Just Why Do so Many Teachers Leave?

Question

This was a question posted on an education blog i read (http://electronicmentoring.blogspot.com/2005/04/just-why-do-so-many-teachers-leave.html).

There were some great responses on the blog, but I wanted to hear what sort of insight members of the Yahoo! Answers community have on this question.

Answer 1

I think it's got a lot do with the conditions that new teachers have to endure. As they have no seniority they are usually given the least desireable classes in the least desireable classrooms in the least desireable schools. In my city, new teachers usually start their careers in the poorer schools (on the east side of the city) and move further west into higher-income areas as their careers progress. Many schools and school districts don't put a proper mentoring program in place, so the teacher has nobody there to support them.

Answer 2

I am a senior in high school, and I really do not question why so many teachers have left and been replaced in the 5 years I have lived in this town (my town is really tiny - about 500 people - so k-12 is in one building). The kids are irresponsible, rude, dont listen, only care about themselves, etc. I can understand why so many teachers in my school (since being here since 8th grade, we've gotten at least 10 new teachers so far, or maybe 2-3 a year) decide to leave. In my school, it also the fact that since we are a small community that doesnt get a lot of attention, we dont have as much money to have all the teachers we would like (some teachers are made to teach something they have never taught before because there's not enough money) Now, I do not understand why students think they have the right to be rude and not listen and back talk the teachers. They are just trying to educate us and when the students act like they dont have to listen and can do whatever they want, the teachers cant take it. I do realize, however, that some of the teachers have come in not requesting authority off the bat, and then when they do try to be authoritive, the kids. Like my choir teacher who made the mistake of telling the chior that we do not have to sing (what!?), but do not disrupt the class. Now, I feel she should have never said that. 1) It's choir and if we're in choir we should be singing and 2) She threw out her authority right when she said that - now the kids dont listen. My favorite english teacher was hired about three years ago, and she came in all crazy (in a good way) acting like a bubbly goofy teacher. But, when she tries to get the class to listen they dont because theyre so used to joking around and it has casued the to even become rude. I've talked alot but all I'm saying is teachers leave because they just cant take the kids "abuse". Teachers should not be treated the way they are. They should be treated with respect and should be listened to.

Answer 3

Eric and Kevin really had good answers, but I wanted to add my two cents.

Teaching is so much more work than most people realize. It takes years of experience teaching the same subject(s) and grade level to reach your peak of efficiency, and even then, you're doing an absurd amount of work. The pay is far from commensurate, but even if it were, few people are willing to give up their lives for their job.

In addition, teaching is indeed highly stressful. First of all, managing a classroom is tough work even under the best of circumstances. Every day, for several hours a day, you're trying to get 25 or 30 people to do things they don't want to do. In many public schools, there is very little support to help you control the class. Secondly, there is tremendous pressure to make the students achieve. However, there is almost no freedom to do what you think is necessary. A teacher in NYC (where I work) is REQUIRED to have a masters degree. Yet he or she is treated like a trained monkey, and told what to do at every turn. Why require someone to have expertise, and then refuse to allow them to use it? If the students don't succeed, the teacher will always be blamed, even if he or she was just doing exactly what she was told. It's incredibly frustrating.

Finally, teaching is frustrating, for other reasons which are too many reasons to list. The students are frustrating to work with, and the parents are frustrating to deal with. Most of all the overall situation, especially the limitations placed on teachers, are frustrating. Nothing you ever do will be good enough. If 95% of students pass a test, you'll wonder why 100% didn't. If a low-achieving student makes a huge amount of progress, you'll kick yourself wondering why he didn't make MORE progress. And that's just the pressure you put on yourself. The administrators also apply their own pressures and judgements.

It seems to me that the only way to stay in the teaching profession is to stop caring and be a robot. Otherwise you will go insane from stress and frustration. That's why so many teachers just leave.

Answer 4

Teaching in this day and age is a lot of stress. You deal not only with students, but parents, a usually apathetic community who thinks you are overpaid when it comes time to pass a levy, but underpaid the rest of the time, other teachers, homework, addition educational requirements and the list continues. Add to this that in many states for the amount of time put in during the school year, after hours grading and lesson planning, and other time spent with your family on the back burner as part of the job, teachers are severely underpaid. Once you consider these factors, add in any new rules, the possibility that a student may come in with a shotgun, handgun, etc. More stress occurs.

With the stresses above, also comes the requirements of always having to have additional education yourself as a teacher. They have to keep up with what's current, plus to get ahead they have to advance their degree. Most teachers I know don't go into education for the money, but for the desire to help build the future and assist young minds to become all they can. For many, the dream they started with wavers once they finally start to teach. When this happens, many often cave to the stresses and find employment with less stress and less demands. Hence, they leave the fields.

Just my opinions from what I have seen and learned from personal experience. I tried teaching, it wasn't for me. I commend all teachers everywhere for the efforts they make on behalf of our children.

Answer 5

You must restate the question.

Why do teachers leave: a school, a geographic location, the profession.

The answers you have gotten so far are very good, but they only deal with the first two situations I have mentioned.

As to the last, why they leave the profession: They one day wake up and realize that they were never "teachers" to begin with.

Public education is inundated with the latter.

Answer 6

I think all of the previous answers are excellent, however they neglect the basic- The PAY. Begining teachers should compete with other professionals such as engineers and doctors. By far the vast majority of teachers I have know to leave the profession, and this is my 25th year, cite the economic disadvantages associated with the job. It is to the point that I cringe when my son says he wants to be a teacher, due to the economic disparity.

Answer 7

enable me to first state that i'm not a instructor OR an administrator. i'm a discern volunteer and the vice chairman of my sons PTO. That having been stated, listed here are some observations I even have made in the process the previous couple of years: a million. Pay vs Workload: With further and extra budget cuts to guidance each 3 hundred and sixty 5 days, instructors are being asked to do greater, with greater pupils, and deplete their very own funds on greater factors, than ever until now. With what became already a reasonably low income for the job they have been doing, it incredibly is only too lots... particularly whilst they are compelled to artwork under an underqualified, over pompous administrator who has offered 3 new BMW's in 3 years. She is overpaid, quarrelsome with pupils, dad and mom, and team alike, however the district maintains her contract because of the fact she has tenure. 2. loss of admire: As we are transforming into rid of the flexibility of dad and mom and instructors to effectively self-discipline toddlers, the youngsters have lost all worry of reprisal and as a effect all admire for authority, particularly the lecture room instructor who can do little greater beneficial than supply them detention. lots of them will only forget approximately relating to the detention as nicely. Many instructors circulate to artwork every day nervous for his or her lives, not understanding what pupil may well be donning a loaded weapon. 3. loss of Parental Care/Involvement: all of us elect to think of that our infant is the little angel. That it incredibly is different dad and mom toddlers who're those misbehaving and inflicting problems. many dad and mom have in no way shown up for a single discern/instructor convention. At a PTO assembly held this night, I we had precisely 0 dad and mom who weren't PTO officers take place. We had 2 of the three directors, a million instructor, and the place of work secretary... and we are seen a "good PTO". i've got worked with greater beneficial.

Answer 8

It is a stressful job because they are given responsibility with little power.
The kids are brutal. They have no impulse control and are cruel to every one. When they fight in your class room you can't even get between them to stop them from fighting. The parents take their frustrations out on you also. The administration calls meetings to solve their problems and not yours. Every few years politicians come up with the solution of the day they shove down your throat to look good to the voters. The students have been told for eight years that they will get in trouble if they do not do their work, and they get promoted any way. By the time they get to your grade, they think it is a joke.

Answer 9

1. P-A-Y!

2. Having to wear "too many hats" at once--teacher, parents,
brother, sister, counselor, nurse, doctor, pastor, etc.

3. TOO MANY FACULTY MEETINGS!

4. Apathetic or too-overly involved (helicopter) parents ready to
sue you over anything.

5. Corporate people who "thought" teaching was the easiest job
in the world...BZZZZ, wrong!

6. Kids who just don't care about learning, period.

7. P-A-Y!