I had an interesting thought

It seems like the only teachers left are either new to the profession or deeply passionate about teaching, with everyone else having moved on. As a teacher with 15 years of experience, I find it frustrating when parents accuse me of bullying. It’s ironic because those of us who remain are here because we genuinely care about students, not because it’s lucrative. It’s tough seeing colleagues leave, even those close to retirement, because the challenges outweigh the benefits.

Many teachers stay because they need to support their families and can’t find other jobs that match their salary in teaching, not just because they love the job. It’s a tough situation when transitioning out of teaching takes a lot of time and often comes with a pay cut.

@RaeganRevord
Exactly!

@RaeganRevord
You make a good point. Financial necessity is indeed a strong reason many stay in teaching.

@RaeganRevord
And sometimes those golden handcuffs feel more like bronze or pewter.

After 30 years in teaching, I’m too old to start a new career but too young to retire. Despite the challenges, I appreciate the good salary and summers off. I’m just trying to make it to retirement.

SarahPage said:
After 30 years in teaching, I’m too old to start a new career but too young to retire. Despite the challenges, I appreciate the good salary and summers off. I’m just trying to make it to retirement.

Hang in there!

I’m also waiting for retirement but still have a decade to go. It’s frustrating when people misunderstand the stress and challenges we face in teaching.

ScholarSam said:
I’m also waiting for retirement but still have a decade to go. It’s frustrating when people misunderstand the stress and challenges we face in teaching.

Just eight more years for me.

I’ve seen both sides in teaching: those who truly love it and those who seem to thrive on controlling and dominating students. I’ve experienced unfair treatment as a student and seen petty behavior as a para, which is disheartening.

@oddah
That’s a tough situation. It’s unfortunate that such experiences are part of our education system.

@oddah
I admit, I’m a bit of a control freak myself.

It’s important to remember that generalizations aren’t always accurate.

Calvin said:
It’s important to remember that generalizations aren’t always accurate.

Fair point, ‘most’ would be a better choice of words!

I’m looking forward to retiring in six years, although I still love teaching. The extra responsibilities are what wear me down.

KnowledgeExpert1 said:
I’m looking forward to retiring in six years, although I still love teaching. The extra responsibilities are what wear me down.

I can relate to that!

KnowledgeExpert1 said:
I’m looking forward to retiring in six years, although I still love teaching. The extra responsibilities are what wear me down.

Looking forward to retirement as a chance to ignore the non-essentials and focus on what really matters in teaching.

@tony
Exactly, what will they do? Fire us?

In my experience, harder discipline and IEP students often get assigned to teachers perceived as more capable, adding to the challenge.

Crystal said:
In my experience, harder discipline and IEP students often get assigned to teachers perceived as more capable, adding to the challenge.

My last years were made miserable by an administrator who intentionally gave me difficult students.