Are you a Proud Teacher?
I definitely am! I love talking about the fact that I am a teacher, because honestly yeah its hard some days, but being in the classroom just lights up my soul. So why are so many teachers leaving the profession? I can tell you that usually it comes down to three things: Pay, Respect, and Time Management.
1. Pay
On average teachers have a Masters degree by the time they are five years in the profession. If you look up how much people with a Masters degree get, its usually like 2-3x what teachers get paid, even in higher paying states. That is ridiculous, and a lot of teachers who have poured their hearts and souls into this profession are fed up, and getting online positions to be home with their family more, or simply leaving education all together. At some point, we have to choose ourselves. Which is not to say we won’t help kids in other ways!
2. Respect
I know you have seen the memes, maybe you are also in the classroom, but where has the respect for teachers gone? I am so incredibly fortunate to be at a school where I am respected for my expertise and experience, but I see so many teachers getting trampled on and enough is enough. At some point, teachers are throwing up their hands and saying ENOUGH! I don’t blame them, but it is so sad. More than ever our kids need us, and if we don’t start respecting teachers, the good ones are going to leave.
3. Time Management
There is so much that goes under those two simple words, but can I just say, a teacher is not just a teacher. Most times we are also keeping up a house, tending to kids or fur-kids, and trying to balance our lives outside of teaching. I have found over the years that If I let any of those go, I feel so incredibly overwhelmed. It is time that we create balance in our lives, otherwise at what point are we going to think that we have to leave our jobs to get this balance back in our lives?
