That day broke me."
I threw in my hat after being in the same district for over 20 years.
Anonymous
2.
“I wanted to be a teacher my whole life.
I studied education as an undergrad and completed my MEd at a top 10 university.
Teaching really felt like my calling, and increasing equity in education is one of my passions.
I started teaching right as COVID-19 hit and spent my first year teaching Zoom middle school.
I had 62 students, no coaching, no curriculum, and no support.
I made it work, though, and then started teaching third grade in Oakland.
I lasted a year and a half.
“I developed panic disorder and took some time off for my mental and physical health.
(I had lost 20 pounds in a month from stress.)
One replied, ‘F*CK you.’
The administration didnt allow any disciplinary action because he was an athlete.
I quit that afternoon.”
I became a teacher to help and make a difference.
I loved the principal, my coworkers, my students, and my district department.
I knew right then I didnt want to be that woman.
I left teaching at the end of that year.”
On my drive home daily, I would pass by my community’s high school.
I retired at the end of the school year."
The principal surprise, surprise did nothing.
I decided this was the perfect time for me to leave and follow a new career path."
He had already attacked the other two teachers, so my classroom was left.
My principal said, ‘Hes just a kid.'"
kathleens4811a2cc3
10.
The student was given no consequences."
The kids and I worked so hard our year, and 63% of them passed!
When no one from administration said anything to them, I asked about it.
‘Sarah, they still failed.’
My heart broke for them.
That was the beginning of the end of my 17-year career."
TulipGirl
12.
“I finally got pregnant after battling infertility.
I was VERY sick and struggled to accomplish my morning duty directing traffic out in the cold.
“I then suspected I was miscarrying (thankfully I was not!!
AmandaPants
13.
She claimed they had ‘other plans.'”
“I quit after a student threw chairs and textbooks at other students.
She then threw a bottle at me.
It took three men to restrain her.
The administration suspended her for a week.
They told me that they would allow her to return.
I said, ‘Then I quit.'”
furryraptor51
15.
The student airdropped the video to his phone, then shared it with the entire football team.
The student was 18, which means he essentially distributed porn to minors.”
“The teacher was fired before the student was officially expelled.
“We teachers couldnt get a 4% raise.
Twelve years ago, a major hospital was recruiting teachers to become software trainers at their facility.
It worked out for most of us as we were hired with a $20k bump in salary.
Were still with the hospital with promotions.
Less work, less stress, more money.
The choice was easy.”
marvelousbook10
17.
“One of education’s best kept secrets is how much you could get hurt working in Special Ed.
I knew an assistant who had her thumb bent so badly she was put into a cast.
She had to wait for two to three days to see the workmans comp doctor, though.
Admin did nothing to help expedite this poor woman making below $15 per hour.
Anyway, I took one too many blows to the face when a kid kicked me in my jaw.
He cracked my tooth, exposing the nerve.
It was like being tased, excruciating pain.
Special ed is a short-term commitment.”
homeymagician35
18.
“When I was requested to change failing grades to a ‘D!'”
luckysedan42
19.
“I had a student who had behavior problems.
The parents decided it was because he was being bullied, although he was the real bully.
The parents demanded they be allowed to observe the classroom environment while I taught.
The day they came, they brought the whole family: mom, dad, and two younger siblings.
They then proceeded to purposefully intimidate me and my instructional assistant.”
“I had been teaching only three years when I got pregnant with my first.
I was trying to decide if I would return after my maternity leave.
Fast-forward to the last month of school.
I am seven months pregnant.
I am directing and managing the junior high drama production, even though I am the grade 3/4 teacher.
He leaves, and I take some time to process.”
I also dont have time to organize that, as I am trying to organize the drama production.
I decided then that I would never go back to teaching.”
“A student of mine threatened to sexually assault my young child.
Took me a year after that, but I walked away mid-year and havent looked back.
I regret nothing.”
They did this because the curriculum wasnt moving fast enough.
These children needed more time!
Its not fair to anyone to prioritize funding over education.
I quit the next day."
“My breaking point was when a child in my class continuously threw scissors at me and other students.
He was a very disturbed little boy with little love at home.
Admin blamed me and said I should just ‘try a little harder.’
The thing is that nothing worked.”
Eventually, I woke up one day and realized I could no longer do it.
Teachers cannot teach large groups of children when we have one."
My new district was an entirely different experience.
The admin did move him out of my class, but the damage was already done.
I finished the year, but resigned at the end of the year.
Luckily for me, I left right before COVID-19 hit."
I left teaching in July of 2023 and became a software engineer."
She also bought certain students gifts and not others.
I put my resignation in two weeks later."
dmcrowe12
28.
“I was a Black teacher in a majority white school.
I also voluntarily conducted monthly equity professional development sessions for the staff over the span of two years.
The administrators decided to not address it until the superintendent found out.
That was the end for me.
Chelly Pop
29.
“I left my previous school after the second gun was found on campus.
I reviewed distinguished on my observation and handed in my resignation the next week.
I was the 30th teacher to quit, and it was November.”
Cecm
30.
“I worked as a resource specialist at a high school teaching students with special needs.
One of my students got a job working in the cafeteria during lunch.
The only stipulation for working there was that a student had to maintain a 2.0 GPA.
I was sent a notice from the administration office that this students GPA dropped down to 1.0.
I was told to inform this student that he could no longer work in the cafeteria.
If you take my job away, I will take your job away!'”
“This was before cellphones.
The classrooms intercom phone to the front office didnt work.
I was able to calm the student down and told him he could keep his job.
Miraculously, he put the gun away in his backpack.
I had to wait 17 minutes for the brunch bell to ring.
Once the students left the classroom, I ran up to the administration office and reported the incident.
I quit the next day.”
“Well I had a high school student chase me around my room.
The administration did nothing.
The next week, the same kid beat up a male teacher.
I retired one year early at the end of the school year.”
peacefulcactus10
32.
“I had one first grade student wish I was in a grave.”
33.And finally, “The pandemic shined a light on how broken the system really was.
We were seen as heroes that spring.
But come fall, when parents and communities were at their breaking points, teachers were suddenly the villain.
Suddenly we were ‘lazy’ and ‘needed to go back to work.’
The emotional whiplash was real.”
All the while, more was added to teachers plates while taking nothing away.
I resigned the following week.My life has taken a total 180 since then, and its been incredible.
Im happy for the change to my life, but am scared for the future of this country.”
