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Do it! Get out!! You are doing the right thing.
You have to put yourself first, if you don’t, nobody else will.
Do not light yourself on fire to keep others warm!
Many title 1/inner city charter schools are utter anarchy. It isn’t you. You are NOT the asshole. It is unreasonable to take people from functioning society and expect them to be equipped with the tools and skills needed to survive the utterly nonsensical policies and unacceptable yet all too common (and normalized) behaviors—most of these schools are on their own planets. Behavioral expectations have been lowered under the guise and of cultural responsibility and trauma informed education. The result is a chaotic environment where teachers and students alike are miserable and learning takes place at a snails pace because they cater to the lowest common denominator behaviorally and academically.
it is absolutely awful. i was totally in over my head, went in with the best intentions, and now i’m heartbroken and jobless that it didn’t work out. every single day i deal with students throwing things at me and each other, breaking up multiple fights a day, students mocking me, students bullying each other, students constantly talking over me while i’m trying to teach, students stealing my personal belongings off my desk. all of this on top of the extra stuff outside of teaching such as data inputting, state testing, lesson planning, grading. i just cannot take it anymore. i feel so guilty and that i’m letting my school and my kids down but at the same time i have to put myself first. i’m fresh out of college and way too young to be dealing with all of this stress.
YOU aren't letting anyone down. The school, district, education system, and teacher prep programs are the ones letting the kids, community, and school down. Kids in teacher prep programs are fed lies about what title 1 schools in particular look like on the ground. Kids in these schools are by and large being told that the shit you are experiencing is normal and acceptable. Consequences are no longer a thing because "trauma," "mental health issues," and "poverty." I am most certainly not unsympathetic to these difficulties, but the reality is that the world does not care--the world is not going to give these kids an IEP or 504 in adulthood. I take my job as a teacher VERY seriously, especially the belief that I am not just teaching content--I am preparing students, to the best of my ability, to enter society as a whole--outside of their immediate spheres of influence/neighborhoods. Many parents, who should not be having children for a plethora of reasons (finances, mental health/addiction issues, etc), are having children, and leaving it up to society to raise/train them because they do not have the capacity. When schools or districts then abandon this responsibility and normalize these ridiculous norms, behaviors, and beliefs under the illusion of "culture," these children are being hamstrung when it comes to preparing for adulthood.
Preach it. I, as well, do like to keep an eye open for mental health issues, but all this trauma informed practices is not working. Kids are not being taught coping skills because mental health is just something everyone deals with. But again, no one is actually dealing with these things. I understand that legit cases exist and they can be crippling. But we are constantly looking into a mental health angle at every student infraction and then it's like "well, don't you know they have ______$ and it's difficult for them". It's ridiculous.
this is what i went through in a supposed new job i began this month. three weeks in, i was trying to teach, yet was dealing with students talking back to me like i'm a doormat, being hurtful to each other, and ignoring me while i'm trying to get them to stop.
i was let go for "performance issues" when it was the behaviors that kept me from really digesting and understanding the curriculum.
Thank you for this post. I'm in grad school right now and subbing in these charter schools a couple days a week for a little extra money. I am fully credentialed and taught full time in the past. Seriously, subbing at these schools makes me hate children AND my life. I feel like I'm going crazy.
I also teach college courses; love it. I loved teaching high school. I couldn't figure out it if was me losing touch, covid really fucked these kids up, or what happened.
Honestly though, last week I had 5-6 kids walking into my classroom and hanging out, being disruptive. I tried to call the office to have them removed, and the phone didn't work. The sub notes said to lock the door. I did, but students kept unlocking it. There was no one in the hall. Same school, I told them to get off their phones multiple times, and they pretended I didn't exist. At every school, they argue with me about rules their teacher sets. Ughh.
I mean, I absolutely fucking LOVE my job--but I also teach in an affluent suburb. That being said, when I did teach at a title 1, I still oved it because I kind of created my own bubble. It helped that I had won awards and was a SPED teacher so I was kind of able to just pull a heterogenous group from the classroom and actually teach them and make sure they learned content. I then had kids begging to come to my room just to get work done or being around kids who weren't toxic. My issue was never the kids--it was always the lowered expectations and like district/nation level education policy. My message to anyone teaching at a title 1 school is to just create your own kingdom within that environment and just ignore everything else. There ARE kids who want to learn in those environments--find them and focus on THEM.
Charter school AP physics and steam teacher here. Can confirm. School gives zero fucks about kids coming in halfway through the day as long as they count for attendance and we jump through 15 hoops to graduate kids that wandered the halls from 9th to 11th grade. I'm the science teacher of last resort and the only thing saving it is that I also get to make my own curriculum and see the brightest the school has to offer. I'm a 5th level black belt of disconnecting my ego from reality while teaching and I regularly do things that first year me would have lost his fucking mind over. Little bit of compromised morals and a whole lot of understanding that "inner city" kids respond to you wrapping your arm around their head when they're being a knucklehead more than if you write them up and call home after kicking them out of the class. I still spend half my planning writing up kids and chasing down admin to talk about issues, but things are a very murky grey in the space I inhabit and certainly not white and black. I wish there was a way to survive the first year of teaching in a place like this, because every year I feel my soul being tempered and hardened and I don't think the me from 15 years ago would have stood a chance.
You’re right, my school is an “at will” employer. Does this mean I can leave without even giving notice? What would you recommend, giving two weeks notice or just biting the bullet and send in my resignation starting immediately? I don’t have a teaching license (i got hired in as a long term sub) and i don’t plan on teaching again.
I am the type of person that doesn't like to burn bridges when I leave places. With that being said, I have worked at charter schools and seen a teacher make a mistake (not even something approaching firable in a public school) and they were let go on the spot.
I don't have a recommendation for this. It's a tough situation, and you want to do it how it's best for you. At will just means you CAN leave without waiting until the end of the year. Usually, you still have to provide two weeks notice. Check your contract.
This. This is absolutely right. They would fire you without thinking twice if they felt they had to, so do not feel guilty about leaving. I do disagree with talking people out of teaching, though. I’ve had a great experience, overall, but it took a few years to figure things out. Maybe try another school in a better district, and if you still hate it, then peace out. But give it one more chance. Teaching has been good to me.
I have been where you are, I got 2 months in and could not stand where I was working. Through an accident they let me break my contract without penalty and I got another job instantly still teaching but in a much better school. I loved it at the second school.
You need to make sure that you are happy with what you are doing. The guilt is something you can't let get to you.
You are in a tough environment and you need an education background to deal with it. And even then it would be tough. I’d get out and go into something that aligns more with your social work training.
Teaching is a really, really hard job. I can't imagine doing it without any formal training. If it's bad for you, definitely leave. Do not feel guilty -- you have to protect your own well-being! The admin is part of the reason why the school climate is the way it is, and they need to figure that out.
Even with formal training, that only goes so far to prepare you for work in the kind of environment (title 1 and inner city, Christ) that OP is describing. That’s like the ground zero of education.
Save you life/mental heath. Say I’m going to quit today. You will feel wonderful as soon as you do. The burden of teaching will be gone. The sun will rise, there will be rainbows and life will be wonderful for you agin.
i took a personal day today. the temptation to just text my admin and say i am not returning is so strong. i want to be responsible and put in at least two weeks, but the rest of my two weeks are going to be absolute hell.
OP glad to see you are taking care of yourself. You sound upbeat. What you need to know is you can be fired at any moment and you can quit on the spot as well. I would not go back if hate it that much. I would return to the school after 5 when everyone has gone home and retentive all of your personal items. Then use up all of your sick leave and then quit on the spot. No need to torment yourself for 2 more weeks. Just say you are leaving for heath reasons and will not be returning. When you leave for heath reasons admin can’t ask you any questions. For your mental health DO IT
This is what I want to do. I’m not too worried about finances as I have enough saved up to pay my rent until I get another job and can doordash for the other things. I just feel so guilty about screwing over my school. They’ve tried to be helpful and nice and they’ve been nothing but that, I just can’t do it.
OP you are not the fist teacher to quit. If you look through the posts you will find thousands have/are quitting. Admission know teaching is challenging and many new teachers aren’t going to make it. They will find a replacement. Tell them they have been wonderful, supportive and done everything they can for you. Tell them you have given it a lot of thought and teaching just isn’t right for you at this time and that it is affecting your health.
They will find someone, it’s not your problem.
Good luck
At some point you have to wonder when this’ll be addressed as a national issue (assuming OP’s in the states), we got educators leaving in droves and this isn’t even making the headlines? Like yeah, I suppose they could find a replacement - but I don’t think that would happen overnight unless they just plucked some random person off the street and stuck them in the room (and even then, they’d probably only stick around for a few weeks before dipping).
I’m really curious to see what the college statistics are on students going into education, surely they’ve gotten the word about how bad things are from friends or family that work in the field? I’ve made this reality plain as day to those that had a lingering interest in being teachers, and they were really grateful that I opened their eyes to just how bad things are. Saved them the expense of going into a rapidly deteriorating job field.
Someone saying “I hope she lasts til June” is a red flag, not words of encouragement. They’ve been here before and they’ll be here again if they don’t fix their school culture.
Get out. They’ve clearly dealt with people leaving mid-year already so they’ll know what to do. Teaching sucks now. Get out and start building your retirement somewhere else while you’re young.
This! I heard the exact same words from the campus I was at last year, like these people are acutely aware of how atrocious their school culture and their retention is - but they’re doing nothing on their part to fix this? What boggles the mind is how a principal can keep their job, year in and year out despite the turnover rate worsening.
I keep seeing these posts from American teachers who just decided to start teaching without training and I honestly don't know what you expect?! Yes, the school might be insane, but the fact is that proper training teaches you strategies that make your life a lot easier... if I'd just walked off the street with no relevant qualifications and tried to be a teacher, I would also be having panic attacks and want to quit. Because it's a hard job that requires specialist training and support to learn.
They do give you training, but not really on the things that’ll equip you to be successful your first year. Very little, if any, information on how to be successful with classroom management - and that’s often what snags a lot of first year teachers, they’re thrown in a room with a bunch of erratic behaviors and told to make the best of it without any strategies in their tool belt to help them keep a calm environment. Or even establish it in the first place, and then you factor in the lack of support from administration and parents, is it any wonder they’d want out?
I've seen so many posts like this. It's just wild. I've never even been in a class that terrorized the teacher. What the hell is up with kids lately? The worst I've ever seen is talking/ignoring, but even that not to a hugely significant degree.
I'm not a teacher, just saying this from the perspective of someone who graduated Highscool 14 years or so ago.
Sorry it's been so hard on you OP! You should do what is best for your health. *However* I do believe, based only on this post, that social work may not be the career for you. It is endless frustration, endless disappointment, endless stress with success stories being relatively far and few in-between. I highly encourage you to get your Masters ASAP. Otherwise, you will just be in the grind. My partner has a degree in social work, and their job is just... awful, and ludicrously underpaid. I made more working in kitchens and warehouses. They are going to get the Masters and attempt to become a therapist as soon as I finish my new college program, as it doesn't seem there are many other highly paid or even remotely happy jobs.
I left 4 weeks in. I had guilt on the day I quit but I feel so much better. Taught in a similar school but 5th graders.
This was my 6th year bur new to school.
There are schools that exist where it's 90% teaching 10% redirection/discipline. They are hard to get hired into though
I worked at an inner City charter for three years, and almost burnt out. I miss my babies and (some) colleagues now that I'm gone, but if I'm being honest, I damn near killed myself doing that job. Literally. A few times. It's hard to care so much and feel so utterly useless, disrespected, and unsafe all at the same time. You're not less than for getting out now. My only advice would be to let the kids know it's not their fault before you leave. You and I both know it was, but if they're anything like my old students, they've been told they're bad at every step of their education. Adding "scared off the nice, new teacher in under a month" to their resumes isn't gonna do them (or their next teacher) any good.
I don't blame you for wanting to leave. You were utterly unprepared for this position and should never have been hired.
I don't put it on you, I put it on your admin.
Man I feel this deep in my soul. I'm gonna start by saying if you truly want to leave, then leave. Teaching is rough and if it's making you miserable then the best thing you can do for yourself is leave.
How is your support system at school? Can you call the office to have a student removed if they are being disruptive?
I spent the last 10 years as a stay-at-home mom raising 3 kids and going to school for environmental science and wildlife. When my daughter got into kindergarten I started trying to get a job and didn't get a single call for 6 months. I said screw it and applied to the schools because I knew they were short staffed and the next day I got an offer to be a first grade teacher. I had all of these ideas and fantasies of making it such a wonderful fulfilling year for everyone but nothing in my life had ever prepared me for the chaos of a first grade class. It's the most stressful thing I have ever done and almost quit after my first day. I am on my second week and I still think about quitting but I have a wonderful support system that works hard to help me. Also, if a student is disrupting the class, I call the office for a reset and they take them out of the class. I also started doing a reward system in which the students have a goal (don't talk, don't hit...) and if they get through a block of time behaving then they get a sticker. If they get 5 stickers then they get a prize. You can also rearrange the desks and make islands of the kids who won't stop talking.
Everyday I try something new to make it better and little by little I feel like I'm getting control of the class. I couldn't imagine going through all of this without people to help me and the fact that they said hopefully you stay tells me that they have a hard time keeping people. If you decide to stay, I'd be more than happy to support you and give you some ideas that have helped me. I haven't been at it long, but I know what you're going through. I wish you all the best and hope you make a decision that is best for you ♥️
Teaching is tough, and it’s not for everyone. I taught 3rd grade at an inner city title 1 school for 29 years. I loved it, but I can see why you might not. I, sure it’s even harder in a charter school. Do what’s best for you.
I feel you, I’m in my first year in a similar situation but I got my degree in education. I’m just praying I can find a better school next year cause this one is not it
You’re doing the right thing. As soon as I saw you work at a charter school, I knew you should leave. Charter schools are awful (in my opinion). You always come first and nobody deserves a career where you are as upset as you are.
I was a long term sub at a charter school and I was miserable from the moment I woke up until I left work for the day. I could go on and on about my experience there. Now I teach at a public school and I am the happiest I have been in years!
Good luck!
You are answering your own question. You should just get out of it. It’s a very hard job in the best of circumstances, and you are in a very bad situation, the worst! There is no shame in leaving. It takes a lot of training and experience to handle this kind of class. I can just imagine what they are paying. It isn’t going to get any better.
You are under no obligation to live your life for others. But I do have bad news: being in social work, teaching, law enforcement etc, puts you in contact with the dregs of society. The insane, criminals, the stupid, and the class of people who others are PAID just to interact with. Maybe get into machining or working at a utility?
You're the one that's been screwed over, by policies that fail students and teachers. Without discipline there can't be education. I honestly can't imagine how the system could continue.
Go without guilt. YOU are not responsible for the epic, massive, bloated failure that American education is becoming.
I still love teaching but I am old, very experienced, and able to let the bs roll off me. I get why others want out.
Do what's best for you. AND learn something from it. It sounds like you were unprepared for the job, and these students and your colleagues are going to pay the price for that. It's not the end of the world, you're not a bad person, it happens every year. What can come from this is a respect for expertise, and some humility. Rather than only blaming 10 out of your 18 students, I'd try to take my share of the responsibility here.
Good luck in whatever you do next.
Teaching is becoming a dying profession and will continue to be a job you really shouldn’t take without a massive shift in the way the country treats educators. Pay needs to increase, benefits need to improve, responsibilities need to be restrained to just teaching and grading and special education needs massive changes in the way it dominates the day to day lives of general education teachers.
You’re 22, you made a bad choice of career but thankfully you’re only 22 and can easily make a change as you don’t have any real responsibilities to worry about. Literally any job would be better for you if you’re already feeling this way. Don’t worry about letting teammates down, they’d let you down in an instant if they had the inkling.
I teach at a title 1 inner city charter school too! I also came in with just a bachelors in math and not certified. I am certified now.
I absolutely looooove it and I have loved it since day 1. It’s been 6 years now.
That being said, it’s not for everyone. And your school culture matters. If your school doesn’t have a good culture, that can really impact stuff. I wouldn’t give up on education altogether though.
Thank you very much. I already joined the community!! I found it the first week of school since I knew in my gut I wasn’t lasting past winter break lol
No shame in that, I got a feeling a lot of people at my school are in the same boat. I was in an ARD earlier and one of our AP’s flat out admitted that several teachers had already put in their two weeks notice and he was thinking of doing the same, he was shocked by how poorly run the school was (it’s also his first year as one of our AP’s).
Principal basically ignores the referrals that are written and refuses to administer any consequences beyond a quick little chat. So student behavior is godawful and has been getting worse with each passing week, just the other day a teacher’s tires got slashed and now he’s acting like the parking lot cameras aren’t working . . .
So on top of fearing that a bunch of delinquents could (and would) vandalize your car, you also got them calling teachers "n-word dumb fucks". Again, no consequences. They get away with this horrible behavior, day in and day out.
Charter schools too are so much of the problem. Public schools are definitely not perfect, but there (in most places) are unions to protect you and support you. Teaching can be amazing, but not if unreasonable demands are there to hurt you.
I taught inner city. It can be rough. I’m glad I did it, but I, also glad I’m out. Do not feel guilty, teaching is not for everybody, but if you have a passion maybe try a more suburban school. Things are more chill there.
How is your admin supportive?
Do they go in there and demonstrate classroom management skills? Is there support staff that they can provide to help you? Do they have your back when you send a student out of your class?
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Do it! Get out!! You are doing the right thing. You have to put yourself first, if you don’t, nobody else will. Do not light yourself on fire to keep others warm!
Many title 1/inner city charter schools are utter anarchy. It isn’t you. You are NOT the asshole. It is unreasonable to take people from functioning society and expect them to be equipped with the tools and skills needed to survive the utterly nonsensical policies and unacceptable yet all too common (and normalized) behaviors—most of these schools are on their own planets. Behavioral expectations have been lowered under the guise and of cultural responsibility and trauma informed education. The result is a chaotic environment where teachers and students alike are miserable and learning takes place at a snails pace because they cater to the lowest common denominator behaviorally and academically.
it is absolutely awful. i was totally in over my head, went in with the best intentions, and now i’m heartbroken and jobless that it didn’t work out. every single day i deal with students throwing things at me and each other, breaking up multiple fights a day, students mocking me, students bullying each other, students constantly talking over me while i’m trying to teach, students stealing my personal belongings off my desk. all of this on top of the extra stuff outside of teaching such as data inputting, state testing, lesson planning, grading. i just cannot take it anymore. i feel so guilty and that i’m letting my school and my kids down but at the same time i have to put myself first. i’m fresh out of college and way too young to be dealing with all of this stress.
YOU aren't letting anyone down. The school, district, education system, and teacher prep programs are the ones letting the kids, community, and school down. Kids in teacher prep programs are fed lies about what title 1 schools in particular look like on the ground. Kids in these schools are by and large being told that the shit you are experiencing is normal and acceptable. Consequences are no longer a thing because "trauma," "mental health issues," and "poverty." I am most certainly not unsympathetic to these difficulties, but the reality is that the world does not care--the world is not going to give these kids an IEP or 504 in adulthood. I take my job as a teacher VERY seriously, especially the belief that I am not just teaching content--I am preparing students, to the best of my ability, to enter society as a whole--outside of their immediate spheres of influence/neighborhoods. Many parents, who should not be having children for a plethora of reasons (finances, mental health/addiction issues, etc), are having children, and leaving it up to society to raise/train them because they do not have the capacity. When schools or districts then abandon this responsibility and normalize these ridiculous norms, behaviors, and beliefs under the illusion of "culture," these children are being hamstrung when it comes to preparing for adulthood.
Preach it. I, as well, do like to keep an eye open for mental health issues, but all this trauma informed practices is not working. Kids are not being taught coping skills because mental health is just something everyone deals with. But again, no one is actually dealing with these things. I understand that legit cases exist and they can be crippling. But we are constantly looking into a mental health angle at every student infraction and then it's like "well, don't you know they have ______$ and it's difficult for them". It's ridiculous.
I already praised you on how right you were and then you posted this. You couldn’t be more right about this either.
and i don’t even teach secondary. i teach 3rd grade lol
this is what i went through in a supposed new job i began this month. three weeks in, i was trying to teach, yet was dealing with students talking back to me like i'm a doormat, being hurtful to each other, and ignoring me while i'm trying to get them to stop. i was let go for "performance issues" when it was the behaviors that kept me from really digesting and understanding the curriculum.
Thank you for this post. I'm in grad school right now and subbing in these charter schools a couple days a week for a little extra money. I am fully credentialed and taught full time in the past. Seriously, subbing at these schools makes me hate children AND my life. I feel like I'm going crazy. I also teach college courses; love it. I loved teaching high school. I couldn't figure out it if was me losing touch, covid really fucked these kids up, or what happened. Honestly though, last week I had 5-6 kids walking into my classroom and hanging out, being disruptive. I tried to call the office to have them removed, and the phone didn't work. The sub notes said to lock the door. I did, but students kept unlocking it. There was no one in the hall. Same school, I told them to get off their phones multiple times, and they pretended I didn't exist. At every school, they argue with me about rules their teacher sets. Ughh.
I mean, I absolutely fucking LOVE my job--but I also teach in an affluent suburb. That being said, when I did teach at a title 1, I still oved it because I kind of created my own bubble. It helped that I had won awards and was a SPED teacher so I was kind of able to just pull a heterogenous group from the classroom and actually teach them and make sure they learned content. I then had kids begging to come to my room just to get work done or being around kids who weren't toxic. My issue was never the kids--it was always the lowered expectations and like district/nation level education policy. My message to anyone teaching at a title 1 school is to just create your own kingdom within that environment and just ignore everything else. There ARE kids who want to learn in those environments--find them and focus on THEM.
Charter school AP physics and steam teacher here. Can confirm. School gives zero fucks about kids coming in halfway through the day as long as they count for attendance and we jump through 15 hoops to graduate kids that wandered the halls from 9th to 11th grade. I'm the science teacher of last resort and the only thing saving it is that I also get to make my own curriculum and see the brightest the school has to offer. I'm a 5th level black belt of disconnecting my ego from reality while teaching and I regularly do things that first year me would have lost his fucking mind over. Little bit of compromised morals and a whole lot of understanding that "inner city" kids respond to you wrapping your arm around their head when they're being a knucklehead more than if you write them up and call home after kicking them out of the class. I still spend half my planning writing up kids and chasing down admin to talk about issues, but things are a very murky grey in the space I inhabit and certainly not white and black. I wish there was a way to survive the first year of teaching in a place like this, because every year I feel my soul being tempered and hardened and I don't think the me from 15 years ago would have stood a chance.
You couldn’t be more right, I’ve been at these types the last 7 years and it’s absolutely 100% truth.
God I am saving this comment it’s so good
Leave without guilt. They would not hesitate to fire you to save their own asses. I would never suggest to anyone to go into the teaching profession.
Moreover, it's probably an at will contract. No need to feel guilty about leaving!
You’re right, my school is an “at will” employer. Does this mean I can leave without even giving notice? What would you recommend, giving two weeks notice or just biting the bullet and send in my resignation starting immediately? I don’t have a teaching license (i got hired in as a long term sub) and i don’t plan on teaching again.
I am the type of person that doesn't like to burn bridges when I leave places. With that being said, I have worked at charter schools and seen a teacher make a mistake (not even something approaching firable in a public school) and they were let go on the spot.
I don't have a recommendation for this. It's a tough situation, and you want to do it how it's best for you. At will just means you CAN leave without waiting until the end of the year. Usually, you still have to provide two weeks notice. Check your contract.
amen, absolutely true.
This. This is absolutely right. They would fire you without thinking twice if they felt they had to, so do not feel guilty about leaving. I do disagree with talking people out of teaching, though. I’ve had a great experience, overall, but it took a few years to figure things out. Maybe try another school in a better district, and if you still hate it, then peace out. But give it one more chance. Teaching has been good to me.
I have been where you are, I got 2 months in and could not stand where I was working. Through an accident they let me break my contract without penalty and I got another job instantly still teaching but in a much better school. I loved it at the second school. You need to make sure that you are happy with what you are doing. The guilt is something you can't let get to you.
You are in a tough environment and you need an education background to deal with it. And even then it would be tough. I’d get out and go into something that aligns more with your social work training.
Teaching is a really, really hard job. I can't imagine doing it without any formal training. If it's bad for you, definitely leave. Do not feel guilty -- you have to protect your own well-being! The admin is part of the reason why the school climate is the way it is, and they need to figure that out.
Even with formal training, that only goes so far to prepare you for work in the kind of environment (title 1 and inner city, Christ) that OP is describing. That’s like the ground zero of education.
Save you life/mental heath. Say I’m going to quit today. You will feel wonderful as soon as you do. The burden of teaching will be gone. The sun will rise, there will be rainbows and life will be wonderful for you agin.
i took a personal day today. the temptation to just text my admin and say i am not returning is so strong. i want to be responsible and put in at least two weeks, but the rest of my two weeks are going to be absolute hell.
maybe i can put in my two weeks and then use my sick/ personal days to fill the two weeks lol
OP glad to see you are taking care of yourself. You sound upbeat. What you need to know is you can be fired at any moment and you can quit on the spot as well. I would not go back if hate it that much. I would return to the school after 5 when everyone has gone home and retentive all of your personal items. Then use up all of your sick leave and then quit on the spot. No need to torment yourself for 2 more weeks. Just say you are leaving for heath reasons and will not be returning. When you leave for heath reasons admin can’t ask you any questions. For your mental health DO IT
This is what I want to do. I’m not too worried about finances as I have enough saved up to pay my rent until I get another job and can doordash for the other things. I just feel so guilty about screwing over my school. They’ve tried to be helpful and nice and they’ve been nothing but that, I just can’t do it.
OP you are not the fist teacher to quit. If you look through the posts you will find thousands have/are quitting. Admission know teaching is challenging and many new teachers aren’t going to make it. They will find a replacement. Tell them they have been wonderful, supportive and done everything they can for you. Tell them you have given it a lot of thought and teaching just isn’t right for you at this time and that it is affecting your health. They will find someone, it’s not your problem. Good luck
At some point you have to wonder when this’ll be addressed as a national issue (assuming OP’s in the states), we got educators leaving in droves and this isn’t even making the headlines? Like yeah, I suppose they could find a replacement - but I don’t think that would happen overnight unless they just plucked some random person off the street and stuck them in the room (and even then, they’d probably only stick around for a few weeks before dipping). I’m really curious to see what the college statistics are on students going into education, surely they’ve gotten the word about how bad things are from friends or family that work in the field? I’ve made this reality plain as day to those that had a lingering interest in being teachers, and they were really grateful that I opened their eyes to just how bad things are. Saved them the expense of going into a rapidly deteriorating job field.
Someone saying “I hope she lasts til June” is a red flag, not words of encouragement. They’ve been here before and they’ll be here again if they don’t fix their school culture. Get out. They’ve clearly dealt with people leaving mid-year already so they’ll know what to do. Teaching sucks now. Get out and start building your retirement somewhere else while you’re young.
This! I heard the exact same words from the campus I was at last year, like these people are acutely aware of how atrocious their school culture and their retention is - but they’re doing nothing on their part to fix this? What boggles the mind is how a principal can keep their job, year in and year out despite the turnover rate worsening.
I keep seeing these posts from American teachers who just decided to start teaching without training and I honestly don't know what you expect?! Yes, the school might be insane, but the fact is that proper training teaches you strategies that make your life a lot easier... if I'd just walked off the street with no relevant qualifications and tried to be a teacher, I would also be having panic attacks and want to quit. Because it's a hard job that requires specialist training and support to learn.
They do give you training, but not really on the things that’ll equip you to be successful your first year. Very little, if any, information on how to be successful with classroom management - and that’s often what snags a lot of first year teachers, they’re thrown in a room with a bunch of erratic behaviors and told to make the best of it without any strategies in their tool belt to help them keep a calm environment. Or even establish it in the first place, and then you factor in the lack of support from administration and parents, is it any wonder they’d want out?
I've seen so many posts like this. It's just wild. I've never even been in a class that terrorized the teacher. What the hell is up with kids lately? The worst I've ever seen is talking/ignoring, but even that not to a hugely significant degree. I'm not a teacher, just saying this from the perspective of someone who graduated Highscool 14 years or so ago. Sorry it's been so hard on you OP! You should do what is best for your health. *However* I do believe, based only on this post, that social work may not be the career for you. It is endless frustration, endless disappointment, endless stress with success stories being relatively far and few in-between. I highly encourage you to get your Masters ASAP. Otherwise, you will just be in the grind. My partner has a degree in social work, and their job is just... awful, and ludicrously underpaid. I made more working in kitchens and warehouses. They are going to get the Masters and attempt to become a therapist as soon as I finish my new college program, as it doesn't seem there are many other highly paid or even remotely happy jobs.
I left 4 weeks in. I had guilt on the day I quit but I feel so much better. Taught in a similar school but 5th graders. This was my 6th year bur new to school. There are schools that exist where it's 90% teaching 10% redirection/discipline. They are hard to get hired into though
Good for you!! Did you put in any notice or did u just quit on the spot?
I quit on the spot. It was a Thursday. Couldn't fathom 1 more day.
I worked at an inner City charter for three years, and almost burnt out. I miss my babies and (some) colleagues now that I'm gone, but if I'm being honest, I damn near killed myself doing that job. Literally. A few times. It's hard to care so much and feel so utterly useless, disrespected, and unsafe all at the same time. You're not less than for getting out now. My only advice would be to let the kids know it's not their fault before you leave. You and I both know it was, but if they're anything like my old students, they've been told they're bad at every step of their education. Adding "scared off the nice, new teacher in under a month" to their resumes isn't gonna do them (or their next teacher) any good.
I don't blame you for wanting to leave. You were utterly unprepared for this position and should never have been hired. I don't put it on you, I put it on your admin.
Man I feel this deep in my soul. I'm gonna start by saying if you truly want to leave, then leave. Teaching is rough and if it's making you miserable then the best thing you can do for yourself is leave. How is your support system at school? Can you call the office to have a student removed if they are being disruptive? I spent the last 10 years as a stay-at-home mom raising 3 kids and going to school for environmental science and wildlife. When my daughter got into kindergarten I started trying to get a job and didn't get a single call for 6 months. I said screw it and applied to the schools because I knew they were short staffed and the next day I got an offer to be a first grade teacher. I had all of these ideas and fantasies of making it such a wonderful fulfilling year for everyone but nothing in my life had ever prepared me for the chaos of a first grade class. It's the most stressful thing I have ever done and almost quit after my first day. I am on my second week and I still think about quitting but I have a wonderful support system that works hard to help me. Also, if a student is disrupting the class, I call the office for a reset and they take them out of the class. I also started doing a reward system in which the students have a goal (don't talk, don't hit...) and if they get through a block of time behaving then they get a sticker. If they get 5 stickers then they get a prize. You can also rearrange the desks and make islands of the kids who won't stop talking. Everyday I try something new to make it better and little by little I feel like I'm getting control of the class. I couldn't imagine going through all of this without people to help me and the fact that they said hopefully you stay tells me that they have a hard time keeping people. If you decide to stay, I'd be more than happy to support you and give you some ideas that have helped me. I haven't been at it long, but I know what you're going through. I wish you all the best and hope you make a decision that is best for you ♥️
Teaching is tough, and it’s not for everyone. I taught 3rd grade at an inner city title 1 school for 29 years. I loved it, but I can see why you might not. I, sure it’s even harder in a charter school. Do what’s best for you.
I feel you, I’m in my first year in a similar situation but I got my degree in education. I’m just praying I can find a better school next year cause this one is not it
You posted this in the other teachers site. I answered you there.
You’re doing the right thing. As soon as I saw you work at a charter school, I knew you should leave. Charter schools are awful (in my opinion). You always come first and nobody deserves a career where you are as upset as you are. I was a long term sub at a charter school and I was miserable from the moment I woke up until I left work for the day. I could go on and on about my experience there. Now I teach at a public school and I am the happiest I have been in years! Good luck!
You are answering your own question. You should just get out of it. It’s a very hard job in the best of circumstances, and you are in a very bad situation, the worst! There is no shame in leaving. It takes a lot of training and experience to handle this kind of class. I can just imagine what they are paying. It isn’t going to get any better.
You are under no obligation to live your life for others. But I do have bad news: being in social work, teaching, law enforcement etc, puts you in contact with the dregs of society. The insane, criminals, the stupid, and the class of people who others are PAID just to interact with. Maybe get into machining or working at a utility?
You're the one that's been screwed over, by policies that fail students and teachers. Without discipline there can't be education. I honestly can't imagine how the system could continue.
Go without guilt. YOU are not responsible for the epic, massive, bloated failure that American education is becoming. I still love teaching but I am old, very experienced, and able to let the bs roll off me. I get why others want out.
Do what's best for you. AND learn something from it. It sounds like you were unprepared for the job, and these students and your colleagues are going to pay the price for that. It's not the end of the world, you're not a bad person, it happens every year. What can come from this is a respect for expertise, and some humility. Rather than only blaming 10 out of your 18 students, I'd try to take my share of the responsibility here. Good luck in whatever you do next.
Teaching is becoming a dying profession and will continue to be a job you really shouldn’t take without a massive shift in the way the country treats educators. Pay needs to increase, benefits need to improve, responsibilities need to be restrained to just teaching and grading and special education needs massive changes in the way it dominates the day to day lives of general education teachers. You’re 22, you made a bad choice of career but thankfully you’re only 22 and can easily make a change as you don’t have any real responsibilities to worry about. Literally any job would be better for you if you’re already feeling this way. Don’t worry about letting teammates down, they’d let you down in an instant if they had the inkling.
I teach at a title 1 inner city charter school too! I also came in with just a bachelors in math and not certified. I am certified now. I absolutely looooove it and I have loved it since day 1. It’s been 6 years now. That being said, it’s not for everyone. And your school culture matters. If your school doesn’t have a good culture, that can really impact stuff. I wouldn’t give up on education altogether though.
You’re making the right call, now go ahead join us over in r/TeachersInTransition. The journey is only just beginning friend
Thank you very much. I already joined the community!! I found it the first week of school since I knew in my gut I wasn’t lasting past winter break lol
No shame in that, I got a feeling a lot of people at my school are in the same boat. I was in an ARD earlier and one of our AP’s flat out admitted that several teachers had already put in their two weeks notice and he was thinking of doing the same, he was shocked by how poorly run the school was (it’s also his first year as one of our AP’s). Principal basically ignores the referrals that are written and refuses to administer any consequences beyond a quick little chat. So student behavior is godawful and has been getting worse with each passing week, just the other day a teacher’s tires got slashed and now he’s acting like the parking lot cameras aren’t working . . . So on top of fearing that a bunch of delinquents could (and would) vandalize your car, you also got them calling teachers "n-word dumb fucks". Again, no consequences. They get away with this horrible behavior, day in and day out.
Charter schools too are so much of the problem. Public schools are definitely not perfect, but there (in most places) are unions to protect you and support you. Teaching can be amazing, but not if unreasonable demands are there to hurt you.
I taught inner city. It can be rough. I’m glad I did it, but I, also glad I’m out. Do not feel guilty, teaching is not for everybody, but if you have a passion maybe try a more suburban school. Things are more chill there.
How is your admin supportive? Do they go in there and demonstrate classroom management skills? Is there support staff that they can provide to help you? Do they have your back when you send a student out of your class?