burned out teacher
I know I' m not alone out there. I graduated from College with a double degree in International Studies and Modern Languages/Cultures (French). During my senior year, September 11th happened, and I had to figure out what to do with a degree that had had a major change in value and availability of jobs. I applied to grad school for education, got a scholarship, and quickly got a master' s degree. I was immediately hired into the school where I had done my student teaching. Life seemed great. I got involved, started coaching sports, running clubs, and spending a lot of time working with students outside of the classroom. When I started to get a little bored, I simply picked up a second job to stay busy and make some extra money. It all seemed ok. Until the kids started to care less. I feel like every year there' s a decline in how much students care. For many, it' s all about the end result- the grade. They couldn' t care less if they actually remember anything about history at the end of the year- they just need to know enough to pass the final exam. I am feeling extremely frustrated and burned out because I put my whole life into these kids for 5 years and now feel like it was a waste of my time. Even worse, I' m completely and totally bored in my job. The challenge is gone. I can' t be told to get more involved, because I certainly am already about as involved as humanly possible and still working two jobs. Now I am struck with a dilemma- How do I leave teaching and what else can I do? I' ve always loved books and was recently accepted into a children' s writing program which I may do just for fun to occupy myself a little more and evade my boredom, but I need something more permanent. I' ve read studies that state that people generally only stay in a job for 5 years and move on. Well, my 5 are up and I' m pretty sure that I do need the change. The last thing I want to hear back is that teachers have such a great life and I shouldn' t want to give it up. Do I love the vacation time? Yeah, of course. But I work my 2nd job over those vacations and usually work more hours in those weeks than any other week in the year. The hours? Yeah, they' re great, unless you work 2 jobs 4 days per week, thus making every single day a 6am-6pm out of the house day. That' s the same as corporate America, if not worse. The flexibility? A total lie. If I need to go to the doctor, I usually have to take a whole day off. I' d kill for a job where I could say "I' ll be in a little late so I can get bloodwork done", instead of using a sick day for a 10 minute appointment. Help, advice, others who' ve been through it and can tell me what they did- all of this would be really appreciated. I' m just not positive what I can do with these degrees I have and how I can continue to make a decent living (I' m not looking for a huge raise- just what I' ve got now or a little more!) and be happy and a little more challenged. How about taking that experience and education and taking it to other countries where you can check out the culture and deal with children eager to learn english? You get to travel, you can write, and save up money while you live and work out there.
It's just not an option to move out of the country. I'm not "alone". I have a home, a relationship, and family nearby. I'm not going to ask my significant other, who makes way more than me, to move out of the country right now, nor am I going to go without him. I could certainly do some travel teaching in the summers, but not full time Two thoughts: 1. A friend in a similar situation got her M.A. in reading - became a reading specialist, and now tutors, which allows her to work from home. If self-employment is not an option, perhaps the school districts in your area have flexible schedules for reading specialists. IF not, perhaps a private school would give you a more flexible schedule, and may be more likely to have kids who are more focused? My daughter goes to a terrific private school - it's Jewish, and probably has a better cross-section of all income levels than any public school. The kids are very focused on doing well academically, and very involved in community improvement activities. My point is that her school would LOVE a teacher w/your background, however, b/c the pay is less than at public schools, more teachers leave FOR public schools than the opposite. 2. Other idea is also entrepnrl - perhaps you could segue into a school-consulting program? I believe this is a growth-area, as colleges and financial aid become more competitive. Maybe you could focus on Year-Abroad programs? I would have spent at least a semester abroad if I'd had someone to walk me thru the steps, and address specific concerns about living w/a host family. I know others who feel similarly. Another ex., neighbor's daughter was floundering in local h.s. (which is ranked among top 100 nationally, but is huge) - she hired a private school consultant to find the best-fit school for her child. The consultant also helped her find the financial aid she needed to afford the school (which turned out to be a boarding school one state away). Child is thriving and loving the new school. Do you want to leave teaching because you are "bored" teaching or because you are not making enough and need a second job? It sounds like you are working 55-60 hr. weeks most of the year and that is ALOT if you are not bringing home the bacon that such commitment should bring. If so, then it is more about pay than anything else.
It's a combo: I wouldn't mind working two jobs if my first and primary one didn't bore me so badly. It would be great to make more money, but no one goes into education to get rich. The first and foremost issue is to be happy in my job- If that means not having a ton of extra money, that's fine...I can totally survive that. I can't survive being bored at my job daily. You are a teacher teaching young people. What do you want from them? To aspire to be nobel prize winners? Sounds like you have a 7yr. itch teaching. Students were always the same. Your attitude has changed. For matter I think changing schools, or grades or whatever wont make you happy. Sounds like $$$ is not an issue but you want to make a difference. You may not feel it but you are probably making more of a difference doing what you are doing now than being some drone in a money making corporate office.
I don't believe that the kids "haven't changed". To prove it, I did a little experiment. I've been teaching the same level of kids with the same book for the past 4 years. I dug up my old records and looked at how my kids did the on "Chapter 4" test 4 years ago. The class average was 88%. I purposely planned my lessons off my old plan book and gave the same test this year- class average? 59%. The kids have changed; something has changed. I don't know what, and I don't get it, but it's definitely not the same job it was. I've asked other teachers and I'm getting the same response; the kids are significantly different. Something is getting missed in the lower grades and that makes it very very difficult to teach high school. I used to be able to have real conversations with the kids about current events and comparisons- i feel really lost now. The kids, at least my group this year, really doesn't care at all. It's hard to teach when kids don't care what they're learning. I am a burned out teacher too. I teach little ones, the problem is we are all being pushed way too hard and more and more is being piled on the plate that does not directly relate to the kids. (DATA AND TESTING TESTING TESTING!!!) The little ones don' t have background in anything but reading books and Math. We do not have time to teach things like current events, history and science. Most schools that are not making the grade are not permitted to teach anything other than reading and math. I want to know what else there is for myself as well. I want to hear from someone who has made the transition from teaching or in the process. I made the transition from teaching to corporate america approximately 3 years ago. My background may be a little different from those of you who have an BA in Education and teaching is all you have ever done since receiving your degree. I have a BA in Finance and after college worked for a brokerage firm which I was laid off from after 9/11. I thought I wanted to teach so on a whim I started a certification program and applied to a local charter school. To my surprise I got a job teaching 3rd grade. Although it was hard work and the hours were long, I enjoyed my first year. That is until I found out that most schools dont care about anything except standardized test scores. Pretty soon I began to hate teaching. I loved my students but hated my job so after my second year, I didnt go back. I subbed for awhile and applied to many positions in corporate with no luck for about a year until I decided to contact some temp agencies. Within weeks I landed a position as an Office Manager for a financial services company. My best advice is to really emphasize those transitional skills such as: Management: If you can manage 30 kids in a small class you can manage an office Communication: You talk all day as a teacher and not only to your students but also to adminstrators, parents, school support personnel. Technology skills: know the basics such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, & Outlook Administrative skills: Teachers handle tons of paperwork that doesnt always include grading papers & most teachers are good writers. If you have written any grants then that is always good to mention. Organization: No explanation needed. These are all skills that I emphasized on my resume and during interviews. Most temp agencies will make you take a computer test of some type so I would start practing. If you have good scores someone will hire you eventually and then you will be on your way to a new career. Good Luck and be patient. | |
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