How I dropped the shame when I left teaching
Leaving teaching was hugely emotional for me.
Admitting I couldn’t cope.
Leaving behind the very best bits – like having a class in the palm of my hand, or sharing an in-joke with my Year 11s.
I felt a lot of shame and guilt around it. And I thought that other teachers would view me differently – see me as a failure, as weak. Particularly because I was staying in the same school, so there was no hiding from it.
But one day I had a conversation with someone senior. They were asking how I felt about my decision – if I’d made the right one. I said that yes, I felt like I’d got my life back. And what they said next has really stuck with me…
They were envious. They said they wished they could do the same. That they fell into teaching and then seemed to fall into promotion after promotion. Now, they were stuck – they couldn’t see any career move that would give them the same salary…and they had a family to support, so couldn’t drop their pay. And that they wouldn’t know what to do next anyway.
That one conversation completely changed the way I thought of myself as a teacher who had left. There wasn’t anything shameful about it. I didn’t need to feel guilty. It was a brave decision I took before I was in too deep. And a decision that probably loads of people wished they could take.
If the thought of leaving teaching comes to you from time to time, no-one is asking you to make the decision today. But if it’s the thought of ‘What would people think?’ that stops you from allowing yourself to consider it, it really doesn’t have to be that way. Book a virtual coffee with me to find out how I can support you to get clarity.