There are so many people who really hate their job. It is a simply a pay check and that is all. Teaching isn’t like that. It is truly an art and your heart pours into your job. Teaching is part of your soul and many of us would teach for free. Sometimes if you are waking up and dreading to go to work, it isn’t because teaching isn’t for you it-could be just because you are not at the right school. If you feel the following ways, maybe you should try another school, not another profession.
1. You feel like you are not trusted. If you feel you are always questioned and having to prove yourself to the administration and other teachers, you may not be in the right place. It does take some time to assimilate to a school’s culture, but after a few years if you are still being watched maybe you just do not fit with the school. If you are being questioned for your choice of a lesson or if you are constantly being “tattled” on, maybe you should consider going somewhere else.
2. You are not “meshing” with the kids. Some people believe kids are the same everywhere and while that may be true some cultural aspects are different. Every area has different values and beliefs and if you feel you cannot be yourself with your students and/or school then you should consider looking elsewhere. It takes up so much time and energy to be something you are not, and life is far too short to be anything, but yourself.
The tone of the school may not be for you. For some schools, testing seems to be the priority, and for others it is all about sports, it just depends on where you are. Five years ago, the school I was teaching in was obsessed with testing and our classroom teaching seemed to be focused on teaching the test and I knew I could not continue there. I changed schools and the school culture is about family and working together to be the best that we can be. Testing is still important, but it is not the focus and we are not obsessed by it. And guess what? Our scores are pretty good.
4. You use up all your sick days for mental health reasons. It is exhausting being somewhere where you do not fit it or feel valued. Teaching is mentally draining and we all need a mental health day once in a while, but if you find yourself constantly calling in maybe it is a sign that you need to reevaluate your location. For example, at my first teaching job which was only twenty minutes away, I used up every sick day I had. Now my school is an hour away and I rarely miss because I am excited to go and I love my coworkers. The school energizes instead of draining.
So many people are fleeing education and it is so disheartening because there are amazing teachers out there that may have not found the right place yet. Sometimes you may just need to change high schools, or go down a grade level or maybe you just need to move a district over. Before you decide to leave education, try changing something. A fresh start and maybe a change will re-energize you and you will find that dream job where you are valued, appreciated, and loved for exactly what you are.
