I recently retired from teaching and make $45/hour as a cocktail waitress at a luxury hotel!! My customers are so sweet and thankful, I am actually feeling appreciated for once after 20 years of teaching..... One gift that a seasoned teacher brings to the workforce is an incredible work ethic, the ability to get along with a diverse group of co-workers, and being calm in very stressful situations....

@PrimaryFocus

11 ай бұрын

I’m so glad you’re doing so well! My manager at my part time job loves to hire teachers for this same reason 😄

Not to mention teachers are now expected not only to make sure their students acedemics are on track but also are responsible for teaching kids basic social skills. Manners, anger management, tantrum deescalation, basic how to socialize and they sure aren’t paid for that. Parents in my district are not teaching that stuff at home and it’s very apparent. I just got into teaching and I realize it’s so emotionally and physically draining… no matter how hard you work you will never be compensated accurately. And the fact it’s just expected of teachers to bring their work home or work after hours unpaid is just crazy. There is no time to care for oneself. It’s trying to pour from an empty pitcher and state and admin won’t give you any chance to get more water

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Your pitcher metaphor is spot on! I completely understand- I spent years working on boundaries in teaching because it was exhausting to be so busy all the time. I hope you can find a way to make it work- and if it doesn't, know that even a year teaching is a huge accomplishment.

@misterb1132

Жыл бұрын

If teachers would stop taking work home and staying late, districts wouldn't expect it. I haven't taken anything home to do except lesson plans in 20 years. Took me about 8 years to realize I was being a fool.

Also here from Reddit! The micromanaging and control - things like what you mentioned about the snow day - it is a rampant malignant cancer in this field. Many many of us support you and will be joining you in similar journeys in the upcoming years. Great work with the vid, and I’ll be keeping up with your channel! Best wishes.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for your support Stephanie! It’s so frustrating because teachers are all leaders in their classrooms, but when it comes down to it we aren’t in charge of much at all. Thanks for subscribing 🍎

@204august2

Жыл бұрын

@@PrimaryFocus great video, I’ve been teaching for 10 years, and I had to quit, I’m now in my 50s, how old are you, because you are very young still, and you still have your whole life ahead of you to do whatever makes you happy.

It’s scary how many talented, dedicated teachers are leaving the classroom to be you tubers. The system is going to have to somehow adjust. Years ago, more people would have stayed under any circumstances, but now there’s YT. I just quit my teaching job due to a toxic parent who had the school by the throat. Unbelievably stressful job that sent me home in tears. And I wasn’t the only one. Teaching can be very toxic and it’s a shame. I loved teaching and miss the kids.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Thanks for watching and commenting! I agree there’s been a flood of teachers leaving. I’m sorry you were treated that way by a parent. I’ve watched colleagues get harassed by parents and it’s really scary (if you’re a parent reading this comment- these are extreme cases, but most teachers experience it at least once). There’s so little protection and it can last all year. I hope you can find a way to use your skills AND protect your heart ❤️ I’d love it if you subscribed.

@TheEvie202

Жыл бұрын

The kids were the only good part if the job! So glad I was able to retire after 31 years of teaching in New York! I’m outta here! Retirement is an adjustment, but I highly recommend!❤

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

@@TheEvie202 31 years- WOW!

The constant feedback loop of “when students do__, then you the teacher are not doing __ correctly”. This has been the last straw for me this year. If I don’t hear that from admin, I am hearing it from parents who don’t follow through on their end. And the students quickly realize that there are no consequences. It’s become too much. Up until 3 years ago, my class would consist of 2-4 students with adhd, 2 with an autism spectrum diagnosis, a couple of speech IEP’s, and 1-2 students with oppositional disorders. Now, I have 8 students with adhd, and behavioral diagnoses are not recognized as they used to be. A fourth of my student’s’ caregivers are incarcerated. This is a microscopic picture of our society’s future. I’m not a punching bag.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

I’m so sorry you’re having such a tough last year teaching. I hope you can make it and find a way to leave on a high note ❤️ I just made a video about exploring next steps after the classroom you might like called “should you leave teaching.” It will help you get in the headspace to move on.

I'm also here thanks to Reddit. I'm actually teaching in China right now and I've experienced some of the problems you did, especially in regard to short-notice busywork. It's great to see that you've found a new direction to take your love of teaching. Thank you for sharing your thoughts and I'm keen to see where your new journey on KZread takes you. Best of luck.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! I taught in Vietnam for 2 years- working in an international school changed so much about my perspective of American schools (and well everything for that matter). I was really lucky at my school because I was the only teacher on my grade level, so I was able to sign off on all my bad last minute decisions 😂 hope you have a good school year and the busy work stays at a minimum!

@204august2

Жыл бұрын

@@PrimaryFocus I had to quit teaching because it was too exhausting, plus the pandemic made me hate my job even more. I left on bad terms.

Some hard truths. I'm proud of you for standing up for yourself, and doing the hard thing. Here's to success!

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Thank you! 😊😊😊

@204august2

Жыл бұрын

It’s part of God‘s plan, he still has plans for you.

Thank you for sharing. I am also a teacher in NC and it is a very hard state to teach in. Everything you said is true. I remember getting the ame email from my district before a potential snowstorm and the funny thing was the district never even allowed our kinders to touch a laptop by that point in Jan so they wanted us to teach them how to do all the things in a day. I regullary think of resigning but I am at year 19... and I am just trying to make it to year 25. Most of my friends in education think about this too daily. The state of education in NC is very concerning. I wish you all of the luck in your journey.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Isn’t wild that NC districts constantly act like everything is a last minute decision when most of it could have been planned for and anticipated? I hope you have a peaceful, easy last few school years to retirement- 19 years is impressive 🎉 Thanks for your support!

@dostagirl9551

Жыл бұрын

Same here. At year 18 and determined to hang on, but the increased toll on my mental health has me wondering if I can make that a reality.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

@@dostagirl9551 if you’re working for public school, I know some people that took sideways steps into state jobs. There’s a lot of education related positions that are outside of schools like case management, early intervention testing etc. They were able to keep their pension and health care but also get control of their life. Your mental health is priceless- take care ❤️

@204august2

Жыл бұрын

@@PrimaryFocus I have a close friend of mine who’s been teaching for 22 years, she’s ready to quit. she doesn’t enjoy anymore, it’s mostly administrative work that she has to do, also she gets anxiety.

I always conveniently have poor internet when we need to go remote 😂

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Haha 😆 funny how those things work out

You should make a video about why you shouldn’t be a teacher in North Carolina. Wow . That longevity pay . I’m in Texas and we get no COLA . They just changed our state test and made it harder. Not sustainable.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

That’s a great idea! There’s so many reasons why they are making teaching an inaccessible career in NC. I hope you subscribe so you can see it 😄

@historian909

Жыл бұрын

They made it to where there are no wrong answers, just credit for getting it close. Just God damn if we are not setting these kids up for failure in life. (Former history teacher)

@FrugalTeacherFI

Жыл бұрын

@@PrimaryFocus even with local county subsidies? I’ve read many counties offer supplements to teachers since state salary is fixed and not adjusted.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

@@FrugalTeacherFI that’s a great question- lots of counties have local subsidies that create competition within the state, I even worked in a county with great benefits and knew I would not give them up to move to another county. But the overarching issues still do not make NC better than other states. The Education Law Center reports that NC is #48 in student funding and at the bottom of the list when you compare it to its GDP. None of the states bordering NC are anywhere near on the list. Thanks for commenting! I hope you subscribe 😄

Same in Indiana.

That remote learning snow day happened to us too. The teachers rooted and scared the crud out of tge administration! No remote learning.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Hah I love that! I understand 180 days of school is important but I wish it was treated more as a goal than something mandatory. I don’t think we will be missing that day in June 😂 🤦🏻‍♀️

I also resigned this year. Not because of the kids, I will miss them terribly, but for health reasons. As a music teacher, my schedule was horrendous and I was just so tired. My body was breaking down.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

I totally understand. I miss the kids a lot too- but my health and demeanor has improved so much. I hope you have a wonderful year ahead with your new endeavors 🩷

@Jessalyn032

Жыл бұрын

@@PrimaryFocus Thank you and you too! I was having 1 PVC (heart palpitation) every 10 seconds for months. It stopped the day I resigned. It was crazy. I still have moments where I wonder if I did the right thing and then those palpitations come right back as a good reminder as to why I left.

Best of luck to you. Wish I could get out too. 😢

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Thank you ❤️ I hope you can find a way to make things work!

I had to pay to get out of my contract! It was worth every penny.

That part about remote teaching………snow day, uploading lessons at a moments notice, zero fun allowed…..lololo😂😂😂😂. It was a freaking nightmare. I’m still having nightmares. Hugs to you.

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Love to see a Hoosier commenting! 🇺🇸 Hope you’ve moved on to a job that has your best interest in mind. ❤️ I’d love it if you subscribed.

😭 I miss you

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Hi sweet girl! I miss you too. I hope you’re getting smarter every day in first grade ❤️❤️❤️ tell your mom she can email me or find me on instagram to say hi 👋

Did you ever consider a new district?

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Hi! I did consider another district and private schools in the area. Where I live my district has one of the highest pay supplements in the state, so I would have taken a pretty big pay cut and added on a big commute to leave. For the private schools, I was so burned out I couldn’t fathom moving all my things and starting over again. I just knew I needed a break. Thanks for asking- I hope you subscribe!

@jayj4439

Жыл бұрын

Some teachers are so traumatized from the bad experience of one school they can't imagne putting themselves back into the teaching profession again. I see that alot and as a former substitute I completely understand!

Don’t even know why anyone would be a teacher in NC. No tenure, shit pay.

@TheEvie202

Жыл бұрын

No tenure ? See ya!

Here from reddit

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Oh my gosh thank you! This is how I’m finding out my husband posted on there. ☺️

@mlhedengren

Жыл бұрын

Me too!

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

@@mlhedengren 😎 thank you! Hope you like my channel

This is a national problem

@PrimaryFocus

Жыл бұрын

Yes it really is and schools are feeling it. I hope everyone thinks about this as they get ready to vote in November

Nc did the experienced teachers “dirty”. The state is very aware that if you taught for 15 years the likelihood of you leaving was slim…no step increase was a slap in the face. Nc schools will pay the price for that pay scale. I don’t see this new generation of teachers sticking around for that.

@PrimaryFocus

7 ай бұрын

It’s very sad to see a system is being designed to make teaching a short term career. Thanks for commenting and watching ❤️

All teachers need to sue for the overtime they work and receive no pay for.