Why do new teachers quit?

By: Tabitha

Many people claim that teachers have one of the most important and rewarding jobs there is to offer. If this is true, then why do so many teachers who have just entered the workforce quit after such a small amount of time?

            The National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future claims that: “After five years over 30% of our beginning teachers have left the profession” (National Commission on Teaching and America’s Future, p. 4, 2010). This Commission also has said that students were more likely to encounter new teachers than veteran teachers in 2007-2008. By now, students probably encounter a staggering number of new teachers in their academic careers. I personally have had many teachers who were either brand-new or have only been teaching for a few years. Many of these new teachers leave the profession early on, and this negatively affects students as well as entire schools. This issue is important because without teachers who are willing to stay and effectively implement an engaging and knowledgeable curriculum throughout the years, schools are stuck in the vicious cycle of taking chances on new teachers who could possibly resign.

            I feel that many new teachers go into the profession with preconceived notions of their future careers. Most of the teachers going into the field have a “passion” for it, and they have these idealistic views of how a classroom should be. If teachers aren’t well prepared or informed, then they might not know what exactly they are getting themselves into. Some new teachers might enter the profession with little to no experience and immediately get discouraged. Others might have the proper education and experience, but they might not have realized the hard work that goes into teaching until their first official year.

Teaching can be a mentally and physically tiresome job. There are long hours, safety precautions to constantly consider, ever-changing standards and expectations, and many other factors that cause teachers to lose that spark which inspired them in the first place. The Alliance for Excellent Education states: “Roughly half a million U.S. teachers either move or leave the profession each year—attrition that costs the United States up to $2.2 billion annually. This high turnover rate disproportionately affects high-poverty schools and seriously compromises the nation’s capacity to ensure that all students have access to skilled teaching” (Haynes, 2014). These teachers are usually leaving because of the stress, pay, or lack of preparation.

When teachers quit they sometimes forget the possibility that it gets better in the future, and many veteran teachers say that it does get better. This brings up a valid question: What can teachers do to create an incentive to stay? New teachers should focus on the positive aspects of teaching and look for guidance from those who have been in the profession for many years. Veteran teachers will be able to offer advice and provide motivation. If new teachers are willing to work hard and fully commit to the job by continuously instilling that sense of motivation, they can possibly hold onto the passion that inspired them in the first place.

Resources

Carroll, T. (2010). Who Will Teach? Experience Matters. Washington DC: National Commission on Teaching and America's Future.

Haynes, M. (2014, July 17). On the Path to Equity: Improving Effectiveness of Beginning Teachers. Retrieved November 12, 2015, from http://all4ed.org/reports-factsheets/path-to-equity/