The Difficult Choice: Why Some Teachers Choose to Leave the Classroom

We’ve all heard it said at some point.  You may have even been the one who said it: “If it weren’t for x teacher, I would have been on a completely different path than I am now.”  Teachers have the ability to make such a tremendous impact on their students. Because of this, advocates of education often encourage eager and willing individuals to make a difference in the lives of the children. There is nothing more rewarding than seeing children excited to learn.  As a result, it’s not a surprise when we meet someone who finds joy in the day to day of teaching.

What does come as a surprise, though, is when those same teachers suddenly pack up and leave the classroom to become an administrator, policy maker, teacher coach, or other non-classroom role. It seems strange when someone who finds so much joy in something will seemingly give it up for something completely different. Teachers are not always supported for choosing to go this route, causing them immediate self-doubt, bitterness, and especially guilt for what and who they are leaving.

This isn’t just a hypothetical situation.  Teachers continue to leave the classroom with fewer and fewer years of experience.  At present, approximately 50% of our teachers have less than 10 years of teaching experience, and this number is trending down, not up.  Some cite alternative certification programs as the cause, but the reality is that these programs constitute only a fraction of a percent of the entire teaching workforce.  This is a much wider trend where teachers see the classroom as a desirable but temporary stop.

In order to understand why teachers make this choice, it is important to first acknowledge the facts around how teachers view their profession. The most recent MET Life Survey of the American Teacher revealed in a study that since 1985, teacher job satisfaction has declined significantly.  In 2012, more than 51% of teachers in the same survey indicated that they experienced great stress at least several days per week.  The survey suggests that much of this is due to a teacher’s locus of control, their student’s achievement levels, and their school environment.  This could also explain the high teacher turnover from year to year, particularly in urban school settings.

Some critics disagree with a teacher needing to leave the classroom in order to make difference.  Teaching alone is a calling, and that should be enough.  But, the reality is that teachers are limited in what or who they are able to actually influence beyond the students they teach on a daily basis.  Furthermore, if you were to ask 100 teachers what they thought about the state of education and its current practices, you would hear 100 different opinions.  But if we were to be honest with ourselves, how many of those teacher’s opinions (whether legitimately defended by evidence or not) would have a chance at being in front of a larger audience or have the opportunity to be implemented? Quite simply, teachers are dissatisfied with the state of education and many feel they cannot make an impact by remaining in the classroom.

So where are teachers going when they leave the classroom?  Some teachers leave for roles in administration.  It’s necessary to note that there is very little transition between a career as a teacher and as an administrator.  In many other careers, there is usually a ladder of promotion, leadership, and success that people progress towards by achieving one rung at a time.  For teachers, even great success often means that they will continue to do the same job next year as they did the year before without increased responsibility.  If a teacher wants to move into an administrative role, they have to jump directly from the classroom to the office, which almost always means giving up classroom teaching.  To counter that, some schools are moving towards a few hybrid roles where teachers are able to be in the classroom part time and having another responsibility for the other part.  For example, a teacher who has shown to be highly effective in classroom instruction may teach students as well as coach newer teachers at the school. Unfortunately, these roles are not a high demand nor are they a good fit for every teacher seeking to broaden their impact.

Rather than moving into administrative roles, some teachers transition to teacher development positions outside of the classroom where they are responsible for coaching teachers and helping them to see success in their classrooms. I made that choice as well.  After teaching and being an administrator, I began to think about what more was possible as an educator and advocate of inner-city children.  An opportunity presented itself to transition to a coaching role, which I accepted.  I knew that if I was going to work towards that broader impact, I had to have access to more than just one school.  It was one of the smartest decisions I could have made for my career; however, now that I have been exposed to the larger context of educators, I see that other teachers made (and are continuing to make) a similar choice for their career, too.

Despite all attempts, we cannot hide from the fact that if a teacher feels their impact is restricted by the four walls, their opinions are neither valued nor validated, or they are submitting to a larger set of expectations or policies they do not agree with, they will continue to search for a way to make it happen.  Rather than criticizing them for “leaving their students,” let’s instead celebrate their zeal for knowledge, moral convictions, and self-awareness.  Those are the impactful qualities that teach students how to be successful in their future endeavors.

By Elana Cole