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June 19, 2017 Confessions of a Teacher

Changing Schools: How do you know when it's time to go?

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Riina Hirsch

I have been an educator for 17 years. I love teaching like breathing. I am a former luddite turned blogger and professional development nerd. My BA in English is from Earlham College, my MAT is from Brown University, and my EdD in Teacher Leadership is from Walden University. I am also a Level 1 Google Certified Educator.
  • Deep Dive: The case for single point rubrics - June 28, 2019
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  • The High Expectations Myth - June 10, 2018
  • I Left The Classroom for A Central Office Job...This is My Letter to My Former Students - August 27, 2017
  • Changing Schools: How do you know when it's time to go? - June 19, 2017
  • To Pack or Not to Pack: Ending the School Year Successfully - June 12, 2017
  • Stories that Live in our Hearts - April 3, 2017

How do you know when to leave? When to change your job, school, district, profession? There is only one thing that is unfailingly true: no matter what, someone will disagree with your choice. I am not talking about the obvious stuff: total misery, incompatible supervisor, burn-out, moving for love. I am talking about the times when everything is right.  When there is no obvious reason to change. I can't answer this question for anyone else. All I can do is share my struggle and hope it might resonate with yours.

I have worked in the same school, teaching the same grade (more or less) for 11 years. And I have loved every minute of it. I love my students, colleagues, environment, administration, and district. Of course, there are frustrations, there always are, but on balance, this has been a dream job.

For the last three years, I have been restless. Click To Tweet

But. But it isn't enough. For the last three years, I have been restless. Not discontent or unhappy, just chafing for a change. I thought I knew what I wanted. I thought I knew what was next. The result has not been what I expected.

My goal has always been to move into a position where I could engage in professional development related tasks full time. Coaching, curriculum writing, professional development, anything like that would work for me.

The last couple of years, I hunted for the perfect position. If I found it, great. If not, no big deal-I loved my job. This year was different. It's hard to explain, but I could feel that it mattered more. I wasn't sure I could stay put and stay happy. I also couldn't articulate any reason why that might be.

My search got more serious. I cast a wider net and applied for jobs I wasn't strictly qualified to do. I applied for other teaching jobs too. I'm not even sure why. For weeks, I heard nothing. Suddenly, interviews started pouring in. It was interview overload. I had 7 interviews in 7 days.

Still, I was plagued with unease. Why was I considering leaving? What rationale could possibly make sense of this desire to blow up my life? The truth is both complicated and simple: I don't want to. I don't want to stay until I am bitter and miserable. I don't want to sink into complacency. I don't want to lose my love of teaching. I don't want to feel trapped or stagnant or resentful. I don't want to stop making what feels like a real, meaningful, beyond the walls of my classroom, difference.

I have always craved change and challenge. Every couple of years, I trade in my car or move or start a new degree. The only thing I haven't changed in the last decade is my job. A good friend told me I had "hit my ceiling" in my current space, meaning I'd more or less run out of room to grow.

Ultimately, that is how I knew it was time to go. Because I had a ton of closely timed interviews for a variety of jobs, I first had a horrible case of decision paralysis, but in the end, I went with my gut. I took another teaching position. At graduation this year, a student who committed suicide was awarded an honorary degree. His father accepted it. That was when I realized I should take the teaching position. I never lose another kid. I also still want to get to know the next "that kid."

Next year, I will go back to teaching 8th grade in a nearby district. I will still be in the classroom. I will even take a pay cut. And I feel good. Excited and ready and buoyant. Since I accepted the position, I've gotten three interview calls for non-classroom positions. Turning them down has not been as difficult as I feared.

Making this decision was terrifying. It still feels weird and it breaks my heart to think about leaving. It also feels like the right choice. Maybe it will be awful and I'll be full of regrets and recriminations. Maybe one more year in the classroom will lead me where I thought I wanted to go. I have no way to know. There is one thing I know: For me, right now, it's time to go.

 

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kari Stevens says

    March 30, 2019 at 5:57 pm

    Thanks for your honesty. Teaching is such a bittersweet job. It's hard to know when you have "hit the ceiling" or are having a rough year. You were so eloquent in your article!

    Reply
  2. Oneva C. says

    June 27, 2019 at 5:37 am

    Thank you for this article. I can really relate to your story!

    Reply
  3. Shane says

    December 21, 2019 at 6:38 am

    I'm glad you took the risk and listened to your "restlessness." No matter the decision made, there will always be a lesson learned on the journey. Even at this moment, as you are now living your decision--loving it or regretting it --you're learning something new. Congratulations to you for being courageous.

    Reply
  4. Katrina says

    May 09, 2020 at 2:04 am

    Thanks for this post! I have been at the same school for 5 years, but have had the "restless feeling" for a while. Started actively researching other ventures about 2 years ago, I looked into edtech and other things removed from classroom. I decided I wanted to continue teaching and working with kids but do not want to poise myself for "non-teaching jobs" as I'd preferably like to take some years with a quieter job when I have babies. I am now interviewing with a sort of "hybrid job" teaching kids but also coaching. So nervous! I love my current school where I've been and feel like I Just started to feel comfortable, and now I'm leaving? I'm confused and questioning myself. I do feel as though in the past I was a risk taker and always thriving on new experiences, so I'm not sure why it is so much harder when you've been in the same niche for a while.

    Reply
    • Mandela Oxford says

      May 09, 2020 at 6:25 pm

      You're welcome! I struggled with the move and my first change wasn't a good fit. But it taught a ton and now I'm in a position I adore. Best of luck!

      Reply

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