8 signs you’re ready to leave the classroom

I remember when I first began sensing that it was time for me to leave the classroom. For so long I ignored the voice inside myself, who was quietly alerting me that it was time. That I would be okay. That my career didn’t have to die in the classroom. It took a while to listen to that voice and what really helped was evaluating other areas of my day to day teaching life. After doing so, it was like I had alarms going off, I knew I had to get out. I knew I had to listen to myself and that if I’d just ‘read the room,’ all signs would point to leaving the classroom. Here are 8 signs you’re ready to leave the classroom… 

1. You’re constantly stressed

You have digestive issues, your mental health is suffering, you have anxiety that rarely settles. Your skin is breaking out and hair is falling out. I’ll leave this one to the professionals, but I would seriously recommend reading through The Mayo Clinic’s definition of Burn Out. And I will say that no Classroom is worth the suffering of your physical and mental health.

2. You can’t turn your brain off

You wake up at 2:30am remembering how you need to help Freddy with His paper and you owe those parents another email and your administration is coming in to observe you on Friday. And you’re on a date with your partner on a Friday night and all you can think about is how you didn’t finish grading during your lunch. And you’re at happy hour with your girlfriends and all you can talk about is work. We’ve all been here, right?

3. You think about quitting and finding something else more than you do about the upcoming year

We’ve all been here, right? I’m not sure how much elaborating is necessary – it’s normal to some degree to dream about an alternate reality, where you don’t raise other people’s kids and instead you’re sitting on a beach, a fun drink in hand and you never have to step foot back into a school. But if these daydreams happen all day, every day… Maybe your subconscious is actually trying to talk to you.

4. You’re easily irritated in the classroom

Has your bucket of patience run dry? And no matter how many seconds you wait to respond to that one student, or how kind you are in that email response, you are irritated and can’t pull it together? I think as Teachers, we are so afraid of these feelings. We’ve been taught to have a cheery and kind attitude, and most of us are good at doing so all the time. But, I believe that in many cases our own irritation can be our gauge of how much more we are willing to take.

5. You’re struggling financially

I think it’s fair to say that we all knew what we were getting ourselves into when we originally planned on becoming Teachers, we knew this wasn’t the most lucrative career. But for many of us there was a trade off. I loved the Classroom and my students so much, I knew I would be ok with making less. Until the trade off was no longer justifiable and possible. If you are in a position where you can no longer survive on your Teacher salary, that is a telling tale.

6. Things that used to bring you joy in the classroom don’t anymore

This one was a hard one to swallow. I remember the days in the classroom when I was SO zealous, excited and energized by my work. Lesson planning brought me joy and my students brought me joy and I practically skipped my way into work (I really was that teacher, or tried to be). Then one day, the joy left. I’m an incredibly positive person, so of course I dug deep to find joy, I worked hard to see the bright side – but quickly it became impossible to find in the Classroom. 

7. You feel undervalued

I remember my first year teaching and being so excited when we were “given” things like ‘Blue Jean Friday’ or when we could ‘Donate $1 and wear a baseball hat.’ Well, six years in and that kind of “appreciation” wasn’t cutting it any longer. Trust me, I have SO much understanding that public school administration is also undervalued and overworked, but it’s almost insulting. You deserve to be in a career where you are valued for all that you are and what you bring.

8. You aren’t happy

This seems so simple and what I’ll say next seems so cliche. But life is far too short to spend so much of your time doing ANYTHING that doesn’t make you happy – a career, relationship, the town you live in… the list could go on. If you are continually and repeatedly unhappy because of your work, it’s time to really consider pivoting and leaving that environment.

I’m not saying officially leaving the classroom will be an easy decision to make, or that the process of leaving and beginning a new endeavor will be easy. But, I am here to remind you of your worth. I am here to tell you that after I left the classroom, I am happier than I have ever been. My work doesn’t control me, I can shut my laptop at noon on a Tuesday, or to enjoy the Bachelor on Monday nights (and not grade papers while watching). My burn out symptoms have reversed themselves. I’m not living on the emotional edge each day. I’m a better wife, friend and daughter. I own a thriving business, have incredible clients and am no longer wondering how I will pay all my bills. This won’t happen overnight, it will take work & dedication. But I am here to remind you: It’s never too late to build the life you want and you’re not bound to a career, just because you’ve given your whole self to it, for so long.

I’m here to walk you out of the Classroom – whether you’re shuffling your feet, or ready to run on out. Download my FREEBIE on how to get started as a Virtual Assistant. And while you’re at it, join The Early Access Club for the course I’ve built specifically for teachers wanting to launch their Virtual Assistant business!