Career change?
When did you know it was time to leave public education? I teach middle and high school in a small district in the northeast US. It’s a higher socioeconomic area with a heavy emphasis on athletics. This is my 14th year, but I returned from a year-long maternity leave in January. I’m really struggling with middle school. There’s been a lot of admin turnover, and while I think things are finally moving in a more positive direction, I don’t think I philosophically belong there anymore. My district’s policies really seem to center on validating students’ anxiety and avoiding discomfort. I value empowering students to push through and challenge anxiety and discomfort to learn and grow from it, but I’ve been told that we don’t do that anymore, that public education has changed, and we can’t treat everyone the same or hold them to the same standards. I have felt for the last 5ish years that I just can’t make an impact with middle schoolers like I used to. Help!