You couldn't pay me $120k to deal with these kids, parents, and admins!!!!

Because students are out of control, parents treat teachers like crap, and pay with a degree & multiple certificates are not enough to live on, often.

Got hired as a band director at a charter school in the hood. I walked out on day 4 after the "students" were threatening me, cussing me out, and throwing my music all over the room. You can't help someone who doesn't want to be helped.

The pay is not the problem for me, it is the fact kids can treat you anyway they want without consequences, the paperwork for tracking sped and ESL, creating lessons, tests, quizzes, grading. I was so tired of working 7 days a week. The biggest waist of time was filling out paperwork for observations, goals for the year (shouldn’t that be obvious), how we met them, showing documentation. Paperwork, paperwork, paperwork, paperwork……just let me teach. I resigned in May!

Stop the micromanaging of professional educators. They know what’s needed but can’t do it because they have to follow the district and state curriculum plan, only to get blamed for its failure. Put educational experts with more than five years of classroom experience that really want to help schools in leadership, not just people who want to advance their career or play politics.

I am a teacher, and this has been my message to my own children: Don’t even think about going into teaching, unless you feel a strong calling to do so. Teacher grievances fall into three main categories: 1. Pay 2. The lack of respect towards the profession 3. The fact that society has tasked teachers with fixing all of its issues

Yes. I retired from teaching in Texas. The disrespect from parents toward teachers is unbelievable, especially towards science teachers. I took less pension so I could leave. I loved teaching critical thinking and science. 😢

I recently resigned as a High School Teacher. Toughest job I've ever had. Students were amazing, and by far the best part. The stress and anxiety are real and it was refreshing to me to hear others are in the same situation.

When they start holding parents accountable, maybe things will change.

Some people have made a passion driven profession so unbearable that the people that were willing to work for the low pay and low quality benefits are no longer willing to do so. And it’s going to get exponentially worse every year.

My wife is a science teacher in a large, semi-rural school district. Her last sub note included; which kids didn't speak English and what computer program to use to communicate with them, which kids were not allowed to speak to each other due to litigation, which kids were going to try to get the two kids to talk to each other, which kids had significant health issues and what to do if they had a crisis. Our legislators are asking much too much of our schools.

Let's address some of the root causes for Teacher attrition. #1. Work requirements that amount to 40 + hours of overtime per week, without ANY additional pay. Detailed lesson plans that do nothing for instruction, but sure help an administrator evaluate you to death. These take hours and hours to complete, are redundant to ridiculous degree and lock you into a set of actions that may or may not work without the ability to adjust or change strategies. Data tracking forms for every student and every grade, without consideration of the time requirement to gather and input, or actual usefulness of the data. A ridiculous amount of training for testing, and just being a teacher each and every year. Most of which cannot be completed during the school day while the teacher is up and teaching. Sitting down to do work will get you a very poor evaluation, and these evaluations are numerous and unhelpful to say the least. Not to mention a very useful tool for an administrator who wants to get rid of anyone who pushes back on their insane ideas. #2. Pay and retirement. C'mon Texas. this is ridiculous. I have a doctorate in education with twenty years of service but I can literally go to work at Buckee's and with the amount of overtime I put in now and earn 20 to 30 thousand more than I do as a teacher! You have made it so not worth it to be an educator. Our retirement is absolutely pathetic. We get a small percentage of our income unless we work until we're ready to die, and even then, what we get is so pathetic and cannot keep up with the basic cost of living, let alone a comfortable retirement for a public servant. Frankly, its barely enough to cover the insurance we need due to the health issues that were created by the stress and misery of our jobs. Not only that, but we cannot draw social security even though we paid into it for years before becoming a teacher. #3. The truth has been hidden for 30 years. When NCLB created high stakes testing the lies began. Schools had to make the numbers work to get their funding. So, they taught to the test, inflated grades, created fallbacks for failing students to receive credit, passed them along regardless of their ability to learn, AND told them all that college was the only option for a better career. All strategies to increase the numbers, not the reality of what they were learning. Now we have a culture of do nothing and you will get by. We see it even more since covid peeled back the curtain. Half the job is suffering under the lie from both student behaviors and apathy, all of which the teacher is held responsible for, and making the numbers work in your classes so you are not pulled into the office to discuss your failings when it comes to teaching. The students are accountable for absolutely nothing. Not their work ethic, not their grades, not their attitudes, not their behavior. The lie is so deep and pervasive its disgusting. Nobody can pay you enough to live like this. I'm twenty years in and stuck in this bs retirement trap. Still, I think I'm done. There has to be something better than this, even if that something is Buckee's

Did I miss something or was there not any discussion of how much more horrible children's behavior has gotten??? I've worked in childcare for several years within the 3-5 age range and the terrible behavior is already starting at that age!

I wanted to be a teacher because my mother was one. Spoke to a teacher while working corrections and she said with a look I will never forget. Don't do it it's not worth it. She said this in 2002. Glad I listened

I'm a college professor. I have it better than most and it is great job. But my main challenges are behavioral problems--something you should not expect at the college level. And the issues are usually with students not being able to get along with other students, or outright abusing them. Bullying is rampant. And the administration, while rattling the saber about a "zero tolerance policy," does nothing, and sometimes won't acknowledge there is a problem. This is especially true of "special needs" students, who are higher up on the spectrum, who are given greater leeway with their unacceptable behavior. But my number one concern about teaching is getting shot. I can't believe I just wrote that, but it is the truth. I will be retiring early just for this reason--the fear. And again, this is college...I can't imagine how bad it is for k-12.

I am a retired teacher from Canada, and I can tell you honestly that we are facing the very same issues up here. I personally believe the majority of problems stem from societal changes and the complete reversal of attitudes we have today. It has resulted in lack of respect for all levels of authority, lack of responsibility on the part of students AND parents, a deduction in the educational standards, and so much more. Five years ago the Department of Education in my province implemented a policy that eliminated deadlines for students, essentially telling them they could pass in their assignments whenever they felt like it! I'd like to see the employer who's going to agree to that!!! Now the department is eliminating ALL tests because "tests are not an accurate reflection of what the student actually knows, and many students do not perform well on tests due to anxiety." What the hell are we doing to society!?

I quit last year and was having anxiety attacks and my depression worsened, dealing with behavior issues, students go and lie on the teachers, admin worried about looking good by the numbers of test scores, lying about suspension and a-lot of other things. I was a music teacher and love what I do but I couldn’t take it no more. Now I just substitute for elementary only. Middle school was not it.

I'm a teacher in Illinois. I stopped teaching in the classroom and now I teach ESL. I would never teach in a classroom again. Just a few things we deal with regularly. The disrespect from administration, parents and children. The physical abuse, having idiots that have no background in education making big decisions. Did I mention the cost it takes a district to give all of the tests that chilcren have to take now. The testing companies are making millions off of this. The insane amount of hours, the lack of pay and I completely understand the physical and emotional toll teaching takes on you. I was given a substantial raise but I still am burnt out. I know this. I have 3 years until retirement but I also have other options for jobs. I just am so worn out I feel that staying in teaching is unhealthy for me. After school this summer I laid on the couch for a month. I was so tired just simple things wore me out. I want to make it through the year, but I just don't know.

I work in a chain craft store that gives 15% off to teachers but it still grinds my teeth that teachers, those responsible for the next generations, are paid so little and then have to pay out of pocket for simple classroom decorations and art items. Thank you to all of you who labor on in this career despite the lack of sufficient pay and recognition.

Teaching in public school was torturous. We left the whole broken system and homeschooled our kids in a fantastic parent led community of home educators in our area. I loved teaching in that community so much that I still teach there even though my own kids have graduated from college and are now married and starting careers. I hope everyone gets out. The public school system was broken 20 years ago, and it's only worsened.

This was my 25th year teaching. I left less than two weeks ago. I was taking 2 different medications to manage my anxiety plus a sleeping pill. Spent countless hours at my job. Since I’ve been home I have already weaned myself off of one medication and I’m working on getting off the sleeping pill. Trying to figure out what my next plan is. Never thought I would have gotten to this point where I just up and quit. Between all the demands of the job, the excessive trainings and meetings, plus the bad behavior/ complete lack of respect from way too many students (and parents defending their kid) I was miserable and kept trying to make it work. Class sizes of between 26-31 students was also too much. When I started teaching in the inner city many years ago and had 32 students in my class their behavior was nothing compared to the bad behavior of students in the suburbs is today.

I quit. Twice. Once because of micromanaging by admin. I know all the research and they have no clue. And they try to bully me into doing more small group work or whatever. But the kids just chat with each other and get off-task. The kids enjoy my methods but admin hates it. They hate kids quietly reading or kids quietly doing their work. So they try to bully me into doing silly games where the students get off-task. So, no support from admin so I quit. Job 2. The district has this lame boring workbook curriculum for ELL students. No books in the classroom so I went and bought some. No library in the school. The kids are 90% fluent English speakers but because they flunk the statewide test year after year, they are still in esl classes. They are reading 2, 3, or 4 years below grade level. But instead of doing reading comp, vocabulary, and writing, they are supposed to learn common everyday English. Which they already know. What they don't know is academic English. So, they will remain behind and probably flunk out of high school because they are nowhere near where they need to be. These kids can hardly read. This is an emergency situation. But the school can't do anything because the District ordered the lame workbook curriculum. I refuse to be a part of failing these kids, so after doing reading and literacy activities for a couple weeks, I quit. They hire you for your knowledge, training, and experience. Then they tell you you can't use it and have to play a role in ruining children's lives. I cannot be a part of that. I feel bad, but also feel it was the right thing to do.

This is so sad. I’m 24, I was homeschooled K-12 by my incredible mom. I got an amazing education. It’s so horrifying to me that people would treat teachers like that who are trying to help kids who don’t have the privilege of being homeschooled! But honestly, I feel like the only real solution for these poor teachers would be if _everybody_ who has the finances and capacity to homeschool their kids, did. The public school system seems to me to be way too bloated and massive to possibly care for each child the way they need. Let alone the teachers. Yes, it’s a sacrifice of one partner’s career. But it’s one of the most fulfilling things you could possibly do, and you have control over what your kids are taught, not a massive public school system that doesn’t care about them.

I spent $350 on $50 visa gift cards for each of my son’s teachers for Christmas, and I still don’t feel it was enough. Bless you people doing God’s work helping these children.🙏

It is very true that the anxiety is real. You have put on more hats, the students are coming from homes where there is so much trauma to the kids causing them not to want to learn, and some kids' behavior is like they don't care about how they hurt individuals. You also come home after school just to do paperwork. Also, they may have breaks, but it don't matter because you are trying to plan during break to make sure the kids are learning.

Teachers need to stop saying, I am not in it for the money. Teachers need a big raise, especially in Florida.

I got a Bachelor's degree in California. taught after school specials for a year, absolutely hated it!! the rotten despicable little brats are in charge not the teachers or administrators. One negative word from one of these little brats and you're either put on probation, or move to another school or straight-up fired.. on top of that parents think they're all scholars..

Every thing these teachers said is absolutely true. I stepped away 10 years ago and only 1 or 2xs missed the kids. None of the rest. There is no amount of money that can compensate the emotional, physical, mental and psychological scars the cognitive dissonance these trachers endure.

I am an educator of 27 years. I told my personal children-DO NOT major in Education, unless the Nation decides to honor the profession with more respect and money. However, I can assure you, it will never happen. If government gives you $2,000, more a year they think this is the most exciting news ever. Really? $2, 000 ...unreal.

If every student came to school with decent behavior, a respectful attitude, and the willingness to try, teaching would be HEAVEN. Many of us would (continue to) endure low pay and the other stressors if these conditions were met and we received support from parents and administrators.

♥️🙏🏾I am a single mom and I started homeschooling when I saw that my schools (and my kids in the middle of it) were overwhelmed. I’m in Canada, but the same issues are here because they’re culture and not just government. Honestly, Jesus helped me and my family, and if we’ve never looked back. Not saying it was easy, but it was better by far. We found a homeschool community around us and locked in and it was like we were in a small town with people who cared. All my kids grade point averages went up 20% and I’m not an amazing teacher. It just made such a difference to not have all the negatives around us so the kids could actually learn. And the homeschool families actually provided community and not just problems. The Internet made connecting together so easy. I don’t know what your situation is with your kids, but don’t rely on the schools while the situation is so broken. There are other ways. And to these teachers, God bless you. I hope you heal and find your path forward.

Great teachers are a gem! I still have fond love for my teachers & I graduated in '85. My kid knew to respect her teachers. They were our partners to get her through & off to college.

As a current teacher, this information is right on. I am currently battling cancer, but feel good to be in the classroom teaching. I had asked for an accommodation of not being out in the sun due to my treatment and was told I still had to do it if I went under the shade. These administrators are senseless and are covering their asses. When I first started teaching 19 years ago in California, there was more rapport among staff and understanding. Honestly speaking, if it weren't for my medical condition and the need for health insurance, I would have left. Beware if you complain that you have a challenging student because you are deemed incompetent. Those of us teachers who have good management always get punished with challenging students.

The anxiety is dehabilitating you can’t function. Abuse cursing violence aggression lack of parental engagement lack of parenting makes teaching impossible I cry every time I go back to school

They are quitting everywhere and for the same reasons: low pay, excessive administration, no autonomy or authority, poor working conditions, testing for testing sake, and (not least of all) no accountability for student’s behavior or their families who have the responsibility of raising them. Until you address the issue of single parent households and fatherless homes, you will never stop teachers leaving.

I’m a substitute and I so respect teachers. They give so much. My heart breaks for these teachers who have to leave because they can’t continue.

They said nothing about student behavior. I know that is an issue in other districts.

As a school Behavior Interventionist, I lived under so much stress for so many years, that I eventually had a heart attack, immediately following restraining a student who was attacking his teacher. I have so many stories about my and other teacher’s experiences. It all boils down to: This job is bad for your health. It’s objectively measurable.

A lot of this goes back to when mothers began to return to work in droves and daycare became the "thing". Children stopped getting one on one attention at home and were shuffled around in groups where their needs were not getting met.

This is how I felt. I had to leave a beloved job in the travel industry because I was under so much stress my health was declining. And despite how glamorous it looks to work for an airline, it just doesn't pay enough to live.

Taught high school math for 5 years, quit last year!! Best decision I have ever made. The system is just burn your passion , physical health and mental health out!! Let the parents teach their own kids!

Taught in Texas for 29 years. Wife taught 28 years. Retired to Kansas to be near my adult daughter and very low cost of living. Shocked Texas didn't give teachers a raise with a budget surplus. That was a slap in the face. I love not worrying about the job anymore. Was really starting to worry about my wife's health. Teachers get pissed on from every direction. Students, parents, administration. My last years, I just tried to get along with everyone and chose no mountain to die on. The system is broken clearly. No consequences for anything. Students come and go from school as they please, come to school under the influence, and get away with mistreating staff. Most kids are okay. But the 5 percent that aren't ruin school for the others. The stress is always relentless. Meetings before school and during your off period. Covering classes due to lack of subs. That administrator doing walk-throughs on a Friday afternoon. Tantrums and fights are pretty regular. Toward the end of my career, it was shootings off-campus, lockdowns, EMTs treating drug overdoses. Few young teachers can survive a long career in education now unless they start holding students accountable. No longer are kids suspended, sent to alternative school. All the higher- ups want everyone in class.

Taught in public school for 1 year, and that was one year too many! Went back to private and saved my mental health!

You represent the product of your environment. In my opinion, we have children teaching children The dumbing down of America is in full swing.

Yes,teachers, quit! They don't know what we go through!!!

I have been a teacher in Australia for over 30 years. There are many days lately that I think about quitting. The reason is that the current problems in society are so obvious amongst young children. No respect, no manners, no resilience, no concept of work or practice in order to learn. Parents unwilling to teach them these basic skills and concepts. Kids breaking down into tears or just being rude and belligerent in order to get their way. They think they are in charge…and they manipulate you into doing what they want, when they want because they know you have no power or authority over how they act. Of course not all kids are like this, but every year more and more are.

High school English teacher from Texas here. I'm mostly happy with my job. The stress, as I see it, mainly arises from the extra things that are constantly assigned by people who do not spend time in the classroom. Their positions were created in order to "fix" problems. Once a person has that position, they will do whatever it takes to justify their position. Of course, these problems stem from our broken social structures. Try as they may, the public school system and the state cannot fix this. But as a teacher, I have learned not to worry much about whether I can save all the students. If parents can't raise their kids, that's not my job either. The world is too big. I'm not here to save it or even make it better. Just teach, and if I happen to inspire a few people along the way, good enough.

Australian teacher here: you pay your teachers an absolute pittance and you wonder why they're leaving? I'm a casual (you call them substitutes) and in NSW, Australia, we get A$550/day which is US$358/day. Full time teachers start at A$95k/year = US$62k/year. Why does the wealthiest country in the world pay their educators so poorly?

Former teacher here! 🙋🏾‍♀️ Man, I relate to these teachers so much and have experienced all of their symptoms from the stress. I’m so young and have increased in so many health issues over my 5 years of teaching. I felt like an old woman trapped in a 30 year old body. My doctor had told me I need to find something different or they would put me on medication. I knew it was time to go when I came to the decision of choosing between my health and work. It should never be a thought because life is too short to be stressed over a career. I was so sad because I love my students. My whole reason of being a teacher was to make a difference in a child’s life. It’s far more difficult to do it in a classroom than people think with all the odds against you, lack of support, and ignorance. God be with these educators. It’s not easy. 😢

As an educator for over 15 years I can relate to these people. We are expected to do so much and there is very little reward or recognition. I will say most of the students are really great but there some that make the profession extremely hard and there is little anything that anyone can do about it. The parents don't seem to care or don't follow through on discipline and don't expect the admin to do anything about it either. So you just have to suck it up and pray.

I was a teacher of young children, 3-5, for ten years. Even the 3s were getting out of control!

Thank you for the update

My daughter just graduated college and is in her first teaching job. She works in an inner-city school and was so excited to get this position. A few weeks in and she dreads going to work everyday. The children are out of control (2nd graders), parents blame her for everything (even things that happened with their kids the last two years), and there is no support from the school. Kids are so disrespectful. She’d probably quit today if she could.

These teachers are correct in what they are saying! To young people, do NOT consider teaching as a career. You can't make a difference because like in a Las Vegas casino, the House always wins. Here is a typical elementary class at my school: 4 students whose moms used drugs and/or alcohol while pregnant, 5 special education students that pull down your test scores and require an insane amount of teacher time and attention without making much progress, 1 or 2 gifted kids which need to be intellectually challenged, 4 to 5 kids new to English, and then a total class size of 29! I'm retiring in 6 years, thank God. This horrible mess in teaching really accelerated 2010 onwards. Parents are all Kens/Karens accepting NO responsibility for their spawn. Most kids have a severe internet addiction, yes even the 5 year olds! They have very poor fine/gross motor skills. Most can't carry on a conversation beyond talking about what they want to eat or what new video game they want to play. It is absolutely shocking to me. Title 1 school in a large city.

Great topic and coverage. I would like to hear more about this

Teachers and nurses. So vital to our society as a whole, but the most unappreciated and disrespected professions.

My youngest son. From age 3 had the hardest time integrating into public system emotionally. He suffers with Autism. I spent his first 5 years in school a crying emotional mess because I felt like I didn't know how to help him. BUT the heros (teachers, staff personnel and principle) at the elementary school he went to went beyond the call of duty to help my Harold. Each year it was so much love and support given to my kid and my family. One accommodations after the other until we figure out together what worked for Harold. These people displayed wisdom and strong character, love and concern. I'll never forget thier heroism and how it has impacted Harold's life mine and my family today.

Amazing. I'm a Brazilian teacher and we experience the same hardships: low pay, lack of respect from children, parents and society, overwork load after school hours, enormous pressure and the unrealistic expectation that we will right all the wrongs of society!

I’ve had migraines for the last 2 years! I quit & I’ve never felt better in my health but I miss my babies!

Everyone will talk about how important teachers are and yet no one will do anything to help them.

I'm sure you know that this is not just happening in Texas. At the high school I taught in Charlotte, NC., we lost no fewer than one-third of our faculty every single year! The problem was not the salary, but that Charlotte-Mecklenburg School District Central office administrators were openly---publicly!--hostile to teachers. That was twenty years ago. You cannot put that proverbial genie back into the bottle. I'm sure those schools are complete zoos today. Yes, Texas, I have no doubt that your teachers get no respect and that is the self-serving Central Office throwing good teachers under the proverbial bus. The people who are running the schools should be the campus principals. The central office needs to be completely emptied.

A teacher's work is never done. The job is phyically, mentally and emotionally draining.

Louisiana here! Quit after 17 years and couldn’t be happier. No more anxiety medication, sleeping better and working a job that’s over when I log off. I’ll have to work until I’m 65 but I gotta survive in the present!

WOW SO AMAZING!!! Bless everyone in this amazing science!!!

Ive said for many year that teachers, policemen, firefighters and EMT should all be taxed exempted. This way a 50,000 salary is truley $50,000

As an older adult who very much grew up in the 70s and 80s school era, I remember thinking that my country has its priorities wrong when a guy who puts a ball in a basket makes 1000x more $$$ than a teacher does. It comes down to what matters…

My respect and best wishes to these teachers. I’m going on 20 years and it’s been a grind. Kids are more challenging to work with and struggle with basic functional behavior all around.

My wife is in the public school system and has been for over 20 years. While she loves teaching, it was taking a huge toll on her physically and mentally so she decide to get out of that and work as a multimedia tech in her school instead, aka, a librarian! The pay is the same (somewhat decent) and she just sees kids for brief periods throughout the day so she doesn’t have to deal with all the usual issues all day long. Her stress has gone down, her anxiety has gone down, and she feels a little better about herself now.

in defense of teachers... having to pay for school supplies out of pocket is disgusting on the system

It's not just the money. Over the last 10 years of my career the micro-management and useless paperwork was simply too much to deal with.

As a first year substitute teacher I'm seeing first hand what teachers deal with. I have come across several 3rd graders who can't (or barely) read! It was so crushing to see. I cried. These students did not have a disability. Once I read the question they were capable of comprehending and answering the questions about what was in the story. Some could barely write! The spectrum of abilities were vast. It amazes that we don't put more into our schools & teachers as this is our future workforce.

I've been blessed to do it all. Tutor children in the community for over 20 years. Teach various subjects on all levels to all grades in public school, private school, and homeschool. Back in 1991 I started as a teacher assistant and so was my wife, we had just gotten married. Even in the schools back then, we saw enough that by 1994, we both had decided to homeschool. We successfully did it for our 4 kids all the way to graduation. The financial sacrifice was well worth it. We are African Americans and were a rare breed. We also started a homeschool academy for other families and their kids went on to enjoy success. The belief that it is the states responsibility to educate your children is killing us. Parents are the key ingredient for the success regardless what your school choice is. And the education system is broken and will never change until there is a united voice of majority with teachers and parents to not accept whats going on anymore. Dont complain about it and stay in it. Take matters into your own hands.

What they said and so much more. But. It should also be said that teachers are hired to TEACH. They should not be free labor for everything under the sun including directing traffic and so much more. I finally quit one school when I had no more tutoring time but double the duty time from when I started. No extra pay, btw.

I taught in Australia and so I did not have to put up with school board bullies and ideology but I found that my greatest pleasure was being able to actually watch TV after dinner and to enjoy a full glass of wine with my meal without worrying about marking , or lesson preparation for the next day , or evaluations to be done , or programming to be done or learning problems , or classroom behaviour problems to be dealt with or ...... Ah , the sheer joy of not having to work until midnight or later every night ! I did really miss the kids so I did volunteer as a helper though .

I am a retired teacher. I could teach anywhere where I live tomorrow because the shortages are so high. Teachers are sick of the serious risks such practically unrestricted gun ownership, low pay, parents thinking they should decide what should be taught and how, ridiculous demads on a teacher's time outside of a school day. I would never teach again and can well understand why people are leaving teaching and why people don't want to go into teaching. Our country will pay for this...our kids will continue to fall behind.

I fully support children with major behavior problems being homeschooled. Let the parents get involve with their child's education so they can finally understand what teachers are saying. Will probably make schools safer as well. I also support homeschooling or changing schools for badly bullied children. A lot of these children experience severe, life-damaging bullying and the teachers hands are tied by stupid rules. Then the children spiral down emotionally, have a mental break, and come in Monday morning with guns blazing. As a parent understand when the situation has gotten to the point where you NEED to remove your child from it. Fighting the good fight is all well and good but don't leave the child there while you're doing it. And foster an open door policy with them from young so they feel comfortable enough to TELL you when something is wrong. That little habit becomes invaluable during the teen years.

Thank you for having the courage and leadership to inform the public on this. Its a shame Florida news agencies don’t display this type of courage.

I teach elementary school. Two years ago I had an anxiety attack/breakdown at work. I ended up straight at the ER thinking I was having a heart attack. By the following Monday, I was on Zoloft. I tried that for a week . It was horrible! I stopped taking it and had two horrible days of withdrawals. Through a lot of therapy and meditation I'm better now. I plan on also retiring early. Two more years and I'm out. Sometimes your health and happiness is more important. Education is not what it used to be.

I'm a middle school math teacher in my 60's in the great state of Texas. I'm in a new district this year, and my 7th graders are largely testing out at the 2nd to 5th grade level. As can be expected with many students who are a couple of years behind grade level, there are a lot of associated behavioral issues. Probably an easy 1/3 of my classroom time is spent on redirecting student focus. I am required to cover a curriculum that the majority of my students are not academically strong enough to grasp. There are many reporting and compliance requirements. It is virtually impossible to actually do everything correctly - there is not enough time in the day ever. The long term teachers who remain in teaching are survivors who have figured out how to check off boxes without running afoul of their teaching contract. In my experience the vast majority of legislators, no matter what they may say publicly, do not like educators and have no intent of ever properly funding and staffing our K-12 schools. The great irony of the legislative push to allow for education vouchers to redirect money towards various private schools, is that those schools discriminate in ways that is forbidden in public schools. These private schools can and do reject special needs students and students with behavioral issues. They simply say they are not equipped to handle those students and they are magically off the hook. These private schools they are not required to fully follow state or federal curriculum requirements, and they may use unaccredited materials. The legislative push is essentially to make public schools a dumping ground - showing the true intent of the legislators.

After 24 years as a Jr High/High School Science teacher (in Mississippi), I retired(at the end of the 21/22 school year) because of my health. I love my kids and I know I made a difference but the stress was killing me. I know exactly what those teachers are saying.

depends where you live. some states you do get paid fairly (80-90K for fresh graduates) in exchange for only working 188 days give or take.

So far as pay is concerned, that’s been my experience outside the teaching profession. I’ve never taught but, generally speaking, if you’re good at something you get the hardest jobs and little to no additional compensation. After 10 years working in the medical field I made less than a first year teacher and I had to leave to move into the accounting field for a reasonable pay raise. I don’t write any of that to diminish what teachers face, but this problem isn’t limited to teaching. Effort is so rarely rewarded and, when you leave, people act shocked that the camel has finally broken the straw’s back.

I left after two years. I taught one year in Louisiana and one in Texas. I often think about going back, but honestly it isn't worth it. I'd rather be at home with my children.

Everything these great people are saying was true when I finished college in Texas in 1968...and decided NOT to go into teaching!

Friend of mine is a fmr suburban Jr. High teacher here in the area who ended up getting hired by a private school for better pay and surroundings. Their biggest complaint was the fact their school admin staff wouldn't step up for their teaching staff esp. with parents whom are barely functional adults themselves.

So can we please address this instead of a wall?!?!?!?!?! Seriously!!!!!

My daughter is at this moment a 2nd grade teacher. So far she want's to quit. The first week of school 2 teachers quit. As her parents we have helped buy supplies, furniture, snacks, water bottles, what ever it takes to help out. Schools are overwhelmed with kids who's parents don't care or won't care. I understand that not every parent has money or time but I'm witnessing kids who's caregivers don't even bath them. Some kids can't spell their own names much less know what their names look like spelled out. Kids are falling thru the system and everyone is expecting teachers to fix it all. They don't have enough time, enough money or backing by their school districts to help them. As a mom to a teacher I'm trying to do what I can to keep her on a positive path. It's hard when the first week of school a 1st grader brought a gun to school then a 5th grader was showing off his knife. This is our new norm. Lock downs and kids acting like grown ups. I praise all teachers who are giving it their all during these crazy times.

Teaching as a profession in the US has always taken unfair advantage of teachers' excessive and unpaid concern for their students. It's not just about money, it's lack of professional support, lack of paid prep time, and a complete lack of paid time to consult with other teachers in the school.

I know folks in education. There is too much paperwork and administrative work. Low pay. No support from administrators with disruptive students and their parents. Meanwhile, superintendents and their staff earn over 2x - 5x the base pay and do little to nothing, except create more work for the teacher.

I have been teaching in Alabama for over 30 years. For the most part my kids are hard working and well behaved.

It's just burnout. Simple as that. I was a teacher for 21 years & most teachers had to put in 50, 60, 70 hour weeks all year long. And it's not like they get summers off either. They are expected to go to trainings, professional development, revise lesson plans, study last year's test scores, etc.

This is also happening in daycares too. I’ve worked in many daycares, working with 2-3 year old children. I was always suffering with high anxiety. And I always would tell myself if I work at another daycare center, it’s going to be the same exact thing such as dealing with children that have student behavior issues, loud and chaotic classrooms, long hours, micromanagement, toxic supervisors, lack of support, leaving teachers with a lot of kids alone in the classroom, and lack of pay. The last daycare I’ve worked at I would be with the after school children ages 4 and 5 years old. Those kids would not sit down for nothing, they were all over the place every time I would tell them to sit down. And one of the kids, who is 5 years old told his father a lie saying I cursed at him. Me and the parent were going at it. Because it wasn’t true, therefore I’m not the type of teacher to be an a** kisser to any parent. Also, I would never curse out any children. But when I told the parent that your child was climbing the chair, the parent said to me that I’m lying why would I make up a story about his child. I remember going to the hospital, because I was suffering with a major headache that just didn’t stop. I told the doctor about my headaches, the doctor told me that I looked stressed out, I told the doctor I’m not stressed. The doctor tells me what type of work I do? I told her I work as a teacher, the doctor told me oh that’s why I’m stressed, and the doctor prescribed me with anxiety medication and medicine for my headaches. My neighbor and my sister told me to leave those daycares and teaching jobs alone. My neighbor told me that she remembers when I came in the building looking extremely exhausted, looking like I was going to pass out. I told my neighbor I enjoy being a teacher and having compassion working with children, but I can’t do the teaching profession anymore. I rather step away from the classroom. I rather major in a different field such as clinical mental health counseling, since it’s a mental health crisis, since teens and adults are suffering with mental health, or either major in child psychology, either working in group homes or health care facilities. To me, I rather try something different.

Years ago the LA Times sent a reporter to observe things in a high school in the San Fernando Valley. A former investment banker on Wall Street had decided to become a math teacher after he retired from the financial world. He taught algebra. The Times reporter noted that of the 36 students in his class, the number of students who came to the class with (1) the class textbook, (2) a writing implement, and (3) paper to write on was 6. Six out of 36.

My mother was in a choir. During breaks the teachers in the choir would grade homework. They do not have a 8 hour work day. Preparing lessons, grading work, helping students are done on teachers own time with no pay for it.

Easy fix would be : PAY THEM BETTER ! And let them punish these kids because kids are insane now a days And please give them help ! They need help something needs to change before teachers completely are gone

Most teachers are expected to get both a bachelors degree and a masters degree. Why should someone make that financial investment if they won’t ever make more than $65k? I know admin assistants who make 6 figures.

You are sooooo right. If you are good, they want you to do more. I had to leave for the reasons they mention.

Its when teachers are also expected to be corrections officers though it doesnt fall under their job description. Politicians putting up road blocks certainly will push more teachers out.

Teachers are tired of raising your kids that you refused to raise teachers are being attacked by parents who should be disciplining their children 7th and 8th grade is a nightmare

One of the worst problems is that teaching today is not actually about teaching students. It's about making sure that the school meets the numbers that the state requires it to meet. If those numbers aren't met, the school gets a bad grade and, if the numbers don't go up quickly, people lose their jobs and the school can eventually be shut down. This distorts the profession terribly. For example, should a student miss more than 9 days in a given class during a semester, the law says that that student shouldn't get credit for that half of the course. And yet, I've seen kids who owed hundreds of hours graduate because the school bends over backwards to give them every possible chance to make up those hours, even if that means just filling out paperwork saying that they did. That's gone on long enough that attendance is a joke for a lot of our students. There are many, many more examples of the way that the books get cooked, because actually holding kids responsible for their behavior with real consequences doesn't allow the school to meet the state's numbers. And, heck yes, the profession is stressful as all get-out, as teachers are held directly responsible for kids not getting the numbers the school needs because the teachers are the only part of the system that the administrators and district personnel can control to any real degree.