I Quit Teaching Mid Year - And It Was The Best Thing I Ever Did

Quit Teaching

Dec 5

It’s been 10 years since I quit my first year teaching.

During my last year of college, I was accepted into a program called Teach for America to help people get their teaching certification while simultaneously teaching in the classroom. They focus on putting teachers in high needs areas, such as inner-city and rural areas.

I have to say for certain that I was not properly trained to work in an inner city setting, and I don’t think it’s appropriate to have a program that offers a 6-week “teacher bootcamp” and honestly think that’s sufficient to train a teacher.

Nonetheless, this is part of my story. I was so sick before the end of the school year that I ended up hospitalized and on sick leave. Unfortunately I didn’t even get to say goodbye to my students.

This was back in 2014. For years I doubted myself and my own capacity. It really broke my self-confidence and self-esteem to know I didn’t make it through my two-year commitment at Teach for America, I didn’t even make it through my first full year. I internalized this to mean that I am not strong enough, I am not healthy enough, I’m not mentally healthy enough to “survive” as a classroom teacher.

Flash forward to now, and I’m happy to report that I’m in a better place. At the time, everything truly felt hopeless. I knew I had a passion for teaching and I wanted to work with kids. The fact that it didn’t end up working out was devastating. But when the pandemic started in 2020 and suddenly everyone was forced to work remotely, my YouTube channel all about starting an online tutoring business blew up. Suddenly, I started to realize that I am NOT alone. So many teachers struggle in the classroom, and it’s just now becoming more acceptable to talk about it due to social media.

The popularity of my online tutoring content in 2020-2021 really made me feel like my suffering had a purpose. For years I had been filled with so much shame that I didn’t make it through my first year of teaching. I really felt like I wasn’t good enough. And now suddenly my content and my experiences became really important to helping others.

Nowadays, I work from home with my husband and two young children. I’ve come to terms with the fact that working a traditional full-time job is not good for me, even having a set part-time job can be difficult. When I can make my own hours, I truly thrive. I can be home with my kids. And when I feel well enough to work on something, I can record a YouTube video or make a blog post.

While I am earning less than I would as a classroom teacher, I wouldn’t trade this. I know I don’t have the bandwidth and the capacity to be in the classroom full-time, and THAT’S OKAY. I still have gifts to share with the world, I just share them on my own terms.

So if you’re struggling with teacher burnout, I want to tell you you’re not alone. And now with the creator economy, there are so many more opportunities for you to thrive than there were when I quit a decade ago. If you’re thinking of creating a YouTube channel, I’ve got a resource for you to help you get started.