True or False: Teachers don't quit because of the kids. They quit because of the adults.

Yes, the last couple of years have been so stressful and the majority of the stress is because I have to depend on adults to get their work done so I can complete mine. Adults have made the last couple of years very unhappy but what keeps me going are the moments that I have with the students and being able to help them be successful. A student last semester thanked me and the aides because he was successful in his first semester of high school and that made my day. A few days I ran into one of my former students and now he has his own construction company-and I was so proud of him. I hold onto those special moments because it keeps me going.

I agree that it is true. I have worked with the most difficult children through the years, but when administration and parents are not supporting the students and the teachers it makes going to work very difficult. I have been blessed these past two years with a great supportive principal. As a speech therapist we often get overlooked; we are placed in the basement of the building next to the bathrooms. My workspace hasn’t improved much, but the principal tries to include me . She bought an air purifier for me because I have no windows in my room. I was given a specific parking space based on seniority in the district. I feel
appreciated . This support trickles down to all of her staff and makes a pleasing experience when trying to navigate all this sh**** in the last year.

True! Some Teachers at my school can be the worst backstabbing gossiping women. It is also the tone and school culture set up by the admin and the added stresses of this year.

I have never ever in 33 years resign or transferred from a job because of the kids it’s always been because of administration

True. Administration always gives me the tough kids because they know I’ll win their trust and rehabilitate them for future teachers. I’m good with that because the life of a kid is worth the investment - no matter how close to the edge of insanity they drive me. What I have no patience for, and what I’m sure will eventually drive me out of the classroom is the crazy, awful parents and the completely unreasonable demands handed down from local and state boards of education. I’ve no tolerance for any of the adult nonsense.

Adults! I have never been treated so poorly by people who are suppose to care about children. I am still shocked at some of the crap I have dealt with.

True! I can’t believe the same people that preach kindness to kids can be so freaking unkind themselves! It caused me stress for many years until I finally got smart and left.

If the adults were more equipped to handle students, teachers wouldn’t ever quit because of the students, so in any case, teachers quitting falls on solely on the adults.

TRUE!!!!!! The micro-managing gets to be excessive and the lack of real leadership is exhausting. It seems some admin let’s kids get away with anything.

It is ultimately the adults. Students act out for a variety of reasons and that can be handled if all the adults involved are on the same page. This includes the simplest thing...my school district says, “no gum.!” There are always a few teachers that allow gum in their classroom despite it being district policy. The little things like that build up and make you feel unsupported! Kids need structure and consistency, from all the adults they encounter.

So true. Between the district admin demands and some of the parents... just leave me alone so I can teach!

I'd say true. I think your administration and fellow teachers make a huge difference between your work satisfaction. My husband says employees don't leave jobs they leave supervisors...in my experiences I'd say that has been accurate.

I would agree with that statement. My most frustrated moments are when admin, district personnel, or parents won’t hold students accountable or responsible.

If administrators treated students like they do teachers, there would be no students left. My first year teaching at BPS school revealed how many struggles the students had, how much support they needed and how little resources the school had for them. I was ready to return the next year with a much better idea of how to help the students succeed, but the headmaster wasn’t interested in that. She expected me to be a master teacher right out of the gate, with no understanding of how hard it was for new teachers to adapt. Her lack of leadership skills created stressed out, miserable faculty. All of our PD was full of bitching and complaining with no guidance about what we should do. Turned out that my leaving that school was a blessing!

I retired due to tech demands and still being observed in this unique time. All the extra documentation , the hybrid with not enough social distancing and no increase in pay. I love the kids and know I could help more. The positives right now did not outweigh the negative. I felt inefficient and it wasn’t fair to the kids. Admin at my school was the best I had so far.

1000000%
I would teach for another 30 years if my administration had 1 ounce of integrity

Very true. It’s a combination of unsupportive, over bearing, rude parents & incompetent law makers who have never been in a classroom before - setting unrealistic expectations for how & what they think teachers should teach.

True. If the kids were an issue, you made the wrong career choice.

True and false, it depends on the teacher. Some never get their classroom management together and others struggle with the demands put on teachers. I'm sure their are many other reasons (pay, working conditions, etc.)

I feel that the adults have caused me to feel less involved and not appreciated. It’s sad how our peers and leaders have the ability to greatly affect the lives of so many.

Yep. That. Even if kids are disrespectful, the ADULTS won’t intervene. Grown Folks.