What Finally Made Me Leave Teaching

Once upon a time this would have been a shocking headline. However, the unfortunate reality is that education in America feels more and more like the last hour of the movie, Titanic. Put gently, teachers are on a sinking ship built on false promises and delusions of grandeur. This is the state of our education system and, frankly, there aren’t near enough lifeboats. People can’t seem to evacuate from the profession fast enough.

Here’s the deal, I taught for 10 years. Even longer if you count subbing, summer camps, and after-school programs. I was a classroom teacher in public schools for a third of my lifetime. But when I look back, I don’t feel like I was anything phenomenal. I wasn’t the best teacher I ever knew and I worked hard not to be the worst. In fact, my reflections are filled more with “I should’ve done this” or “I wish I had done that”. Isn’t it absurd? Here I have a decade of amazing young people looking back at me on my Facebook feed that are walking and talking success stories of the power of teaching. Once upon a time they were awkward, anxious and apprehensive adolescents seeking guidance and direction and now I’ve had the honor of seeing “my kids” grow up. They are becoming fantastic adults some of whom are wonderful teachers themselves. And my reflex reaction is: I should’ve done more.

Well, if that doesn’t capture the inner workings of a teacher, I don’t know what does. Don’t get me wrong, teaching is HARD. I have an unfinished blog article trapped in the vortex I’ve named “a teacher trying to convey to the outside world WHY TEACHING IS SO HARD”. Where do I even begin? It seems like I will inevitably leave something (many things) out in that explanation.

Okay, okay, but if teaching is so hard, why did it take me so long to leave? Why is it so hard for me not to miss it every day? The money is terrible. Your life is on the line (that’s a new added bonus). You’re one stupid mistake from a lawsuit crushing your career (at least that was my takeaway from those union meetings). And everybody that ever went to school thinks they know how to teach.

But all those hours spent decorating a classroom more often than my own home…seeing all those eyes light up over the years“when it clicks”… having a child have a breakthrough with you…being the adult for kids who had to adult themselves…it just…lingers. The truth is, teaching fulfills the soul in such a unique way. It shapes you into being a better human. I miss feeling pride when saying, “I’m a teacher” and seeing the absolute dread in the other person’s eyes.

So What Finally Made Me Leave?

So I admit when I was choosing between a really phenomenal teaching job or working for an EdTech company, I chose the latter. Because the truth is, as much as I missed teaching, teachers needed heroes, too. They need more people to listen to them, to support them, to join the fight in making education a better world. And I’m proud to say I work for a company, called Lalilo, that does just that.

The whole reason I went into teaching was to be able to make a real difference. I wanted to be a lifelong learner, pass on my love for learning and build authentic relationships. Thanks to Lalilo, I finally get to do that in a place where I am both fulfilled and appreciated. I get to be a part of really shaping education in a meaningful way and empowering teachers to truly get to do what they do best — teach.

Our mission, unlike many companies in the edtech industry who *think* they know what’s best for teachers (having barely been in a classroom themselves) is to create a technology for teachers by teachers. Really.

I spend my days emphatically asking teachers to grade us harshly. Begging teachers to mark us down so we can grow. And you know what’s amazing? To hear the answers to what teachers say for “What do YOU want?” Because the truth is, they NEED so much. It should be a very long list.

But it isn’t.

It’s always simple and it’s *always* about the kids.

“I want more time with them.”

“I want a tool that helps me see what they see.”

“I want my students to be engaged.”

Simple. As hard as teaching is, the answer can be simple if we just trust our teachers. CHOOSE KIDS.

So here I am another statistic in teacher turnover so that I can be part of why I started teaching in the first place: to make a difference. To help teachers help kids. To listen to teachers and to do everything in my power to allow them to do what they do best: TEACH.

So, if you’re a teacher who needs more fans, I’d love to cheer you on and help you cross that finish line. Message me.

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