Teacher Who Resigned The First Week Of School Reveals What The Stress And Lack Of Water Throughout The Day Did To Him
He admitted that while he was grateful for the opportunity to teach, it ended up taking a toll on his personal life.
Media_Photos | Shutterstock With back-to-school sessions now underway for many schools across the country, teachers are having to get right back to the demands of the classroom. It's not an easy job by a long shot, but it seems one teacher, in particular, was transparent about his decision to leave the profession during the first few days of the new school year.
In a TikTok video, the disgruntled educator known as FTL WORLD claimed that the demands of being a teacher no longer appealed to him. After feeling like this for some time, he decided the best thing was to move on and find something else to pursue career-wise.
He resigned from teaching during the first week of school.
"Today, I officially resigned from my teaching position. Today is also my last day. I didn't expect it to be my last day. I thought my school would need more time, but due to circumstances, I'm also able to leave today after school's over," he began in his video.
The former public school teacher explained that despite the urgency of his resignation, he felt immense relief and that a big weight was lifted from his shoulders now that he was leaving education for good.
The toll that it was taking on his physical and mental well-being was just enough for him to reevaluate his priorities.
He admitted that it isn't an ideal situation to be leaving during the first week, but he's been feeling like he's wanted to leave since the last school year.
He insisted that it's always been his dream to give back to his community, and at first, teaching was his way to do that, but unfortunately, teaching became too much for him.
"I'm very grateful for the opportunity to even work with these students and to make an impact in their lives as best as I could. At this point, I know they would benefit from someone that has more heart and passion for this job," he continued.
Teachers are leaving the profession in droves due to stress and burnout.
Interestingly enough, he isn't the only teacher in this country who has decided to leave the education altogether.
Teacher burnout is a real phenomenon, and beginner teachers with little or no preparation are 2.5 times more likely to quit after the first year than those who are well-prepared.
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A staggering 90% of teachers perceive teacher burnout as a "serious" problem, with 67% considering it "very serious."
Annual teacher turnover rates are at 8%, with younger educators disproportionately affected. Projections indicate that over 270,000 teachers will leave the profession each year for the next three years.
In his video, he admitted that he hadn't gone to school to teach or gotten a degree in education but that it had ended up being something that fell into his lap, and he decided to take the opportunity. There were a lot of negative impacts that the job had on his personal life that he just couldn't ignore anymore.
He claimed that he decided to resign due to stress and lack of water throughout the day.
Talking more about his experience in a follow-up TikTok video, he explained that there were a lot of basic things that were just hard to do as a teacher, including using the bathroom whenever he wanted.
With between three and four hour-long classes a day, he was required to stay in the classroom during the entirety of that period without being able to cater to his needs.
"I know for myself, I literally just stopped drinking water throughout the day, so I developed chronic dehydration," he said, referring to his solution to not having to use the bathroom during classes.
To this day, he added that his body still has issues from the time he spent not drinking water just so that he wouldn't use the bathroom.
On top of that, he experienced immense stress from his job, which didn't help his dehydration.
Teachers truly put all of their energy into making sure that they're giving their students everything they need in the classroom. They often do this without expecting or receiving anything in return, as well. It's disheartening that we are losing teachers in large waves due to the lack of appreciation and support from school administrators, the school district, and lawmakers.
Children can't succeed in the classroom without teachers that care, and for teachers to stay in this profession, they shouldn't have to work in environments that wouldn't be acceptable in any other profession.
Nia Tipton is a Chicago-based entertainment, news, and lifestyle writer whose work delves into modern-day issues and experiences.