Real Talk
Dear Whoever Actually Reads This (No One, Probably),
Believe it or not, it is not money or lack thereof that is the main reason for this letter, although it certainly helps sway the needle.
It’s the fact that I am failing at being a teacher, yet I am a damn good teacher. I will no longer be gaslit into believing everything is fine when the entire district is a humongous dumpster fire of apathy.
School leaders shout from the rooftops, “Kids first!” while failing to realize that this cannot happen without supporting the teachers. Newsflash: We are not supported.
So the real question then isn’t, “Why am I leaving?” The question is, “Why would I stay?”
Others teachers will understand the reasons I am leaving, but often these reasons elude those outside the profession. I will break them down in easy terms for you:
1. Impossible standards set us up for failure.
Yes, teachers are amazing. We can quiet an entire room with a word or a look. But we are not miracle workers; we are just not. We can’t take a class where half the students are two to three grade levels behind (with behavior and attendance issues) and get them to ace standardized tests.
That’s like asking a doctor to make a blind person see—not with medical advancements, but sheer willpower. It takes a miracle, not expertise.
This unrealistic pressure put on teachers trickles down to our students. Testing results instead of academic growth become the main focus, which is counterproductive to everyone.
2. Students are out of control, and we get…No HELP!
When students walk back into my room, eating SunChips after being sent to the office, I have the urge to stomp on the bag, crushing the chips into a million pieces, and then pour the contents into the admin’s mailbox.
Do you know what makes a classroom unmanageable? When one student controls the entire dynamic because they know there are no real consequences. And what do we get? Support? Resources? Help from administration? No, just snack food.
We do not feel safe in our classrooms, and neither do our students.
3. Parents are out of control, and we get…NO HELP!
Somewhere along the line, the entitlement of parents has grown to a shockingly high level.
Parents make unreasonable demands, and when they aren’t met, they cause problems for teachers. They claim to know how to do our jobs better than we do, AND they are taken seriously.
Parents who disrespect teachers often teach their children to do the same, undermining the entire educational system. We cannot succeed unless we collaborate.
Administration turns a blind eye due to fear of lawsuits or a reluctance to engage with rabid parents. This inaction and lack of support erode any credibility or respect we ought to have.
4. Politics are out of control, and we get…you guessed it!
We’re afraid to teach multiculturalism. In fact, we’re hesitant even to display a poster that represents different cultures, just in case someone’s Aunt Karen deems it “controversial.”
The bottom line? We’re no longer trusted to spark thought-provoking discussions. Instead, we must stick to the script curriculum—because heaven forbid we use the degrees we spent years earning actually to teach and inspire instead of recite.
5. Teachers have no say anymore.
When you strip away teacher autonomy, you strip away the heart of education. We used to have a say in our curriculum materials and teaching methods.
Now, it’s all about the big EdTech bucks. Don’t make teachers follow scripted curriculum with “fidelity,” and while you are at it, get rid of the word “fidelity.” We have many engaging teaching strategies that are tried and true. Let us use them, for goodness sake.
6. Useless tasks waste our time.
The amount of excess work that we are required to do because someone, somewhere, thought it would be a good idea is killing us. Most of it has no direct effect on student learning.
For instance, writing standards on the board when we are already stating them to students is entirely unnecessary. Lengthy lesson plans when we have a scripted curriculum equals redundancy.
7. Our health is in shambles.
Burnout is real. The stress is real. The physical toll is real. We are exhausted and anxious, and our blood pressure is high. Our nerves are shot, and quite frankly, we don’t even like the people we are becoming under this pressure. Our families are suffering, and our doctors are telling us to quit our jobs. I am listening this time.
8. Grading policies are creating student apathy.
The minimum F sounds great in theory, but it is failing in practice. It is nothing but an enabler. It enables students to do absolutely nothing. We have kids refusing to work because they know exactly how little effort they need to put in to still pass. And yet, we’re the ones being held accountable for their lack of engagement? Make it make sense.
So, in conclusion…
I quit—not because I don’t love teaching or care about kids—but because this system is designed to fail teachers, and I’m tired of pretending it isn’t.
Signed, Every Mentally Drained Teacher
