• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

January 30, 2020 Instruction & Curriculum

Real Talk: How do you know when it is time to leave a school? 

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Brittany White

Brittany wears many hats including wife, educator, mentor, and friend. She has made it her life’s mission to impact the lives of others through education and service. Her passion and commitment to education earned her the privilege of being named the 2017-2018 Teacher of the Year at her school. Her mission as an educator is to facilitate students’ development, create life-long learners, and promote healthy, collaborative environments for students and educators.
  • The Learning Loss Discussion is Misguided - April 20, 2021
  • Opinion: Prepare for the Mass Teacher Exodus in Georgia and Around the Country - March 17, 2021
  • Reimagining Schools After COVID-19 - September 16, 2020
  • How Much More are Teachers Expected to Give?  - August 22, 2020
  • Considering Opening Schools in the Fall? Think Students and Teachers First. Not Adults - May 27, 2020
  • Teacher Appreciation Day: How Can Schools Appreciate Teachers Regularly? - May 8, 2020
  • 5 Free Reading Apps for Parents to Utilize - April 4, 2020
  • Best Websites for K-5 Math Virtual Education  - March 21, 2020
  • Black Teacher Retention Matters - February 25, 2020
  • Real Talk: How do you know when it is time to leave a school?  - January 30, 2020

We’re approaching February and many schools are preparing to distribute contracts for next school year. Teachers are thinking about their plans for the next academic year. Some teachers may even write out literal pros and cons chart to weigh their options. As you can imagine, there are various factors involved in a teacher’s decision to stay at a particular school. There are some educators who are fortunate enough genuinely enjoy their school. Their administrators are supportive, there’s the flexibility to be creative instructionally, and they’re growing professionally. 

For a vast majority of teachers, however, there’s a nagging cloud over them as they consider the real question, “do I really want to spend yet another year in this environment?” They reflect on the constant put-downs, the unsupportive administration, the overarching demands on their time. There’s a lot of uncertainty when they wonder of the should really commit to another year at a particular school. 

If you are wondering if your time at a school is up, here are some questions to reflect on: 

Is my professional growth a priority? Yes, your growth as a professional should be a priority at your school. There should be professional development that speak to your needs and the needs of your students. If you have constantly asked for support in a particular area, your administrators and/or instructional coaches ought to have provided that. 

 

Am I content with the same dysfunction year after year? Let’s be real. I’ve worked at a school that a lot of complacent people taught our students. These people refused to grow and were content with the way things were. They didn’t believe that their presence and instruction really had an impact on our students. 

 

Is my wellness a priority? We talk a lot about teacher self-care here at The Educator’s Room. The reality of the teacher shortage (more appropriately- the teacher exodus) illustrates time and time again that teachers are not being cared for. Teachers are suffering from PTSD and are flocking to therapy in masses. The weight of a teacher is heavy. If your administration doesn’t even attempt to acknowledge the reality of being a classroom teacher or show an ounce of appreciation, it's time to go!

Would I want my own child to attend this school? I know several teachers who have left schools because they simply didn’t feel comfortable with their own children attending it. What a critical question to consider when deciding to stay or leave a school. 

There are several other questions that come to mind when pondering your next steps. Ultimately, you have to take your career into your own hands. No school is perfect, but I have been in environments that prioritize positive culture and the teachers are as happy as can be. Don’t be fooled into settling. Your life and wellness matters. 

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Student Activists Lead the Way Why School Father & Daughter Dances are Antiquated Let the Pandemic be the Mother of Innovation in Schools PandemicTeach to the Rest: How the Pandemic Could Be the Best Thing for Education in 20 Years
« Survival Mode on Auto Pilot
Race-Conscious Reading For Preschool »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Janene Whitney says

    September 24, 2020 at 12:20 am

    Terrific article. The culture of education never addresses teacher trauma, yet studies acknowledge that teaching is as stressful as Air Traffic Control because the ability of teachers to help a child or themselves is currently short cut by laws, lawyers, and layers of PTSD. It is only when Principals stop expecting teachers to be superhuman in the face of students who suffer from trauma and their challenges, that an awareness of test hiring as traumatic that might educate the public.

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • How to Incorporate SEL Into Any Content Area
  • A Q&A with Baltimore Teachers Union President, Diamonté Brown
  • 6 Reasons to Use Read-Alouds Daily
  • The Secret Ingredients of Lesson Planning

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.