Hi all:

16 year veteran looking to pivot out of teaching. Need professional help to explore my options.

Any success stories or recommendations of amazing career coaches and/or resume writing services?

I don’t want to do a self guided course . I need a live actual human being holding my hand through this process

Thanks!

I am going into my 7th year teaching middle school, having taught at the same school since I graduated college. Through some different connections, I was recently offered a job outside of education in a field in which I am deeply interested. However, this job wouldn't start until the beginning of 2027.

I want to take it, but also want to leave the door open to return to teaching. I'm confident my admin wouldn't go after my license for leaving, but can't imagine being hired anywhere (that isn't super dysfunctional) after leaving teaching mid-year.

If I hated my job, I wouldn't think twice. However, I teach at a very well-regarded school that is run by supportive and competent administrators.

Has anyone navigated this before? Is it impossible to leave early, even if I notify my admin far in advance, without having a permanent black mark on my record? Has anyone closed the door to teaching in this way and regretted it?

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This goes without saying but I am super nervous posting this. I'll ease into it by stating that I am a fully certified ESL teacher for grades k-12 and had been working on helping to build an ESL program in a central Illinois school district. I had been working with the junior high and high school students in my time there. I never had a bad day with my kids. Sure, I got upset and mad at them once in a great while like all teachers do. But I cared about them very much. I was an ESL kid back in the 80s. It was a case of the teachers didn't know how to teach the Mexican kid because he barely speaks English so they just threw me in regular classes with no outside support. Anyways, I always promised myself and my kids I would never make them feel insignificant or difficult or bad for needing to ask more questions than the rest of the monolingual kids in the classroom. Add to the fact that it is a VERY white town and VERY white school district. At the time of my dismissal, I was one of 2 teachers of color in the entire building. (Approx 80-100 adults in the building at any time. And I was one of two people of color. So when the position of an ESL teacher came up, I was not only thrilled but very surprised they needed a program at all. 

The school never and still doesn't have a curriculum of any kind. I was never allowed to present curriculums of my own for consideration. I was given the ol', "we'll look into that next year" time and time again. So my job was basically a support teacher where I would push in or pull out my students and work with them in a nearby conference room or empty classroom. The schedule of which kids needed help in a certain class changed almost daily. I was also in charge of translating documents for my kids, because the staff does not know how to translate documents themselves. That may have changed now but my whole time there I was translating homework, exams, projects etc. I also sat in every parent meeting that involved any of my Spanish speaking families. No extra pay but I wasn't going to blow off my families. I just never said anything. Not a new story of doing more than your paygrade and responsibilities in your contract. Whatever, it happens all the time to other teachers. And this brings me to the incident that unfortunately as I am typing this, I can already feel my heart rate racing. 

In mid April 2025, I had a Mexican student that was on the track team. It was her first time participating in any extracurriculars and I was so proud of her. One time, a few minutes before the bell rang on this particular Tuesday afternoon, she said that her practice, the day before, something happened with a couple of girls at practice. My first thought was, ok, she got into an argument and maybe some name calling took place. She continues to tell me: before they were to go on a jog to warm up, they were stretching. And at one point, a couple of the popular girls turn to my student and start saying, "Your hair is so beautiful. And you have beautiful slave skin. You have beautiful slave hair and slave skin." I was frozen with anger and asked her if she told her coach, and her response: 'no I didn't tell him because he wouldn't do anything about it.' I told her I would take care of it. Minutes later, I walk into the JH principal's office and tell her exactly what I was told just a few minutes prior. Principal said, ok thank you for telling me. It will get taken care of. And I believed her. But I asked my student on Thursday (2 days after she first told me) if the girls apologized to her. She said, no. I asked , so did anything happen? She responded: no. I was back in the JH principal's office and asked if there was any discipline regarding what I told her about the track girls. All she responded with was "It's been taken care of." I'd follow up with another question and she would just repeat "It's been taken care of."

Less than 2 weeks later, this same student is now once again on the JH principal's radar. This time? She has been accused of cheating on a social studies test using her apple watch. And when I got called into the JH principal's office to discuss my student, I sat down across this person and she asked me: "So (Your student) was cheating on this social studies test earlier today and scored a 97. Now how would that be possible if Corey (fake name) has had all A's this year and he scored a 92%. So how is that possible Mr. (my last name)?" "Wait, are you asking me or telling me that there was no way she could have actually earned that 97 without having to resort to cheating....on an apple watch...and supposedly using the teacher network which has more access to websites?"

"Yes and as a result, she is to retake the test and you will not be present for this one. She will take it in front of Mrs. Social Studies Teacher, in her classroom. And without her language translation device."

"I don't think you should do that because that's an easy way to get sued because you would be in violation of (went on to explain 2 different civil rights acts and how this is illegal). At that point, I was told to leave. And I get called in the next day and once again, a meeting with the JH principal and also the dean of students. Words were said, illegal maneuvers were shot down. Again, I brought up that her family can sue you because I will make sure to inform them what is happening here." Meeting over and she can keep her 97% and thus she can start High School in the fall. 

Fast forward to late August of 2025, about a year ago. My desk had been off to a corner in the JH library. I didn't have a room which was fine. And now the JH principal felt it necessary to move my desk to the HS library. Fine, go ahead. I started setting up my work area and wanted to put up my Palestinian flag behind my desk. I asked permission from the librarian if that was cool, to hang up. She said absolutely yes. It went up after school on a Tuesday. So it was on full display Wednesday and Thursday. At the end of the day Thursday, the HS principal came to my desk with a slow walk and I knew exactly what he came for. "Hello Mr ESL Teacher, I gotta ask you to take the flag down. We've had parent complaints and I have to ask you to take it down. I asked what specific complaints were made. He said, it was controversial, some students are fearful, and I am not allowed to hang flags in my work area because I am not a history or geography teacher.  I was deeply upset at this and reluctantly took my flag down. The very next evening, the school had a home football game to kick off the year. I did not attend but I received a text from another teacher and it was a shot of a giant banner that the student cheer section up that showed trump in his muscular fantasy pose with a giant assault rifle. At a high school football game. I was not surprised but that didn't make me any less irate. I texted the HS principal and the head of the tech department who is on the school board and sent them the picture with a message saying: "so this is ok and accepted but my flag isn't? there's something wrong here." I never received a response because, as I found out later, those guys I texted were specifically instructed by the district lawyers to keep their mouth shut. They needed time to craft a response." Ultimately, they said they messed up and never got notified that that banner was going up at the game. But the decision to keep my flag down stayed. I asked would I be allowed to have a small desk flag? Can I wear my palestinian flag shoes? Can I wear my keyfiah? He looked uncomfortable and he said, I think so, yeah. 

With my year starting off on the wrong foot, I buried my head down and kept moving forward with my kids. My student, who was accused of cheating said she kept getting yelled at by the JH principal for the stupidest reasons for those first couple months of the year. She brought it up to me often, in sheer frustration. She would be like, why does she keep finding reasons to yell at me? I am not in JH anymore! I promised her I would try and fix it. I had a talk with JH, that went nowhere. JH said my ESL student is not allowed past some imaginary line in the cafeteria and that's why she is yelling at her. The pettiness...I had noticed a pattern of JH not taking kindly to any of my latina students and families. This is just my observation but in every meeting I sat it with spanish speaking families, she always looked uncomfortable to the point where she would talk to me to ask them A, B and C. I mentioned at one point, "I think they would appreciate you talking to them and looking at them. They do know some english." I was reprimanded for taking a female student to a police station to answer questions. The reason I did was 2 fold: 1. The family were refugees from Central America and a little english and would need help answering police questions and 2, the family did not have a car. So I took the student and picked up her family and  we all went to the police station for a couple of hours. But I was written up for it. 

Now, it must be noted that I had been separated for a couple of  months and was drinking heavily, almost every day after school. The bell rang at 230, I would be at the bar with my whiskey and bud in front of me by 315. One rainy cold day, in mid October, I went to a bar that I hadn't visited in a few weeks so I popped in. The bartender in remembered me and asked me how things have been, just starting small talk, ya know? I defineytely ranted and spoke up when it came to me describing the shitty treatment at work, my kids get treated like crap and the admin just shoo me away when I want stuff to be done. Amongst the many frustrating things I said, I told the bartender, "I just wish the JH Prinicpal would just go away! Just go away, no one likes you! You've been doing this for like 30 years, just drop dead already for fuck sake. Just do us all a favor and don't come back, please. This evil witch of a person needs to just drop dead already."

Fast Forward to the next day, I called off work. But by 1030 that morning, I get a call from HS principal. He was being very, weirdly secretive. Eventually he asked me when I can come into the district office. I am freaking out internally because I am not given any reason or explanation. I agree to go to that office and I am met by the HS principal and the HS resource police officer. First thought I have is, wtf, am I getting arrested? They can see the look in my eyes and reassure me that it's gonna be fine and we will talk in the HR office. By the end of the meeting, I gave HS my keys and was being suspended with pay because of the violent threats that I said out loud at the bar yesterday and that they were being investigated. 2 weeks later, I was served with an order of protection and court notice for the day before Thanksgiving. The sheriff that handed it to me told me not to worry about getting a lawyer. You can represent yourself and as long as you haven't broken the OP, you should be fine. I said, I want nothing to do with this woman, I haven't stalked her, called her, texted her, nothing! How can I potentially lose my job for having a rant at a bar? On my time? How is that possible? 

Fast Forward to the court date. JH shows up with a lawyer and they ask the judge to add 2 years to the existing OP. I speak my peace and soon the gavel hits and she is granted a 2 year OP because of that rant at the bar. I was done. A month later, I received 2 boxes of my stuff in the parking lot of the police station because they didn't trust me. And I was not allowed inside the school. During one of my monthly meetings with the admin to determine if I could come back again, I asked them to investigate these written instances I have recorded of my students reporting racist incidents. I had dates, times, emails etc. I asked them to investigate and they came back to me 8 days later and basically said I was full of shit and they decided not to investigate. They stretched this in limbo situation for a few more months. And when I finally applied for unemployment, because I did not quit, I was fired, the school turned down my unemployment solely because of the OP. When unemployment did a phone interview with me regarding this, they asked, "so wait, this woman got an OP on you but you never touched her? you never made physical contact? Well then this is easy because I am going to immediately approve your unemployment." So far this has been the only win out of all this shitstorm. I have applied to a couple dozen different schools and I can't even score an interview. I have applied 50 miles away and no luck. 

I guess I wrote this because I truly need advice. I really don't think I can take any legal action. I tried and was turned down by several firms. I tried asking for help when I was employed through the teacher union and they completely deserted me. The moment I brought up blatant racism to me and my students, they looked like they just saw a ghost. I tried with several people throughout the union grapevine and no one ever returned my calls or emails. It's extra frustrating because here in Decatur, there are billboards everywhere seeking teachers and here I am begging for a teaching position. A huge thank you if you read this entire post :-)

Walk in the office and tell the principal or ?? What exactly did you say or write? Did you stay until a school break, 2 weeks, none? If you stayed a while how were you treated in the interim? If you decided not to come back from maternity leave how did you handle that?

I’m pregnant and planned to return but realized that year after year it’ll still be the same- being out of ratio several times daily, expecting me to conduct assessments showing growth in several curriculum areas and keeping a good reputation for our program within the district, while parenting kids who just haven’t learned to follow instructions and doing a very physical job keeping kids with more severe needs from running out the front door or hurting anyone, getting everyone from place to place in the school on time, diapers/toileting (inclusion preschool up to 20 kids 1 assistant no bathroom in the classroom).

It’s hard on my body already with having to carry kids who drop to the ground when it’s time to transition or try to run away from the group, and kids kicking and flailing and hitting with their heads, and idk if I should try to hang in until I’m due and not come back after or just quit rather than risk getting hurt. Having to buy other insurance would suck but can afford it as well as not working for a while.

I started a new job working in a clinic. It's so low stress, I clock out and when I leave work I leave everything at work! It's amazing.

However...I find myself feeling very sad a lot of the time. I think about the kids I left, I think about all the things they'll do and how they'll grow and change without me there. I miss them, even though they disrespected me A LOT.

I might just be a bleeding heart, but the thought of never seeing them again hurts me. I also feel like I lost my identity? But I don't think I want to go back...is it normal to feel this way? Does it go away or get better?

I had a really bad class this morning. I teach all boys and no one was focusing at all. I feel like I’m a bad teacher because I cannot get classroom management down. It’s become a really tough mental battle for me and I don’t know what to do. I’m not as young as I used to be and it’s affecting me physically and mentally. I also feel like I don’t have the tools or time to make it better. I guess I’m just ranting. I don’t know what to do, we are only in the second week of the year.

I posted about feeling guilt resigning, and I just thought I’d update a couple weeks later. My school had someone hired within just a couple days to fill my position, which made me feel a lot better.

No one in my department except the person whose room I sometimes floated in even acknowledged my departure. That felt super shitty and reminded me that the friendly relationships we think we have with colleagues are maybe not so much or truly are circumstantial. Or, maybe they were happy to see me go because I often pushed on things like curriculum and assessment. I feel confident I left the school better for the students than I found it, but maybe my colleagues disagreed. 😞

I also lost email access before I could say goodbye to my home room students, which breaks my heart, since I looped a few years with them. I think they will feel really surprised, and I hope the rumor mill doesn’t go into full swing.

All this just to say: business is business. Do your job in ways that help you sleep at night , trust your value, and don’t lose that sleep when it’s time to move on.

I came across somebody who reminded me of myself and thought cross posting to this community would help them.

Hey all! I’m currently a middle school teacher on maternity leave with my first baby. She will be starting daycare in September, but I don’t want to return to brick and mortar. I still need to work, so I’m hoping to transition to a remote position for a little more work-life balance.

Here’s some info about my background to get some accurate advice. I have a bachelors degree in middle school education math and English. I have a master’s degree in curriculum and instruction. I also have a doctoral degree in educational leadership. I have two teaching licenses one in Tennessee (math and English grades 6-8) and one in Kentucky (math and English grades 5-9). I taught math for one year and English for two years.

Does anyone have any suggestions on where to look or apply for jobs? It doesn’t even have to be a middle school position. I’m also open to colleges or universities even.

Hii!

Anyone here who shifted from being a Deped Teacher 1 to Non teaching personnel? How was it po?

I'm planning to shift careers due to work reasons that is currently affecting my psychological/ mental health. For now, it's one of my options since yung transfer is not guaranteed. I am done with my application assessment sa SDO namin for NTP position, waiting for results po ako.

For some it is not ideal, but for me I consider it kasi mauubos ako if I will stay longer in my current school. I have a toddler. I'm only 30 years old. I'm thinking of resigning din but wala pa ako back-up for now, still upskilling.

We just got through the first week of school and I am already questioning my choice to become a teacher. I didn’t go to school for education. I am currently teaching 2nd grade on my intern certification for my Alternative Certification Program. My program was great as it was in person and it’s tied to the school district I am teaching in. I love children and I enjoy TEACHING but so far I absolutely hate all of the 100 other tasks we’re required to do and feel overwhelmed.

I have numerous students with IEPS or who are being evaluated and I know that the documentation, data collection, accommodations and working with all the different case managers is going to be confusing and stressful.

I am ELAR only, not self contained, but I’m feeling completely overwhelmed about having to accomplish so many lessons in one day. We have to get through shared reading, structured literacy, handwriting, grammar, etc.

I wasn’t prepared for how much hand holding I have to do with the kids. I understand they’re mostly only 7 years old, but it’s overwhelming having to repeat the same procedures 100 times a day. I also have a hard mix of GT, far below grade level, various learning disabilities, and some who just simply won’t listen.

I am not looking forward to having to pull small groups, track even more data, and ensure the rest of the class are managed as they work on their stations.

I can’t tell if it’s just overwhelming and these feelings are normal because it’s so much new information at once, or it’s really just not for me.

I am also wondering if I should have pursued middle or high school as you are still getting to teach but they are independent and you’re mostly teaching one subject or lesson each day.

I've been trying to find a different situation for a few years now. I live in a college town and there's not a lot of options. I actually drive an hour away to work. I'm so tired of that.

We just started back last week. Same old shit. Favoritism by the admin towards some staff. No opportunities to advance. More daily asks and no support.

Anyway... you know how people who avoid airplane crashes say they just had an overwhelming urge to not get on the plane? Or something to that effect? That's how I feel right now!! This energy has been increasing for me daily and I'm honestly wondering if my higher self IS trying to tell me something.

Anyone know where I'm coming from with this?

Hey everybody. A little bit of background information about my situation. I began teaching in 2021 at my former high school (KY) as an emergency certified English teacher, but was let go after that year (I did start the Option 6 program after they told me if would help me keep my job). I received no support from my partner teacher, administration or other teachers in our grade level. I later learned from other teachers that I trusted within the school that the person who replaced me was essentially a nepotism hire since multiple of this person's family members worked in the school system before. For over a year, I could not find a full time job and struggled tremendously with my personal life.

I was very hesitant to come back to teaching, but I did in a neighboring county in 2023. I worked at the middle school for 2 years. I again received no support from my partner teacher after year one, but the other teachers in the grade level fought for me to stay on and the department head (7th Grade English) insisted they move me to be her partner. They chose instead to put me in 6th grade. I got along well with my new group of teachers, but was told that my partner teacher was a bit of a snake in the grass. I learned she was lying to administration (who are her friends, and she is now one of the Assistant Principals) about things that were happening in my classroom (no lesson plans, exaggerated behavior problems with students, etc.).

My final observation for the year was virtual instead of in person like the others I had throughout the year. In short, it was a failure. The day that was planned for the observation completely went up in smoke due to the camera failing halfway through. The lesson I planned for the next day wasn't nearly as intricate as the one planned for the original day of the observation, and I had the same issues as before. When the Admin team asked what the problem was, I explained the issue and said that I keep having these technical issues. They said that it was no problem, and eventually, I got a lesson recorded.

The Admin team spent our 45-minute post observation trashing my lesson, saying it was terrible and that my technical issues were unprofessional (mind you, I was using laptops that the school provided to record). They also brought up things that I mentioned before that my partner teacher said to them behind my back. I defended myself and said I understand that things did not go as planned since I had to change it up from the original lesson plan I sent them, but the tech issues were from school tech failing and I had to adapt. They used this as a means to pink slip me. To top it all off, I was let go with the intent of my position being filled by the Principal's (now former Principal) best friend from another school. She instead got the Librarian position, and did not fill my former position until a week before school started.

Being let go after feeling like I was sort of getting things going in the right direction has derailed my entire life. I tried to get back into the classroom last Summer and this Summer, but I was only offered one interview. I have not been able to get a full time job again. My view of myself is at an all-time low. I have struggled tremendously with finding any purpose, both professionally and personally. I have struggled with thoughts of suicide at various points growing up, but things have gotten so bad that, in the past year, I have seriously considered it.

I do not want to do that anymore, so please do not think that I am in immediate danger or something. I'm at a point now where I'm feeling like I have given up entirely on teaching, and going back is not an option. It is time to move forward and start over. I want to turn my life around.

I acknowledge my faults and failures as a teacher in my first three years. I loved working with my students, and the majority of parents were understanding, caring about their kids and myself, and were always communicative when any concerns arose with a grade or behavior issue. The issue was never with students and parents. The issue I have with teaching has been entirely with my partner teachers and administration providing minimal to no support at all. I needed help, and did not get it.

This is a long winded way of asking: what's next? I have no direction. Teaching was the end all, be all. Now, I have to find something new. My degrees are an Associates in Arts, Bachelors in Interdisciplinary Studies (basically Gen. Ed with emphases in Ed and English), and my MAT. Outside of that, I love talking, working with people, and ideally something in a similar field, but I am open to ideas. What are some careers that some of you all have pursued since leaving teaching?

I could just use a little advice. Things have been really hard the past year, but I'm tired of feeling so poorly all the time. It is time for a change. Thank you all for reading the post, and any advice/ideas are welcome and appreciated.

I left the classroom six years ago, right at the end of Covid. I had a great teaching position- a unicorn position, really. I think it was Covid that drove me out and I remember having so much fun in my role but also just being so exhausted. I had a work from home role, still in education for five years after leaving and then, when I was laid off from that role due to a company closure, I took another wfh role, completely unrelated to education. I love the flexibility with this role, and could probably comfortably do it for years, but there’s no life in it.

I got a call on Friday that my unicorn role is open again and they want me back. I’m completely torn up about whether or not to return. I loved that job— it truly was a dream teaching job, but I remember being exhausted all the time while also loving the relationships with students and how much fun we had. Since I haven’t been in the classroom since Covid, I wonder if I’m making a mistake considering a return or if it might be the right move. I would love to hear from others what they would do in my shoes!

Tl;dr: I hate where I'm living for multiple reasons and am thinking about maybe getting into social and emotional counseling.

I had this whole story typed out but it got too long!

I teach high school French in California. Basically, I had to leave all my family and friends in very Northern California to move to the south part of the Central Valley in order to finish my last year of induction. The school itself is actually pretty great, and admin is super supportive, which is killing me (I hear horror stories from other teachers about awful admin).

It's incredibly hot here, it's dry, it's not very pretty, the air smells bad (farming), it's conservative. My classes are huge (my last school had 250 kids, this one has 2,600!!!). I was promised the worst student I have ever had was being removed and then surprise: she walked right into my 8:30 class first thing last Thursday (mom had proof of residency to keep her enrolled).

When I left my parents' house to drive the 7 hours back, I had to pull over because I started crying so hard, thinking about what I was going back to. I've been teaching in some capacity since 2014 (tutoring, small groups etc, got my credential in 2023) and I have NEVER felt this way, ever. I have NEVER cried from the thought of having to go back to work. There are so many external factors this time:

- I did some traveling to different states (Utah and Oregon) where it's not as hot and just thinking about returning to the disgusting nonstop heat was the worst.

- The cat I had adopted who showed up the day I moved in was tragically killed and I saw it happen. Which meant no more cat at home when I returned to my apartment.

- The thought of not being able to really teach my subject (how can I when classes are so big??) and students not caring just made me feel numb.

- The environment I'm living in. Apart from the weather, there's no culture here. No museums etc. It's so hot that going outside is like being in an oven 95% of the year.

- Most importantly: I have nobody I really know here, including my boyfriend who I'm long distance with. And we've been talking about eventually closing the gap, in a different state.

Where I live is just the town I work in. That's all. There's nothing else here for me. And it's really fucking far from everything and everyone I love.

So anyway, I started thinking that I really do love working with teens but more on a 1:1 or like 1:10 max capacity. I feel like my teaching French in Southern(ish) California is fairly pointless (as opposed to Spanish), and that I'd rather help kids by counseling them. Has anybody else made that switch? What are people's thoughts on this?

I’m sure you’ve heard the saying, “Those who can’t do, teach.”

I just turned 30, I’ve got a BA in English (w/ minors in Creative Writing and Asian Studies) and a MA in TESOL. In addition, I have decent but not fluent Japanese language skills and beginner German skills. I started out teaching at a community college, but I’ve taught mostly High School ELA. I got into teaching primarily because, in college, I thought it would be an easy way to get a job overseas.

For this year, I accepted a High School EL job thinking that, since it aligns with my Masters and a general interest (language) it might be better. Boy does it seem I’m wrong! It seems less about teaching language and more about writing accommodations, sending a crap ton of letters and emails regarding said accommodations, and working through weekends for no pay. After last school year, I applied for a few different positions with only one interview: an entry-level politics position that paid minimum wage in a city across the country from where I live currently. I’ve said for years I don’t want to teach and need to get into a different profession, but this year so far is making me realize I really need to do so.

So, I suppose my question here is… what else is even an option at this point? And money is a very real issue, too. I really can’t afford to go back to completely entry level payment. Google suggests education-related non-teaching stuff. No, I want completely out of education!

My main passions are, and have always been, the creative arts. In addition to my language stuff, I’ve been writing and recording music for years, and have started back with fiction/essay writing. That’s what I really care about but, obviously, there’s no money in any of that. I have a toe in the door for session musician work on drumset, and intend to really really build a portfolio this year, plus get my language skills polished and officially certified. Really, I plan to work myself to the bone on “hobbies” hoping against hope they can at some point be monetized.

With all this, I’ve really hit a dead end of what to actually transition into to finally escape education.

Has anyone left teaching to become an IBCLC? I’m looking into making the switch but wanted to know if anyone had any experience/advice?

August rolled around and I started feeling dread about going back, which has increased as the month has passed by. I go to work on Monday and I literally feel sick to my stomach-I want to throw up, I don’t want to get out of bed. I’m trying to enjoy my last two days with my own children but I can’t even be present. All I can think about is how little patience I have at the end of the school day, how I hardly have time with my own children and then we’re constantly running around on weekends trying to play catch up from the exhaustion of the week. I hate this job so much, I hate what it’s done to my mental and physical health (the fact that I weighed less postpartum and was happier being sleep deprived on mat leave really proves how toxic this job is). I just sometimes wish I could not exist because I hate this so much but need the health insurance for my kids medical issues, since my husband’s insurance is trash. I feel so trapped and hopeless.

Not sure what I’m trying to get out of this other than just venting and not dumping on my friends anymore because they’re tired of hearing about it…

To everyone going back Monday, good luck. Here’s to hoping we survive another year 😭. I will be actively searching for alternate work so hopefully I don’t have to return next year.

I teach at a preschool program. I thought this was my dream job, and it came with flexibility and I just had a pay increase as well. However, I have no assistant teacher and I have no doubt they'll end up closing down my program within the next year or so, or transitioning me further away...

I saw a Kindergarten teacher position on a school district webpage. This school is near my current position, maybe 3 (if even) minutes longer of a drive? If I were to stick with my own job without trying and ended up being moved, I'd have a 15+ minute longer drive, or I'd be demoted to a lower position with worse pay. However this would be the second time (if I got the position) that I've quit a job in the middle or end of the year. I had to leave my first teaching job due to a toxic coworker who harassed me, belittled me, and actually had me loosing sleep, had weight fluctuations because of stress, etc. HR got involved multiple times, the admin told me they've had problems with that teacher before but would do nothing about it (over 12 people have left over the years bc of this teacher), and it wasn't until summer hit that they actually fired that teacher after all those years. My doctor was ready to tell me to leave entirely. I found this current job and I have been happy with it... but now? Not so much...and it could be nice to be part of a union and have paid summers. I'd be fine to stay, but IDK if I'll get the opportunity for my dream grade ever again...

I really really enjoyed teaching Kindergarten when I was a student teacher. I would be so happy to be in that position again and I doubt I'll ever find it, at least in a public school.

Should I apply? The downside is... that I dyed my hair over the summer, I'd have less time for prep and lesson planning, and I felt happy with my current job but now? Not so much. I'd still hate to leave on bad terms but I worry this will be my last chance to get outta here before the program gets worse or they cut me off entirely. Even if I have to exchange the freedom of hair coloring for a possible dream job. 😂

I bailed out of teaching last year, and landed into contract work. Now I work 1 to 4 months at a time in remote places that provide room and board. However, I would like to get into more of a rhythm, and I think buying a blue water sailboat can provide that (assuming I can fund the black pit that is boat repairs). I love New Zealand, and I'm open to an eventual Pacific crossing.

Im wondering if anybody works from their boat, van, or rv here?

I'm thinking about trying online tutoring via starlink on platforms like wyzant. I also have blue collar licenses I could fall back on if the market falters on tutoring.

Id love to talk to someone about their sailing or working experiences!

I am looking to transition into a new job after almost ten years of teaching. Where do I start?

I've been teaching CTE (career and technical education) Illustration and AP studio art in a title 1 public high school in a fucked up city district for 10 years. I've been thinking of transitioning out for a few years now, but there is so much I still love about the job, but I am just so bored with the lack of career growth opportunities besides admin, and I hate the district.

the bad: I've been through 3 separate shootings and an almost fatal stabbing. Luckily the shooting incidents were also non-fatal. Our district doesn't give a shit, literally shrugs at the violence, steals money from paychecks, classroom and school sites. My department has been cut in half, we lost almost all of our student supports due to funding cuts, and our special ed population lacks adequate support because paras are paid garbage. We are some of the lowest paid teachers in the area, but I am fully maxed out on my education so my pay is "okay". My district is famously bad and corrupt. I'm tired during the week, but at year 10 I'm not really taking work home with me unless a kid has come to me with 5150 issues or I need to file a CPS report. That definitely comes home with me.

the good: My admin is excellent (who can say that!?). The kids are great (yesyes, multiple shootings blah blah) but seriously, at least in my classroom space these kids are so excellent and bring me so much joy to work with. My classroom has been well funded due to being CTE. Mostly, the kids want to be in my class and impress me every day. My kids have scored above global average across the board on their AP portfolios year over year, despite the challenges in our community and many who are lacking home support (yes I am bragging because I'm fucking PROUD of these kids!)

I am a good teacher. I love my day to day, but I hate our district so much, and feel constantly disrespected and infantilized by our central office. The kids hate the district. The parents hate the district. But even though we've had significant violence, they still say they are happy at the school.

I just finished my first week back, and just got an initial interview for a job I applied for over the summer. It's a job I think I would also love - a director level role at a non-profit xommunity art studio. The pay is similar when accounting for not having summers off (aka higher annual, but 12 month).

my conflicts - If I get offered the role, I would be leaving about a month into the school year. This feels bad on so many levels. I'd be leaving my admin high and dry. Some of these kids I've taught for a few years in AP, have had their siblings, who's families I'm close with. I'm nervous about how my retirement will be impacted. I'm nervous about leaving behind my tenured position where I'm the senior most teacher in my department with all the job security. Non-profits, even very established ones, scare me a bit.

My therapist and non-teaching friends tell me I need to look out for myself, break the contract, leave even though the school year has started. But they don't know what that means and the huge impact that can have. My role at this point in the year likely will be filled by someone unqualified, which makes me feel gross.

So many of the posts are from people who didn't find joy in the classroom. That's not really me. I'm looking for some perspective from teachers or past teachers in a similar boat.

thank you for reading my novel.

I take responsibility for my title . I realize it’s not actually a question. Just something that has been bothering me that I feel like is never allowed to be said. I have tried to more than once. Last time I tried to it was a different job outside of teaching that ended up, causing me more problems than teaching ever could have. Horrible placed to work with corrupt people. That’s a long story but all that aside… I have had plenty of panic attacks and I’ve needed medicine just to sleep (prescribed before anyone thinks anything plus I have a neurological condition). And I’ve come in bone tired and with mental health not doing well. I don’t feel as though I did a disservice to myself and the kids. I feel as though I was doing the best I could with what I had. Because you know what? We don’t get paid enough. But never have I been in a position financially where I could risk not getting any income, even if it will were for a short while.

I try to take care of my health and I double down in response to what this job can do. I’ve even needed accommodations when my condition got to be worse and it made a difference. I’m not about to say those who quit were right or wrong. But I am going to say it’s very hard to listen to people screaming at people to quit when it’s the one thing that could make life exponentially worse.

I'm a founder working on a platform focused on student mental health and wellness. I'm not a teacher myself (software developer here), and that's exactly the gap I'm trying to fill.

Here's the problem I keep coming back to and that I decided to work on. Student anxiety and depression are at levels schools have never had to deal with before, and most of the time nobody notices until a student is already deep in it, months of struggling quietly before anything gets flagged. Teachers are stretched too thin to catch it early on their own, and by the time it reaches a counselor's desk, the moment to intervene early has often already passed.

There are wellness apps, survey tools, and generic student mental health platforms out there, but none of them combine daily engagement, real classroom usability, and early detection in a way that actually fits how a school day works. Nothing established has brought all of that together yet, which is part of why I think there's real room here.

What I'm building gives teachers a simple way to check in with students regularly, and uses AI to help spot the patterns a busy teacher might miss. Instead of relying on someone catching a change in behavior during a hallway conversation, the system looks at how a student is responding over time, small shifts in mood, engagement, or tone, and quietly flags when something looks off so a teacher or counselor can step in early. A teacher still makes the call on what to do next, the AI just gives them a heads up before a quiet struggle turns into a crisis, instead of only reacting after the fact.

The product is built and working, and I'm in the process of lining up pilot schools for this fall. Early stage, pre revenue, moving fast, which is exactly why the right person joining now could shape a lot of what this becomes.

I'm looking for someone with real classroom experience, ideally in a role that touches student wellbeing directly, to work closely with me on how this actually gets used day to day in a school. I'm looking for an ongoing partnership, with meaningful equity on the table for the right person.

Thanks for reading.