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Starting in 2020, as the COVID pandemic upended education, teachers began to leave the classroom, citing burnout, low pay, and student behavior. However, how much are teachers allowed to be allowed to give unabashed reasons on how they leave.
We crowdsourced the reasons from our readers, and this is what teachers around the world told us:
Teacher Pay, Overtesting and More
- For me, pay is the number one reason. I’m a 17-year teacher, I teach middle school math, and I still make half what I made as a 20-year old in marketing/advertising. With a masters degree, that is shameful. In addition, the parents are not parenting at home and sending their kids to school unprepared to learn with zero work ethic. I can’t be a parent and an educator effectively at the same time. I know this is likely an unpopular opinion, but I feel like as a society, we could possibly live beneath our means a little more and invest more in raising our children, instead of having both parents working 80+ hours each a week. This has allowed us all to live in larger houses with two or more nice cars but no one is tending to the needs of the children on a consistent basis. I became a teacher because I love teaching and so I could be present for my own child before and after school to parent her and support her. Now that she is graduating, I feel like I can take on a longer work week if necessary.
- Kids are over tested… no time to teach.. unrealistic expectations, admin sweats the small stuff… lord forbid I didn’t update the date or CBC board… no fun in teaching anymore… everything is so cookie cutter… disrespectful students… parents don’t discipline .. admin doesn’t have your back…low pay…. Miserable working conditions… low morale…. I could go on.
- Absolutely no discipline. A generation of the most messed up disrespectful kids I’ve ever seen. Parents and administrators who support said disrespect.
- The parents-they act like we are personal governesses or tutors and our sole focus should be their child. Their child I might add who refuses to wear a mask properly, listen to directions, stay in their seat, do their work, come to class or act properly. They just want to do what they want and play on their phones.
- Never had enough time to complete work and my first-year salary was $28,000. Better now in my area for new people, but skills are much more rewarded with money in other jobs. Parents not raising respectful children, schools expected to do everything besides educate. Law enforcement, parenting, academics, mentoring, paperwork, are always about how teachers can change instead of expecting students to become responsible for themselves. We adapted to teachers when I grew up. Past 25 years always “what can teachers do?”
To see the next set of reasons, click here.
