Why Are Teachers Leaving Education?

As someone who is new to teaching, I will not sit here and pretend to fully understand everything veteran teachers have endured over the years. I do not yet have decades of experience to draw from. However, I can speak honestly about what I have observed in my year and a half in the classroom, and what I have learned in that short time is both eye opening and concerning. Teaching today is no longer just about teaching content. It has evolved into a profession that often requires educators to act as the judge, the juror, and the executioner, so to speak, all while being expected to maintain patience, professionalism, and compassion at every turn.

Teachers are no longer responsible only for creating lesson plans and delivering instruction. We are expected to track detailed data on every student, documenting academic growth, behavior patterns, interventions, and accommodations. As a high school teacher, I average over 100 students each semester. On top of that, I often teach four to six different subjects within that same timeframe. Each subject requires its own planning, grading, assessments, and data collection. This workload alone is overwhelming, yet it is only one piece of the larger picture.

In addition to instructional responsibilities, teachers are required to jump through countless administrative hoops. We must complete a set number of continuing education hours each year, attend mandatory staff development meetings, and log a specific number of parent engagement hours. While professional growth and communication with families are important, the sheer volume of these requirements adds significant strain to an already demanding job. At this point, many people respond by saying, “You knew what you were signing up for when you decided to become a teacher.” To some extent, that is true. We understood that teaching would be hard work. What we did not sign up for was the ever growing list of expectations placed on us without adequate support from administration.

One of the clearest examples of this lack of support is how student behavior is handled. In my school, there are two lists: Classroom Managed Behaviors and Office Managed Behaviors. The list of behaviors teachers are expected to manage on their own is nearly twice as long as the list of behaviors administration is willing to handle. Teachers are expected to instruct, manage the majority of discipline issues, keep up with grading, track data, and meet administrative requirements, all at the same time. When discipline policies are structured this way, it sends a clear message that classroom teachers are largely on their own.

This leads directly to the question many people are asking: Why are teachers leaving the profession? The answer is simple. There is a lack of support from both administration and parents. Children are no longer consistently held accountable for their actions. In many cases, they are allowed to challenge authority openly and behave in ways that would not have been tolerated in the past. I once had a student throw his assignment at me in order to “turn it in.” When I calmly asked him to pick it up and place it in the appropriate location, he argued with me and made comments such as, “You need to say please.” When I sent him to the office, he never actually went. When I followed up with the principal, I was told that I was not justified in asking the student to leave my classroom. Situations like this make it clear to students that consequences are optional.

Students quickly learn that there is little authority behind disciplinary actions. Many have no respect for administrators, so being sent to the office carries no weight. If we want teachers to remain in this profession, administrators must begin actively supporting their teachers. Parents must also support educators and recognize that discipline and accountability are necessary parts of learning and growth.

We are not doing our children, or society as a whole, any favors by refusing to hold them accountable. Failure is not something to be feared; it is something to be learned from. Allowing students to experience consequences prepares them for real life, where actions have outcomes. Teaching should be challenging, but it should not be unsustainable. Until meaningful support is restored, the teacher shortage will only continue to grow.