Reflecting on her 43 years of experience as a teacher, Dorothy L. Dobson shares a deep insight behind K – 12 teacher burnout and what makes teachers quit. She makes a clear and compelling case for why we need our teachers to stay. She draws inspiration for her writing from Hamilton’s Ten Duel Commandments. This blog post is a must-read for all new teachers who may struggle during their first years. Let’s explore her text as she says, “There are ten things you need to know.”

I was a teacher for 43 years. FORTY-THREE years! Just thinking about it exhausts me. Yet I miss it every day. I miss the camaraderie. I miss building relationships with kids and feeling like I make a difference in the world.

The first months – oh, who am I kidding – years after retirement were challenging. I longed to create a lesson, read a book aloud with kids at my feet, and be there when a student mastered something challenging. I still miss all those things, but I have found some comfort in writing blog entries that share my love of teaching with readers. I visit my last school, Promontory School of Expeditionary Learning, weekly and am honored to help students and teachers there. That consoles me, also. And, at the beginning of my retirement, I listened to “Hamilton, An American Musical” and watched the play as often as possible, which is (at this point) an incredible 15 times. Not only has this helped to ease my unrest, but it has also propelled me into my keen interest in racial justice. But that is a story for another day.

Many teachers aren’t going to go through the glorious pain of retiring after a long and successful career. According to Devlin Peck, K – 12 teacher burnout is an escalating problem, with 44% of teachers feeling it themselves and 90% agreeing that the challenge is real. 30% of teachers tend to have chronic absenteeism, and over half indicate a desire to leave the profession earlier than initially planned. I wonder what that does to kids.

Have you ever spent time in a classroom with a teacher who simply wants out? I have. When I was student teaching way back in the dark ages, I was placed with a teacher who broke a yardstick over a student’s desk the first day I spent in her classroom. She was older, she had been teaching for a long time, and she didn’t want to be there. So, neither did her kids. And they were in first grade.

I know these problems are real. I understand that the teaching profession needs to figure out some way (or many ways) to attract high-quality students into education so they can spread the joy of lifelong learning. And we need to figure out a way (or many ways) for the high-quality teachers they become to want to stay in the classroom.

As much as I wish I could, I can’t make those changes as one person. But maybe, just maybe, I can say something that might help ONE teacher see the good in staying in the classroom. Hmmm. Something to think about.

Another thought has kept wriggling around in my head. Maybe it wasn’t a thought but rather a connection.

“There are ten things you need to know.”

Do you know how I said “Hamilton” was soothing as I worked my way through the retirement process? Well, it soothed me so much that I knew most of the words to most of the songs. Yep, I’m a Hamilnerd. What can I say? The line above is from a song called Ten Duel Commandments.

In the play, the ten things are about duels (which seem “dumb and rather immature,” but who am I to say?). The ten things YOU need to know aren’t about a physical death but rather the death of a career. And let’s be honest – I KNOW you need to know WAY more than ten things. But let’s go with ten. It’s a good round number and much more manageable than the bazillion things we all can come up with when we talk about the shortcomings of education today and the effect those system defects have on teachers.

And I think Lin-Manuel Miranda knows what he’s doing. His “ten duel commandments” give us a glimpse into the far more complex details of a somewhat antiquated ritual. And his “commandments” connect to a quick death by duel but not to the grindingly slow death some teachers experience as they prepare to leave the classroom.

So, let me borrow (and beg for forgiveness for my awful rhymes) from the incredible Lin-Manuel Miranda and create

Ten Reasons Teachers Leave

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine
It’s the ten reasons teachers leave
It’s the ten reasons teachers leave

Number one!

The challenge: stay in the profession.
Can’t they see it’s far more than a few teaching sessions?

Teachers are Overworked

Teaching is far more than delivering a lesson with material for students to retain. Often, it’s creating that lesson or tweaking it to fit a specific teaching style, getting a band-aid for a student who fell, making sure you are addressing standards, breaking up a fight during recess, assessing student progress, calming down the student with test anxiety, calling a parent to tell them how well their child did on the test, and getting ready for the next lesson that starts in (eek!) 5 minutes.

Yes, it’s wild. But if you shift your focus for just a minute to see how wonderful it is to have a job where you have no idea what will happen next. One of my great joys in teaching was to realize that I NEVER knew what to expect. I wasn’t bored. And guess what? If I wasn’t bored, chances are pretty good that my kids weren’t bored, either! Did it come automatically? No. Resoundingly, no. Relaxing and flowing with the novelty of each day are simply life skills teachers must develop.

Number two!

A new course, wait a minute, just hang on.
The curriculum did change – “Know it now! Let’s move on!”

Curriculum Changes Constantly

I saw massive changes in my 43-year career. As high-stakes testing became increasingly important to the powers that be, the curriculum changed even faster. Coursework was created so that students would perform better on tests. A program would be used for one or two years, then BOOM! That didn’t work – let’s try another. Okay. How do we know it didn’t work? We didn’t even give the kids time to learn the curriculum vocabulary!

You can’t slow it down. It’s always been like that, and it’s because others are trying to get it right for kids, too. You can, however, take opportunities to learn how to use the curriculum effectively. Attend offered professional development, make a study group with some colleagues, or visit a school that uses what is new in your school. And stick around. In about 10 – 15 years, the curriculum you just tossed will reappear with a new name. But you’ll be ready!

Number three!

Kids have become disrespectful.
No consequences, and parents who often are neglectful.
This is common; everyone’s on their phones.
What happens in their homes?

Disrespectful kids with Unsupportive Parents

Pshaw, I say. Really. The kids have changed, yes, but I don’t think disrespect is part of that change. They still long for connection, and if you provide that connection for them with respect, they will (most often) respond with respect. There are, of course, exceptions.

I didn’t teach during or after the COVID-19 pandemic; I’m sure that made a difference with some kids. But…

It’s all about relationships. A few years before I retired, I had a kid who was the most challenging student I ever taught. He was bristly, uncooperative, and apathetic – and intelligent, charismatic, and athletic—SO MUCH POTENTIAL. Creating a relationship with him was difficult. I did it with patience even though there was much frustration. We had a decent relationship, but never great, and he was still bristly, uncooperative, and apathetic. I always worry about him, knowing how difficult he makes his life.

Also, many years ago, I taught a girl I simply could not build a relationship with. I don’t know if it was her, me, or perhaps both of us, but it never came together. It makes me sad still.

Those are the two that stick with me. Out of how many? Roughly 1000? That’s pretty good.

ALWAYS go for the relationship. And not just with the kids, but with their parents. Form a team, working together for what you all want – success for the kids. It’s not easy, and sometimes it will hurt, but it’s worth it. Honest. It’s a lot, but it’s worth it!

Number four!

Now, we must talk about rotten pay.
Some states are worse than others, but none are really great.
And what about the benefits that have seemed to take a hit?
Insurance costs rise, and retirement seems counterfeit.

Salary and Benefits

Did you get into teaching for the money? Oh, my, I hope not! I know it is frustrating. In my state, the average beginning teacher’s pay is #10 in the country, and the average teacher’s pay is #23, which is about $2000 below the Minimum Living Wage as determined by the Economic Policy Institute.

Our salaries don’t “grow” like in other states. For instance, in the state that is #1 for teachers’ average earnings, they are $30,000 ABOVE the Minimum Living Wage. It is discouraging to look at the salary schedule and realize that you aren’t quickly climbing the wage ladder.

It’s tough sometimes, but you do need to consider “the perks.” No one will ever be able to tell me that teachers are paid what they are worth – not even in that “our pay is #1” state. But … you know you won’t be working on holidays. You know that there will be extended periods of days when you are not required to be in the classroom. That doesn’t mean you won’t attend a conference, read up on a new curriculum, or grade papers you didn’t finish before the break. But it does mean there is time you have outside of the classroom.

Let’s take a look at a family scenario – a family that made it work. Mine. My dad was a high school counselor. There were five kids in my family. My mom only worked part-time, and only after I, the youngest, was in school. We always had food on the table, and Dad was around almost every night. (He taught a night school class one day a week – that was our vacation money.) We all had braces. We didn’t wear the most stylish clothes (and I wore tons of hand-me-downs), we didn’t get cars when we turned 16, and we were expected to work when we went to college, although

Mom and Dad helped when they could. Dad’s specialty as a counselor was assisting students as they picked a college or university that was an excellent fit for them. So, when we went camping in the summer, we would make stops at many colleges, and Dad would get to know one more that he could recommend to his counselees. I loved it. College campuses are beautiful! (And I had a great rating system – which campus had the most squirrels?)

It’s possible. It’s not easy. And some benefits that I had aren’t always available now. Health insurance. Okay, it’s available, but up until my last 15 or so years of teaching, there wasn’t even a deductible we had to pay for insurance. Then we had to pay a small one – perhaps $400 a year. Now, it’s a $5000 deductible per year. That’s a chunk. And health insurance seems to be an issue for many, many Americans. The same has happened with pensions. In many places, they just don’t exist anymore. While I taught, I contributed monthly and could begin using my pension when I retired (the first time) after I had taught for 30 years. Sweet.

If you became a teacher not knowing about the lower pay, or if you are the only breadwinner for your family, you may need to supplement with other work. Or you may not have a choice but to leave education, even if you love it. And that is sad. Society has some work to do to realize the importance and impact of teachers on our future.

Number five!

Everyone wants us to do it all.
Sometimes that pressure just makes teachers bawl.

Number six!

No one sees the picture as a whole.
Ways we give our souls.
They all want to be in control.

Increased Pressure From Too Many Bosses

Numbers five and six go together. Teachers have a ton of bosses who expect us to do it all: parents, kids, administration, the teachers of the grade that the kids will go to next, and the community. All these entities put some kind of pressure on teachers. Sometimes, it feels as though they think they could do it better. Pshaw, I say again. You are the teacher. You are the one who took classes, student taught and attended conferences, and you are the one who holds the chaos at bay daily. Hold your head up high and remember that!

It also becomes necessary to find ways to reduce your load and know what you can carry without the stress eroding your ability to reach the kids.

In writing this blog post, I read an interesting article about grading practices. The authors examined eight reasons for teachers to take steps that would lead to a reduction of the amount of grading they do: “Less Feedback is Better Feedback, Fewer Grades Mean Less Stress for Everyone, Grading Obligations Reduce Teacher Creativity and Innovation, Grades Are Inherently Unstable Indicators, Grading Conveys an Artificial Sense of Completion, Grading Reduces Opportunities for Student Practice, Grades Are Less Motivating Than You Might Think, Peer Grading Helps You—and Students, Too, and More Types of Data Is Better.”

There is a great deal in the article that made me think about the piles of papers that would accumulate on my desk in a week’s time. They seemed to shout at me each time I sat at my desk, “Don’t just sit there! GRADE ME!” It’s not pleasant to be yelled at by a pile of papers. I wish I had had this article then to help me break the crazy grading cycle. Maybe there’s a little tidbit in the article that you, too, could utilize. I hope so!

Number seven!

Let’s tell the truth –
Kids want what they want, and they want it NOW
No effort, no waiting, just get done

Kids with Short Attention Spans

There has been a marked increase in ADHD diagnoses over the past two decades. In 1997, 5.5% of children were diagnosed with ADHD. In 2018, the total was 9.8%. A recent study reports that 2022 totals were up to 11.4%. What is going on? Is it just because more kids are diagnosed with ADHD? Or is the rise in ADHD symptomatic of other issues?

The rise in ADHD diagnoses is attributed to many factors: more awareness, the pandemic, more accessible health care, increased expectations in U.S. schools, and societal changes are just a few of those reasons. The one I noticed most dramatically during my career? Societal changes.

And what is a massive factor in societal changes? Technology. Video games, email, cell phones: the list goes on. And the effects aren’t limited to kids. Let’s talk about instant gratification. I used to send letters. Three days for a letter to get somewhere, two for the recipient to reply, and three to return to me. A week. And now I get impatient when I don’t receive an email response within an hour! Significant, meaningful changes.

I used to sit on a desk with my guitar and sing with my kids — mostly John Denver or old folk songs (yeah, yeah, old hippie!). In 1980, I had a 3rd-grade class (one of my “classes from heaven”) that could sit and discuss the newspaper’s front page for an hour in the morning. I’m not kidding. And they were interested and engaged – this wasn’t a case of “forced current events.” I miss those activities. And I think that kids, unknowingly, miss them, too.

Many articles are written about ways to help kids with ADHD in the classroom. In “What does work? These strategies for managing negative ADHD behavior in the classroom — and teaching students better skills for the long run.” The suggestions in this article are excellent – perhaps not all for teachers, though.

Which of these strategies could work sustainably for you? Take a look – maybe you will find a tactic that turns things around for you AND your students!

My husband and I had a wonderful mentor whose advice was this (which I am certainly paraphrasing) – “Take them outside and play with them.” That is still good advice. And that 10 minutes of play may come back to you manifold as you build relationships with kids that will help them breathe when they must wait, smile in line for a drink, or even stick with a challenging task until they get it done well.

Number eight!

One more thing – always in the news.
People with big guns
have left our schools with fear circumfused.

School Shootings

In 2020, death by firearms became the leading cause of death in children ages 1 – 19.
Even though not all of those deaths take place in schools, it is still scary. I am not lying. Talking to your kids at school about another school shooting is challenging. Armed intruder drills are chilling. Putting cameras around the school is heartbreaking. Since Columbine, school shootings have been on the minds of many educators. But what can be done?

It is seemingly apparent that the reduction of gun access to children is essential. We can’t expect the trend to take a different path without expecting policymakers to lead the way. Many states, districts, and schools have been led to “hardening” their schools – adding increased visible security measures such as metal detectors, school law enforcement, and monitored facility access.

All of these are measures that have been proven through research to detract from a feeling of comfort and safety. Schools with large populations of marginalized kids (Persons of Color, LGTBQ+, persons with disabilities) have been impacted the most in this “hardening,” which has been shown lead to more suspensions, expulsions, and referrals to law enforcement.

In June of 2022, however, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) was signed into law by President Joe Biden. This law not only carries with it increased background checks and other safety measures for gun ownership but also increases mental health support for students. The act appropriates funds for mental health providers in the school setting, and also in the community after school hours. The aim is to preserve the safety of the school setting – both physically and emotionally. Perhaps we should call it “heartening” the schools!

The passing of BSCA is genuinely heartening. In the meantime, all we can do daily is hang on. We hang on, letting the kids know we are with them and that they are loved.

Number nine!

Give all the tests,
seems a vast amount.
There are times tests just feel so paramount.

High Stakes Testing

Oh, testing! The necessary bane of my existence.

Necessary? Yes. I became a teacher in the age of no testing or testing that had minimal impact on future planning for kids. That is not so now, as kids face frequent tests and teachers cope with “progress monitoring” at every turn. Progress monitoring is essential; to take students to where you want them to be, you need to know where they are. So, data collection and analysis are frequent activities. But when is enough … well, enough?

I like my grandkids’ school district. I have one in high school, one in middle school, and one in elementary school. They are in a state that does a great deal of testing, but they also have great teachers, and my grandkids have felt safe and loved and have had many great opportunities. However, this week, the high school kids are actually taking a test that, determined by how well they do, will indicate how much help they need to pass a statewide test. And these tests are separate from just the content area tests that accompany each class. It seems like a lot.

Once again, to our dear mentor, Chad Downs, with one of my favorite “Chad quotes.” “It doesn’t matter how many times you measure a pig – in order for them to get fat, you have to feed them.” So, so true. And all those tests take away from teaching time. What can you do about it?

Reduce testing in your classroom by looking for alternative ways of grading: portfolio, project, observation. When you do need to test, accompany it with teaching test-taking strategies. Practice mindfulness to reduce students’ anxiety. Trim grading papers to reduce your anxiety (see Number 6!). When you can, allow students to retake a test after reviewing their errors. After all, the test is to see what they know, not how well they can take it.

My daughter was a horrible test-taker. She is very bright, loves to learn, and graduated from high school with a 3.5 GPA, but when it was a test, she simply panicked without even knowing it, especially in math. For a short time, our state had a test to receive a high school diploma. Hillary (that’s not really her name – I’m being tricky) passed the English one on the first test. On finding out that the third try of the math test had once again been futile, she sat on her dad’s lap and sobbed, “Everyone else will get a diploma, and I’ll get a note saying, ‘Thanks for coming.'” Thank goodness she passed on the fourth go, after having a math tutor all summer. But what if she hadn’t had a dad whose lap she could sit on or parents who would hire a tutor for her? Would she have given up? Would you have blamed her?

Testing has a place. Teachers need guidelines and goals, even if it seems that those guidelines and goals sometimes get in the way. But there are so many equally important things! Love of learning, ability to work in a group, punctuality, empathy, leadership: enhance those characteristics in each child, and the testing will take care of itself.

So count,

One, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine

Number Ten

You will shine!

You really will. If you have read this far, you care too much about kids to give up on our education system. 

There wasn’t a teacher shortage when I graduated from college. The “advisor” I saw right before heading into the interviewing phase of being a new teacher told me that finding a job would be challenging and suggested I develop a backup plan. What? As I was heading into interviews? His timing was so off! I looked him straight in the eye and said, “I don’t need a backup plan. I’m going to be a teacher, and I’m going to be a good one.” I got up and left. I was a teacher, and I was good. Each year, I wanted my little classroom to be a microcosm of an “ideal” world: interactive, challenging, and peaceful. Some years were better than others, but I know I made a difference. I have many friends on Facebook who are my former students. It is a gift to follow their families, to watch their kids grow up, and to share memories.

Please don’t give up. We need you. The kids need people who care enough to stay with a system that sometimes seems to do everything it can to wear you down and spit you out. The kids need you so that you can advocate for them in a structure that sometimes seems determined to make life harder for them rather than easier. We need you there, with your knowledge of the world, your love for the kids, and your ability to help them be successful in that world. Please stay.

Works Cited

CDC. (2024, November 19). Data and Statistics on ADHD. Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)

Chalkbeat Staff. (2022, September 6). The Teachers Who Aren’t Coming Back to School This Year. Link

Createl Publishing. (2021, September 29). A Day in the Life: Why So Many Teachers Leave the Profession in the First Five Years. Link

Downs, C. (n.d.). Mentor. Cache County School District, North Logan, Utah.

Frommert, C. (2024, November 12). 4 Old Habits I Pruned From My Teaching Routine. (Edutopia) Link

Gent, S. M. (2022, November 7). 12 Teacher Strategies to Inspire Listening, Learning, and Self-Control. (ADDitude) Link 

Goldstick, P. C. (2022, April 20). Current Causes of Death in Children and Adolescents in the United States. (The New England Journal of Medicine) Link

Hailey, T. (2024, April 15). Teacher Burnout Statistics: Why Educators Quit. (Schools That Lead) Link 

Katz, E. C. (2022, October 26). How to Make School Safer Without Additional Physical Security Measures. americanprogress.org (link)

Merrill, S. a. (2024, November 8). Why Teachers Should Grade Less Frequently. Edutopia
 
Miranda, L.-M. (2018, April). Hamilton, An American Musical. (The Philip Company of Hamilton, Performer) Eccles Theater, Salt Lake City, Utah, U.S.A.

National Education Association. (2024, October 17). 2024 Reports Educator Pay in America. Retrieved from nea.org

Peck, D. (2024, January 11). Devlin Peck. Teacher Burnout Statistics

Vankar, P. (2023, November 29). Percentage of children in the U.S. with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) from 1997 to 2018. Retrieved from Statista

Vijil, G. (2024, November). Top 10 Reasons Why Teachers Everywhere are Leaving the Classroom (And Why You Should Stay). The Classroom Management Guy.

Walker, T. (2022, February 1). NEA NEWS Survey: Alarming Number of Educators May Soon Leave the Profession. Retrieved from nea.org