We spend so much of our time at work, it really should be a place that adds joy to our lives. Let’s face it, teaching is one of the most challenging jobs in the world. It will never feel like a cake walk, but how do you know when it’s gone to far? Often times, we get so lost within the day-to-day tasks that come with teaching that we don’t realize we work in a toxic environment. Take this time to pause and reflect on your current work environment and answer the question “am I in a toxic situation?” Here are 9 signs to consider:
1. You don’t trust the majority of your colleagues
I’ve been fortune enough to have little experience in this category, but I’ve heard from teacher friends of horror stories of colleagues throwing them under the bus by tattling to the principal for rewarding their class with a movie or giving their students a piece of candy. I’ve even heard stories of teachers trying to purposely derail new teachers to see “how long they will last.” This is INSANE to me. As teachers, we feel like we have the world against us; the least we can do is have each other’s back.
2. You don’t trust your administrators/leaders
The degree to which the word “trust” is used in this statement can vary. For example, you may not trust that your principal has the skills necessary to turn your struggling school around or run an effective meeting. While that is bad, I’ve experienced and heard of principals who purposely pit other teachers against each other, cuss teachers out, and even fire teachers simply because their personalities differ. If you don’t trust your leader, there’s not much faith in your partnership with him/her to impact kids lives positively, and this can lead to lots of other stressors for you.
3. You are the big fish in a little pond
While this point doesn’t sound as dramatic as the others, it is still just as important. Often times, we begin at a school excited to learn and work with new colleagues and leaders. After a few years, we end up finding ourselves a Teacher Leader within our school, which is great! You will often see teachers organizing fall festivals, leading PD, and mentoring younger teachers. However, we can sometimes get complacent and a little too comfortable within our role. If you find yourself no longer learning or growing as a professional at your site and in your position, it might be time for a change! Complacency can often lead to bitterness…
4. You are bitter about everything (and everyone knows it!)
When I first started teaching, I was bright-eyed and bushy-tailed; eager to partake in all aspects of this system we call education. By year seven, I was pessimistic and complaining about all of it. Everything from meetings, tracking data, new state roll outs of standards, not having curriculum, having crappy curriculum, discipline systems (or lack there of), parents not being involved enough, politics in education. Everything about working in K-12 education made.me.so.annoyed and (for better, or for worse) I became much more vocal about these annoyances than I ever had been before with my administrators. Although my complaints were likely valid, I knew they were often beyond my control and likely wouldn’t change… my complaining only added to the bitterness I already felt. Likewise, I had a friend who once complained to the head of a department in our district about an entire program being ridiculous and simply not beneficial to the students it supported. He also recognized his bitterness and left that district at the end of the school year.
5. You work constantly (and are unhappy about it)
I’ve met people who work 70+ hours a week and love it… whatever floats their boat (although thats an issue for an entire different blog post!). The first 5 years of my career, I fell into this category, too. Eventually, I could feel myself getting frustrated with working 14-hour days plus another 8 on the weekend. I would get angry and would lash out at my husband for asking things like “how much longer are you going to keep working?” Sometimes I would even cry out of frustration. I was trapped in this ongoing cycle and felt I would let my kiddos down if I worked less. If this speaks to you, it might be time to consider a change.
6. You have trouble enjoying time with loved ones
This is one of the first indicators that work is consuming your life. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve been at a dinner with friends and instead of being present I’m constantly thinking “Man, I want to get this over with so I can go home, finish grading those quizzes and relax!” I once had a colleague who dropped her daughter off at college for the first time and came back feeling relieved that she was out of the picture so she could focus on work. She’s a wonderful mother and later felt guilty about allowing work to take priority over family. It happens to the best of us! Our loved ones deserve to have us present, and we deserve it too!
7. You feel unsafe
This one is touchy for me. I once worked at a school that looked, felt, and sounded like a prison. Teachers and students both expressed this sentiment. I heard kids scream profanities at the top of their lungs during passing periods, I broke up fights or escalating arguments at least once per day, kids were terrified of using the bathroom for fear of getting jumped, and teachers were verbally (and sometimes physically) assaulted. My first 3 weeks into this role I was fine. I was able to laugh off the crazy environmental factors and show up the next day and try again. After I was cussed out by a student for asking him to put his phone away, my sense of security immediately dropped. Administrators did little to try to help restore my sense of security and this student continued to be in my room and continued to cuss me out for simple things like asking if he had a tardy pass when he showed up late. Eventually my perception of lack of security began to manifest in interesting ways…(See #8)
8. Your body is showing negative physical responses to stress
This is a BIG one. As stated above, the lack of security in my school environment really took a toll on my body. I began first to lose clumps of hair in the shower. Then began the regular migraines. I would have nightmares of students being violent and I could not focus on anything (not even on Netflix). Usually, I’m diligent about exercise and reading for pleasure, but I couldn’t focus on either of those tasks long enough to get through an entire workout or finish a page of a book. My final straw was when I had my first anxiety attack ever in my classroom during lunch. I’ve had teacher friends whose bodies have reacted in other disturbing ways. Developing ulcers, not eating or over-eating, not sleeping enough, waking up in a panic in the middle of the night, vomiting, constantly feeling sick for no apparent reason. Once your body has begun to show these fight or flight responses, you REALLY need to listen and make the adjustments to improve your quality of life.
8. You have thoughts of crashing your car to avoid having to go to work
Yes. Seriously. And you know what’s sad? I’ve had SEVERAL teacher friends who have experienced these fleeting thoughts! Don’t believe me? Check out the teacher sub-reddit page on Reddit. About once a week, I read about a teacher who has this thought. I became so curious that I posted and asked who else has had these experiences and I woke up the next morning to 70+ responses of teachers saying “I thought I was the only one!” It’s not so much a suicidal mission, but more of one to injure yourself just enough so you can avoid being at work a prolonged period of time to rest or even catch up on lesson planning. Once your thoughts have gone here, you’ve gone too far and its time to take a step back.
See yourself in any of these signs? I know, I know… the perfect school doesn’t exist. Nor do I expect it to, but if you identify with the majority or many of these signs, maybe its time to reflect and plan for next steps. Sometimes changing your school, your position, or even a break from teaching can empower you to live a fruitful and happy personal life. When teachers are happy, students are happy (and learning)! We give you permission to do what’s right for you!
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