Former Teachers Share Why They Quit Public Education

13.

“Last school year, I was over teaching — just completely over it. I was constantly told, verbatim, I should be willing to die for my students. I was in and out of the hospital from January to April and still working while I was sick (nothing contagious) because I ‘had to be there for my kids.’ I was miserable. I thought I’d leave education altogether. Over the summer, we moved to Puerto Rico. I’m still teaching, but I love it. The boundaries are so much better here.”

“I’m not being gaslighted for not ‘loving the kids’ enough. Work stays at work. No one emails after 5 p.m. I clock out at 3:30 p.m., and I have an extra planning period. All the work I used to have to take home can get done at work now. I don’t feel like I single-handedly need to save every kid in my classroom. Here, the school believes in working with families, and the families support the teachers.

Are there issues? Absolutely. I don’t have internet throughout the building, and I don’t have my fancy smart board. Hell, I don’t even have electricity in one classroom. But it’s so much better than it was.”

—francesjoys