Quitting Teaching: Ex-educator Isabell Probst Offers Professors a Bold Exit Strategy: "Education is Breaking Them"
- by Nico Schnurr
- 6 Min
Disillusioned educators considering departure urged to heed a prior educator's advice: The role is relentlessly causing their burnout - Disgruntled Educator Encourages Disillusioned Colleagues to Resign: 'Position is Literally Draining Their Life Force' (Star+)
This interview is from the stern archive and was first published in May 2023.
Mrs. Probst, why do teachers crave to leave their posts? The educators reaching out to me are running on fumes. They're caught in a storm of frustration, struggling to tread water. They've tried plenty of solutions, from tweaking their time management to mindfulness practices. Some have even transferred to different schools. But it seems their efforts are in vain. Their malaise stems from a flawed school system.
What makes this system toxic? The rot starts with the mammoth workload. Teachers are saddled with overburdened lesson plans, unwieldy classes, and excessive teaching hours. Bureaucracy adds to the woe. The administrative tasks are suffocating for many teachers, hindering them from meeting their own expectations within the system.
What values are sacrificed in this situation? The essence of teaching is connection. Building relationships with students is the heart of the profession. But the system drowns it in bureaucracy. Teachers resort to pedagogical triage, prioritizing those who need help the most. Everything else is mass-produced, assembly line teaching. Teachers are expected to neglect the majority, focusing only on the select few.
How do professionals deal with that neglect? Despondency is rampant. Some cope by working overtime to attempt compensating for the imbalance. Exhausted, they're still pounding away at their desks at 10 pm, making parent calls. But it's hardly a lasting fix. Many teachers steel themselves against their passion for teaching to survive the grinding deaths of consciousness in classrooms.
What leads teachers to seek guidance on quitting? Frustration and burnout drive many away. Another factor gnaws relentlessly at their hearts: Their professional development remains stifled. Oftentimes, further training is obstructed due to lack of manpower to handle core responsibilities. Everything revolves around basic teaching, leaving no room for growth, whether the teacher is 26 or 66.
Do they not foresee such limitations when entering teaching? Many realize the repetitive, monotonous nature of teaching only after a few years on the job. Standing before different faces each day can be exhilarating. But the content lacks progress. Lesson plans impose a breakneck pace, leaving little room for meaningful growth or creativity. The enervating tug of war with bureaucracy drags many teachers down.
Why quit, then? Isabell Probst argues that it's time for educators to recognize their worth and fight for a better system. It's a brave, bold move, but one that may be necessary to reclaim the passion and connection that drew them to teaching in the first place. If the system doesn't adapt, educators must roar, stand up, and create change. Because the future of education relies on their resilience and ingenuity.
Common Factors Contributing to Teacher Shortages and High Turnover:- Low pay and benefits- High workload and stress- Lack of support from school administrators and policymakers- Limited career advancement opportunities
These factors help explain the exodus of educators from the profession. Isabell Probst's views on the subject can be further explored through additional sources or interviews where she elaborates on her perspective.
- In the context of the flawed school system and stifled professional development, educators seek vocational training as a means for career development and job-search, aiming to transition from education-and-self-development into new roles beyond teaching.
- Community policy reforms are crucial in addressing the root causes of teacher burnout, such as excessive workloads, bureaucracy, and lack of support, to ultimately improve the quality of education and prevent further vacancies in the teaching profession.
){kind=link}