when they are bored, but yet they get a pass to act crazy in my class. Boundaries are being blurred and simple manners and raising is left to teachers to do. We say school is a panacea to address issues, but is unfair to put this responsibility solely on schools— there are other institutions in our communities that need to help with this improvement (families, laws, etc). I could keep writing since this has been therapeutic, but I think I'll stop now so I can go use my summer unofficially to plan for distance learning since my top heavy admins have sent a schedule for 5 days of non stop zoom meetings and zero planning time. One last thing, the next time people say they care about teachers and we should get paid more, do me a favor and remember this when your taxes are increased to help your public school and you voted no to the bill — hypocrisy has got to stop, if we are important like you say and need to get paid more, then every time you make that statement, donate $50 to a teacher. Money talks and we won't really know how much we say we value teachers until I see it reflected in funding and pay is increased.

Kylie on August 01, 2020:

What's being ignored is that for older students, behavior is a choice. Some kids are abusive and teachers are paying the price.Yes we need psychiatric social workers but lack of discipline and consequences because schools are no longer allowed to do that is a huge issue.

"Trauma" is an excuse at the high school level.

At my last position, permissive parenting was a huge problem; parents simply did not intervene to hold their kids accountable.

There are kids who are being taken care of who act out. There needs to be accountablity for students and parents.

What about the trauama to teachers?

Jawahar Govind on July 09, 2020:

Teaching is a noble profession but it has its bitter side too.

Billions MD on May 26, 2020:

I will be leaving teaching in March of 2021. I am tired of the politics involved in education I am working on my doctorate and I am constantly told my education and experience was carefully evaluated for positions that I applied for. Later I find out that the person who got hired had less education and experience than I did. Where I'm from, skin color and politics play a very big role in the hiring process. With everything that's going on, life is too short to waste another year of my life doing something that I am overworked, stressed, unrealistic expectations, lack of respect etc. I am going to pursue other career options and live my life to its fullest!

SD on May 25, 2020:

Fund the schools and support the teachers. Things will improve overnight. It's not viewed as a priority anymore by the community. But schools do so much in terms of teaching, social support, daycare, food, nursing, it's just a very dynamic place, at this point it's the most important institution in most communities.

Deb Tolliver on May 16, 2020:

I really enjoyed this article. I got my masters degree in elementary education when I was 37 years old and started a new career teaching 4th and 5th grade. I left the profession in December 2018 after only 5 1/2 years. I love teaching and don't even mind all the planning and work at home. I left mainly because I was harassed and bullied by my colleagues and administrators because I fought for my students IEP rights. I have moved to another state since but I am not currently looking for a new position because the pay where I live is just down right insulting. They start at only $35k/yr. I am so torn because I love the profession but I know my worth. It is heartbreaking to me.

Lehlohonolo Mofokeng on May 02, 2020:

Going through this list, and being based in South Africa, I realise similarities that exist between American education system and our own here. However strong our love for what we do can be, it fades with each passing day owing to some of the unrealistic expectations that are placed on us as teachers and the sad part is we are not allowed, overtly or otherwise, to show our frustrations. Thanks for this insightful piece.

Frustrated on March 03, 2020:

My big problem is the teacher specialist/expert. My district has created a bureaucracy with so many experts that oversee what the staff does. We have over 20 full time substitutes and 5-10 classes taught by a virtual teacher. There are so many people to make happy that the kids become the fifth or sixth most important people.

Bob Bevard on March 01, 2020:

There aren't droves of good quality public education teachers.

Yes, we need to discipline students, give real grades, and expect parents to be parents.

We also need to close every teacher college and expect real degrees.

We should sell every public school building, and delete every public school board and system.

Use retired professionals and folks with degrees in topics taught.

Actually discipline disruptive behavior and expel the dangerous ones.

Kill the teachers unions and expect teachers to actually be literate.

Bobby Occena on March 01, 2020:

I been saying these all along. Improving teaching conditions should be a priority to board members.

Ms. D on February 29, 2020:

I taught high school U.S. History and

Government for 36 years. The last 5 yrs of my career were the worst. I had always taught advanced Junior and Senior. The best of the best students.

The first day I returned after teaching for 31 years, my day was a complete surprise. As I looked at my schedule for the year, I was scheduled for 2 Government class (Seniors),2 US History classes ( Juniors), and I World Geography class (Freshmen).

For those of you who have never taught an advanced high classes, they are classes taught at the level of a college sophomore. Three preps are ridiculous amounts preparation. For the advanced class, they have readings to complete and analyze, they are working at the college level, and they need plenty of attention to achieve and understand this material.

The bottom line, I took classes during the summer (at my own expense), got my Gifted and Talent certification(at my own expense), etc. Are you seeing a pattern?

Each year for the next four, I was losing my advanced class to people with less experience and less training. (I do have a Master plus 30.)

That is when I retired. Now a person with a B.A. and 3 years experience is teaching my Junior and Senior who are college bound.

Public Education is pushing out experienced teachers for teachers with less experience and they receive less pay. Are we seeing few problems in public schools!?

Susan too on February 29, 2020:

The primary problem with education is affirmative action.

Kathy Rene Scott-Morris on February 29, 2020:

I walked off job on February 19, 2020 because of unsafe workplace. A student threatened to shoot-up my classroom, in front of other students and security guard. I was in fear for my safety, after only 3 days of suspension for terroristic threat, the student wanders around my classroom hallway, suddenly appearing walking towards me out of crowd. This student entered my classroom on a previous occasion and violently beat a student. Despite my yelling for assistance, no help arrived.

The school district human resource director is willing to release my contract if I sign an agreement stating it is a resolution to dispute of unpaid days off, since I walked off job. However, I left job after administrator provided safety assurance that student's mother withdrew him from campus and terroristic threat will follow, the student appeared in crowd, smiling, and walking toward me.

Sudden fear took hold upon realization that I was not safe.

Marisa on February 29, 2020:

I spent nearly 4 years studying to be a teacher. During my first semester of student teaching, I had a kid put scissors to his throat and threaten to kill himself if I didn't do what he wanted. The actual teacher was out of the room and I was not adequately prepared to handle the situation. I told him to go ahead and do it (because I knew he wouldn't). It worked and I was able to convey what happened to the teacher as well as the counselor to get him help, but I still think about what could have happened if I had read that situation wrong. At the end of the semester, I dropped out of the education program and finished my degree as a general studies degree. I taught myself how to program and got a job that pays 3x more as a software developer. I no longer want children, which has led to many fights between my husband and I because he didn't see what I saw and still wants children. I cannot imagine what teachers who actually follow through and spend years in the field go through throughout their careers. Our government needs to stop funding wars and military and start funding education and mental health.

Russell on February 29, 2020:

The definition of insanity is continually doing the same thing and expecting different results. We keep letting Democrats run education and expect different results. Time for a change in leadership.

If this post does not get posted I will certainly know why. Biased media and bias education can't accept differing opinions. Shame on you for Censoring free speech!!!!!! Exactly my point! Education is biased and indoctrinating young people to seek a victim mentality, instead of helping them seek opportunities that will better their lives.

Adrienne on February 29, 2020:

I left for all of these reasons but also due to the hostile work environment created during the Obama elections. Teachers were rude to me when they learned I am a Republican The democrats are ruining education by forcing teachers to "pass" failing students in order to continue to receive the funds title one schools get even though the student does not work the grades. Time to let Republican stop enabling students and indoctrinating them to be "victims" with no work ethics.

Russell on February 28, 2020:

#2 & #12 should be #1 & #2, respectively.

Sarah Sampson on February 27, 2020:

I can think of a few more reasons I'm leaving. Parents are a big one. They are very demanding and can be disrespectful, and often go over our heads to admin. Its usually something simple or an exaggeration/lie from their child. I have parents that want me to write down their 10 yo homework every night. Or to give them free turoring after school. The amount of times I have been yelled at and degraded for things that usually are not true or not my fault is too high to count.

The expectations on us by admin is also getting worse. They wasn't more and more when it comes to kids test scores snd academics, but dont give us the necessary tools. In my last school I spent 3k of my own momey to get a carpet, books, math tools, and more for my room. We were expected to purchase the math manipulatives ourselves. All in a district with the highest paid superintendent and admin in the state.

I'm also leaving because its the same monotonous job year after year with no where to grow into.

I used to think the time off was a perk, but i work full time every break too, to barley make ends meet. It's not worth it.

I've also gotten to the point where I

don't want kids. I've wsnted a family my whole life, but now I'm burnt out.

Overall, as an educator of ten years, I'm leaving to become a data analyst. Peace out.

Joe on February 26, 2020:

It sounds like the major problem in education is the administrators

Are unqualified and to much pressure on "school rating" rather than

Good teaching.

John F. Marcantel on February 20, 2020:

I have been teaching 26 years......I feel the education system over-all is a failing system that promotes unethical/unprofessional response to teacher asked questions to the administration, poor leadership, friends and family cliques in the system, students that are rewarded for doing absolutely nothing, not being allowed to give the "made grade" to a student, constant interruptions on a daily basis during instruction ---.there is so much more to this! Thank God I can retire next year......but I hope to TRANSFER to another school for that last year!

Burned out on February 11, 2020:

I've read a lot of different articles about teachers quitting and this is the best. The kids are beyond terrible in their behavior and work ethic. And we have ZERO recourse. Send a kid out, we'll you must Be a bad teacher and will get poor yearly reviews. Call home, you'll be lucky if they even respond. The gap between the haves and have nots is going to be exponential in the future, kids either work, or do literaly nothing for 12 years...yet the two groups have an equal vote

JC on February 11, 2020:

Thank you for your quality and on point article! The public education system is a broken system. I am happily pursuing another career path which brings my heart the joy teaching used to.

GW on February 07, 2020:

I. LOVE. THIS. Your article is 100% accurate. I'm so tired of people just talking about teacher salaries. A job is NOT only about pay.

I make a decent salary, but have been trying to leave the high school science classroom for over 6 years (13th-year teacher here). I wish more careers took former teachers. We're hard workers and amply qualified for a variety of jobs. People should give us a chance.

MH on February 05, 2020:

I pray every day to find something else to do besides teaching HS for 12 years.

Ray on January 15, 2020:

After 30 years I literally walked off the job and never returned. Why? Weak administrations, high turnover, disrespectful students and parents, secret deals for stipends, no support, bully co-workers (and I taught PE) and entitlements. The field will drain you in today's world.

Deon Washington on January 10, 2020:

I left because of 3 Things

1) The People I worked with

2)The Politics ( I was terminated and replaced by the assistant superintendents husband with no write ups or referrals because I was a Non-tenured teacher and he needed a job.

3)The Pay

Thefalconator on October 08, 2019:

You are 100% correct. Also don't forget that many teachers spend about 2-3k of their own money on classroom supplies and the bodily injuries we encounter such as stabbing, bruises, scratches, etc . It's tine people make a huge change, but people are lazy and people in control claim ignorance to the changes that need to be made.

Do Cps Students Leave School Early on Sat

Source: https://toughnickel.com/finding-job/Why-Are-Teachers-Quitting

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