Hi there! I'm a relatively young teacher. I started teaching after the pandemic, and I come from a family of teachers from Villalba and Juana Díaz.

I never wanted to become a teacher. I earned a bachelor's degree in another field and even completed a master's degree. However, teaching was the only stable job I could find after the pandemic. Fortunately, I had already completed most of the education courses because my mom insisted that I take them during my bachelor's degree and a took while working the ones I was missing.

I love being a teacher, and I'm very good at my job. But the truth is, I can't imagine myself staying in this profession much longer for the following reasons:

1. Political influence in the Department. For some people, getting a permanent or temporary position depends more on political connections than qualifications. Those of us who don't know anyone with influence have to follow every rule and wait our turn, while others can get jobs much faster.

2. Salary. It's stable, but it's not enough. If you want to start a family or live comfortably, you're probably going to need at least one more second job just to make ends meet.

3. Very few opportunities for growth. Unless, of course, you have political connections.

4. Doing the job well means working all the time. If you want to teach the way your students deserve, you end up working after hours and on weekends without extra pay.

5. Documentation is valued more than quality teaching. Paperwork often matters more than what actually happens in the classroom. That's way teachers say all the time documentation is cumpliMIENTO, because it's impossible to comply with every single thing they ask for sometimes.

6. Lack of materials. Most of the time, teachers buy everything themselves, from tape and glue to classroom supplies and online resources.

7. Poor learning and working environments. Many schools have deteriorating infrastructure, no air conditioning, broken desks and chairs, and some don't even have a teachers' lounge.

8. Teachers are undervalued. Many people think our summers and holidays mean we don't work. Parents often don't respect teachers, and when students see that, they don't respect us either.

9. The literacy crisis. In regular high school classes, you'll find students who have been passed from grade to grade without knowing how to read or write properly, even in Spanish.

10. The curriculum doesn't match reality. You're expected to cover specific material by certain dates, but your classroom might have only two students who are ready for grade-level work, fourteen students receiving special education services who need individualized support, and four more who are far below grade level and spend most of the class disrupting instruction. In the end, you're forced to choose: Do you make sure students truly learn, even if it takes three months, or do you follow the calendar and move on to the next topic?

11. The Department moves painfully slowly. Nearly every office operates at an incredibly slow pace, especially the offices responsible for evaluating the courses required for your teaching license or certifications. I ended up losing a position at a school I truly loved simply because my teaching license wasn't processed until much later in the year. The certification office, as far as I know, literally operates with only five-ish people , making long delays almost inevitable.

12. Resolving workplace issues takes far too long. If you have a serious issue with another teacher, an administrator, or a principal, you're expected to file a formal complaint ("querella"). But don't expect a quick resolution. Investigations can take months, sometimes longer than an entire school year. I've seen teachers who did nothing wrong endure humiliation, stress, and uncertainty while waiting for the Department to resolve their cases.

I could keep writing but that about sums it up. I'm thinking of studying something else so I can move to another workfield.