Uncategorized | Mar 14, 2011
Why Great Teachers Quit (book review)
By Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
Why Great Teachers Quit (book review)
By Angela Watson
Teacher attrition is a topic that’s constantly on my mind. The primary reason I maintain my website and write books is because I’m passionate about helping teachers overcome energy-draining setbacks and actually enjoy the profession. So, when I read this post, I was immediately intrigued by the book’s title and asked the representatives at Corwin Press for two copies: one for me and one for a blog reader. I rarely do that because there’s no guarantee the book will be any good, and I don’t want to give away something I wouldn’t recommend. However, I could tell from the online reviews that this book was going to be a worthwhile read…and I wasn’t disappointed.
Why Great Teachers Quit And How We Might Stop the Exodus is written by Katy Farber, a classroom teacher currently grappling with this subject on a daily basis. She interviewed dozens of teachers and includes their experiences as she explains the various issues faced in the classroom. I found it simultaneously comforting and distressing to know that teachers all across the country are dealing with the same problems. In nearly every quote from classroom teachers (and there are hundreds), I found myself nodding along and thinking, Yes! Thank you! Yes! That’s it, exactly! The problems described in this book will undoubtedly ring true.
Farber organizes the book into eight primary reasons why great teachers quit:
- Standardized Testing (including effects on students and the school climate)
- Working Conditions in Today’s Schools (i.e. violence and small problems that add up, like not being able to use the bathroom)
- Ever-Higher Expectations (including useless professional development on new mandates)
- Bureaucracy (committees, closed budgets, and scheduling constraints)
- Respect and Compensation (the martyr system and paying for supplies)
- Parents (unrealistic demands and no limits)
- Administrators (the pressure cooker of principalship)
- School Boards (uses and abuses of power)
There was one reason I expected to see and did not: there is no section on students. As much as I’d like to assert that children are the reason why we teach, they’re also frequently the reason why we quit. Is Farber pretending that “it’s all about the kids” and that our little darlings are never a source of stress? Nope. Instead, she accurately assesses the root problem: teachers quit over their powerlessness to place students in an appropriate academic setting and enforce appropriate consequences. These problems fall under the categories of Respect and Compensation and Working Conditions (as well as Parents, to an extent.) The underlying assumption is that it’s NOT the students, it’s the system that has given teachers too little power to meet the needs of the students and maintain order in the learning environment.
After explaining each overarching reason why teachers quit, Farber includes Recommendations for Teacher Leaders and Administrators (practical, proven suggestions), Words of Wisdom From Veteran Teachers (advice from teachers to teachers), Success Stories and/or a Silver Lining (which keep the problems from seeming hopeless) and Additional Resources you can read online and in print to address the issues of that section.
I wish this was required reading for school board members and legislators…parents would benefit, too. Often educators complain that no one really knows what’s it’s really like to be a teacher, and this book does an excellent job summarizing the main challenges of the job and the type of solutions that are needed. Katy Farber has written a powerful resource for everyone who cares about education. It’s my hope, as well as hers, that this book will make a difference in teacher retention and help great teachers maintain their efficacy and enthusiasm.
WIN A FREE COPY OF THIS BOOK! Simply leave a comment to this post that briefly shares your experience: why do you think great teachers quit, and/or what can be done to encourage them to stay in the classroom? On Sunday, March 20th, I’ll choose a comment randomly to win a free copy of the book, courtesy of Corwin Press.
3/20/11 Edited to add: CONTEST CLOSED.
Angela Watson
Founder and Writer
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What an interesting topic!! I love all the comments and everyone is so spot on! The pressures of teaching keep growing. Things are constantly added to our plates and rarely is anything ever removed. We are expected to be miracle workers with very limited resources and many time we fail. I’m not really sure what can be done. I believe the only way to make effective changes are to totally reform the education system in America…and there is a whole lot that goes into that. Thanks Angela for this post!
Hi, Rachel, you’re very welcome! Good point about how things are added to our plates but never removed. Isn’t it funny how old mandates are rarely, if ever, officially lifted when new ones are put in place? I can’t tell you how many times I’ve had informal conversations with teachers and they mention doing some vocabulary program or spelling exercise that they hate, not realizing that it’s something that was unofficially dropped years ago and no one cares about anymore! Many teachers continue to try to do everything they were ever taught to do, out of fear that they’ll be ‘caught’ not implementing some aspect of a program or meeting some goal. One of the things I learned to always ask a confidante when I transferred to a new school is, “Okay, so what actually HAS to be done? What are the things ‘they’ are checking on and care about, and what are the things that no one follows up on?” Teachers are told EVERYTHING is essential and everything MUST be completed, which adds a tremendous amount of unnecessary stress. Sorting through what’s critical vs. what’s beneficial is really important.
I’ve been a bilingual educator for 20 years, 11 in the classroom and 8 as coordinator and later principal. I am working now conducting professional development and technical assistance to schools and truthfully, I would not want to be back in a school site.
Every day I’m faced with teachers on the edge of giving up. Standardized testing and aseessment not related to instruction has created a culture of fear and teachers who have no sense of creativity or choice in their craft as teachers. Their principals are fearful and pressure teachers because they are pressured and they are not encouraged to lead with heart. No one seems to value the things that really work for kids: creative, engaging practices that build real thinking in students. It is as though the publishers have designed “teacher proof” programs that allow little room for the teachers to contribute their expertise.
One size all education doesn’t serve many kids and teachers have a tremendous task in trying to do the nearly impossible. I respect good teachers and administrators so much and try to support them by being inspiring and encouraging in our work together.
Hi, Monica. What a beautifully-worded comment. You are spot on about teachers and leadership operating from a place of fear rather than being led with their hearts. Many schools are just soul-crushing places to work (and learn.) I agree that testing pressure is at the root of this problem. It’s nothing short of tragic.
I am one who quit the teaching profession. I quit because it was such an overwhelming job. I taught in a Christian school. My last year I taught about 24 students in a tiny classroom where almost 1/3 of them had learning disabilities. The parents were not at all supportive. I totally had lost all joy in teaching. However, after about 5 yrs, I went back. Doing okay now. I am teaching high school and feel like I am more suited for that. I think teachers are expected to perform miracles, and when they don’t, they are berated.
Hi, Stephanie! I’m glad you found that taking a break and switching to another age group reinvigorated you. I agree that teachers are expected to be miracle workers…and we often expect that of ourselves, as well.
Last year, after an incredibly difficult year trying everything possible (i.e.most of the Cornerstone strategies) I was ‘pink slipped’ without an explanation. I was so disheartened after dealing with really insane behavior issues all year and then kind of “kicked while I was down” by being let go without an explanation. Then I couldn’t find another job because of the flooded market and so I am subbing this year and finding crazy relaxation since I don’t have to deal with all the issues I had in the past.
Hi, Rebecca, I’m very sorry to hear that you were pink slipped. For many years, one of the greatest benefits of teaching was the job security; knowing now that all your hard work might result in having to start over with a job search is very tough. I’m glad you have found some time to relax. Keep us updated on what you decide to do next. 🙂
I am amazed at all of the comments on here and Facebook that keep hitting the nail on the head about all the reasons teachers quit. While the kids are always the reason to continue teaching, there are those few that can make a teacher wonder if it’s worth staying in the profession. During my 2nd year of teaching (when I was pregnant), I had a special needs student who threw a chair at me in the middle of class, and a rock on a different day. The child was barely reprimanded, and sent back to class. When an IEP is used as justification or an excuse for bad choices on a student’s part instead of being used to support the student as it should be, it makes teachers realize that their safety isn’t a priority. I still love teaching most days, but it is hard not to remember incidents like these and to not be offended by administration’s response to them.
Hi, Michelle! I, too, find it amazing that we are all saying the same thing–urban and rural and suburban teachers, early childhood and high school teachers, newbies and veterans. There are so many differences between our schools yet our common core challenges are the same. I can relate to your experience of violent students that administration refuses to deal with. One year I had two of them and nearly quit because it just wasn’t safe for me or the kids. Very tough, indeed.
Angie you definitely hit nail on the head with this comment. Like you said, if we all are saying the same thing as educators regardless to the area that your teach, the grade level being taught, and the amount of experience that a person has, there is a serious problem in all 50 states. It is challenging to say the least, that staying in the profession when all you see is the light at the end of the tunnel getting dimmer and dimmer. This is my first time discovering this website and I’m glued to it’s content. I have been teaching 12 years now and it seems that I’m learning ideas and concepts (both bad and good) each day. Once again for this website and I can see that it is a breath of fresh air. Please continue to share your thoughts and ideas on both teaching practices and educational concerns with us on this website.