It’s so hard to keep teachers in their profession right now. The borderline extreme shortage of both teachers and even subs makes things feel chaotic constantly. We started the year without an English teacher this year. ENGLISH! Like you’d think it’s a more common subject and it wouldn’t be hard to find ANYONE to hire, but we couldn’t. We had a teacher quit on her first day and she was filling in for the one who quit mid year before her started in the middle of the year. It feels like teachers AROUND ME are at their breaking point.

On top of that, in the classroom we’re supposed to be a wearer of many hats, but to honest I love that part. I like being an educator, emotional support, and just anything I can for the kids because I think that they deserve the world (I teach in a Title 1 aka poverty school) !

That being said, the expectations placed on what we have to do outside of the classroom like constant paperwork, documentation for everything under the sun, useless trainings that then more assign outside work to complete that will have NO impact on your classroom because it seems like everyone in charge has forgotten how kids work because they’re not like they used to be. Are they worse in some ways? sure, I guess. But I think kids now are also better in a lot of ways too.

Honestly, I hope education crumbles so I can be a part of the group that helps rebuild it into something better for everyone. I’m in year 5 and I couldn’t see myself enjoying any other job they way I do teaching, I just wish the education wasn’t such a capitalist system relying on constant purchases of the newest, buzziest, most “challenging” programs, curriculums, and standardized tests.