DISCLAIMER: Please read all of the comments and this article before taking this things too seriously. The reasons given in here are real concerns that I have, but they are definitely outweighed by a number of much more positive elements of teaching.
On a more serious look at the situation, please read 9 Reasons To Quit Teaching (And 10 Reasons To Stick).
I have been an advocate for teaching and getting new blood into the teaching pool since I started my blog. I love teaching. But I can’t see myself as a teacher much beyond this school year. At least in the traditional sense of the word.
So I give up. I am quitting my teaching job after this year.
Why would I do this?
There are a lot of reasons, and they have been piling up slowly for years. More recently, there have been a number of events in my life that really have caused me to sincerely doubt the value of the impact I am making on the lives of my students. So I turned in my letter of resignation yesterday.
I figured I would compile a list of 10 reasons (and these are just the ones I want to publicly air) I am quitting my job as a band director.
- Administrative hoops I have to jump through
TAKS testing. Lesson planning. 504 modifications. I like my principal (and all of them I’ve worked for so far), but the administrative web that has been set up from the top down really wears on me. - Paperwork
Budgeting. Fundraising. Travel requests. Purchase requisitions. Grades. Tardy admit slips. Report cards. Progress reports. Music stores coming to collect instruments from kids whose parents haven’t paid. - I am not valued enough
I don’t get paid nearly what I am worth. In fact, looking at some of the data on Jonathan’s blog, I don’t get paid even half of what I might get if I taught in New Jersey or California. - Parent emails
How many times do they need to ask the same question before they are satisfied that they will get the same answer? I mean, the kids don’t even ask me if they can go to the restroom as much as some of these parents ask if I really mean after school rehearsals are mandatory. - Students who don’t realize “No” is the final answer
Evidently their parents have trained them that if they ask the same thing enough times, they’ll get a different answer. Somehow they think I am as permissive as their parents are. - Curriculum
As a band director, I have no predetermined curriculum. I have to make everything up on the fly. I mean, I know what three keys the band will be required to know at UIL Sight Reading, but that’s about it. When I taught beginning band, I had no predefined goals other than “Make sure they sound good and stay in band.” - Too many negative ninnys
I get so sick of walking into the teachers lounge during lunch and hearing nothing but gossip about students. Get over it already! - Complainers who aren’t solvers
With all the negativity comes lots of finger-pointing. But nobody seems willing to step up to bat and figure out a solution. They are like the kid who comes in from making mud pies and complains about dust on the kitchen floor. - It’s just an elective
While I understand the value of the core classes and the state-mandated testing as far as school accountability and ratings go, I also understand that the ancients were onto something when they included music in the list of the seven essential liberal arts. But I routinely have students pulled out of band to go to dyslexia, math, reading, and science tutorials. - High school football games
As a middle school band director, I don’t think it’s fair that I have to travel to the out of town football games with the high school band. Some of the nondistrict games are as much as five hours away. All on a yellow school bus. The same goes with me having to go to the high school marching contests. I like the high school kids and all, but enough it enough.
So what will I do instead?
The opportunities are limitless.
- I would like to consider going overseas and teaching English in an environment that is much less hostile to teachers.
- I have seriously pondered taking up a career as a freelance writer.
- I’ve always it would be to have a career conducting staff development trainings. Topics could include classroom management, integrating music into the curriculum, or even who blogging can make you a better teacher.
- I have made friends in the music instrument repair and fundraising communities. Maybe sales or marketing of that nature.
- I could always go to seminary and get a Masters in Biblical Studies. That’s been a dream of mine for years. Maybe now is the time to do that.
What about you? If you had a chance to start a completely new career with the skillset you had gained from six years in the classroom, what would you do?
