The REAL Reason teachers are leaving the profession

I left my teaching position with Chicago Public Schools after giving a decade of my life to the profession. I departed for multiple reasons, including a family move, the need for a challenge in my career, and the desire to escape the grind and stress.

Back then, I didn’t know many teachers who wanted to leave teaching. I was the outlier, and people were shocked when I made my departure. I was a standout educator with strong student and parent relationships, and my test scores and student growth were always through the roof.

Wind the clock ahead; I’ve been out of the classroom almost longer than I was in it. I’ve spent the second decade of my career working in edtech (eSpark Learning and Discovery Education) and in the last five years building educators 2 educators.

Back when I left the classroom, we were all stressed. Yes, parents were demanding. Yes, we had a few students who made our classroom hard to manage.

But we faced nothing like what teachers are facing today.

Covid, plus social media, plus technology, plus a mental health crisis, plus a downward economy…

@kristen.guarino If you have not taught in a classroom within the past three years, you have no idea what it’s like to be a teacher these days. It’s not about us complaining about our jobs. It’s about us being treated fairly and like the professionals we are. Yes, we chose this career, but that doesn’t mean that teachers should not get the credit we deserve and the pay we deserve for the work that we do. The education system has been broken for so long and it’s about time that teachers are appreciated for our work and stop being criticized for every little thing we say or do. We do so much behind the scenes that so many people, especially the public, don’t realize. Just because you had one negative teacher in your lifetime, doesn’t mean that all teachers are like that. The majority of teachers care so much for our students and would do anything for them. I love being a teacher and I love all my students. But just because we care so much does not mean that we should have to sacrifice lower pay and negative working conditions. We all deserve better. #te#teachingisharde#teachersdeservebettere#teacherd#educationsystemisbroken ♬ original sound - Kristen

I’ve spent the last ten years traveling the nation, visiting school districts of all sizes, and building an educator network of over 70,000 educators. I talk to teachers, coaches, and administrators every day. And now I’m going to tell you WHY teachers and administrators are leaving education in a steady stream: It’s the kids.

There, I said it.

Ten years ago, even five years ago, even when things were tough, and we got a nasty email from a parent, and we didn’t get paid enough, we could justify it because we knew we had a class of 30 kids that loved learning from us. We had strong relationships will little humans (or mid-sized humans or BIG humans) that made it all worth it.

I’m not sure about the timeline, but kids are different. They lack motivation in school. Teachers plan the most interesting, engaging lessons they can think of, and kids don’t care. Don’t believe me - go watch Teacher TikTok for 20 minutes.

And beyond the lack of engagement in learning, there’s student behavior.

• Disrespectful language and actions

• Violence

• Destruction of classrooms

• Blowing off classwork and expecting a good grade

And no one seems to be able to hold anyone accountable. Parents aren’t taking responsibility for their kids’ actions, administrators are scared of lawsuits and online slander, and teachers end up with the burden on their shoulders.

Teachers are leaving because they can no longer deceive themselves into believing they are taking the punches (emotional and sometimes physical) because they “are doing it for the kids.”

And now we find ourselves with droves of teachers looking for the door. A teacher on LinkedIn recently posted and said:

As of today, it's official - I am a transitioned teacher.

I *truly* loved making music with kids and have a lifetime of great memories from 17+ years in the classroom.

I wish it would have ended differently but, well. Education is on fire and no one in power will help and I won't keep risking my mental and physical health for my career.

Teachers are leaving to protect their mental health. Some are leaving and staying home to care for their children’s needs. Others work at banks as tellers or find less stressful jobs at Costco. Many are taking courses like Classroom to Boardroom and finding roles at education companies where they can use their academic knowledge to help build and implement education products.

When people ask me what I think we need to do to fix the teacher shortage, my answer is that we need to improve parenting. We need to hold kids accountable again. And the education system and the way we teach and learn have to progress so that kids are interested in what they are learning in school.

It is a big challenge that we must ensure is not put solely on the shoulders of the teachers.

I often think of teachers in transition, the ones who have made it to the decision-making step of leaving the classroom, and I remember what it feels like to know it is time to go. There’s a sense of being let down and disappointed in the career. All those years I played school in my basement (well into my middle school years), I dreamt of a profession where I could create a fun, engaging classroom where students love to be. When we transition out, we are forced to let go of that childhood dream of what it meant to be a teacher and feel the disappointment that our idea of teaching was an illusion.