I quit teaching after 12 years spent in 3 private schools across 2 states. This article comes as close as any I've found to saying why. I'll add that my therapist also told me that it was quite literally killing me even though I was a rock star teacher and loved the kids. American education, K-Phd., public, private and homeschool, is thoroughly corrupt, predatory, and extremely damaging to most students and most teachers.
I got my Super Nintendo Entertainment System when I was eleven years old. That's a couple years after it first came out. The occasion was a little dramatic: to celebrate the end of a two-and-a-half year course of treatment for cancer. I had no idea that it would be waiting for me at home after the final doctors visit. It was a nice spring day, the trees were waving gently in the breeze outside the bay windows. With a cup of tea resting on the coffee table, I set down to play. What was that first game? It was The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past . Around twenty years later, my SNES still works as does that Zelda cartridge. It's been a long way from boyhood in Southern Connecticut to manhood in North Houston, but I'm still playing. Why am I still playing? There were stretches when I didn't. Many times, I've just been too busy. There were also seasons when it felt embarrassing to still be playing video games....
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I still teach, but your experience as described by the article does resonate with me. Shoot me an email if you'd like to chat about it. It's not only isolating to teach unless you have a super stoic attitude, but it's also isolating to quit something that feels so important. I'm sorry it wore on you so hard and I'm also glad you found a way out of it.
I think you're right about the walking away from it, though my health and overall wellbeing began improving dramatically the day after my last day. The real bear in this economy is transitioning to something else. Unless you want to go into insurance or sales, a former teacher needs to recredential and recertify to have a shot at anything.
I've found myself leaving as well. Thankfully, I had a job offer for something that used a lot of the administrative skills I'd acquired along the way. But yeah, something ended up being the last straw for me despite all the positive outcomes occurring, so I'll give my resignation soon after I officially am hired. I'm still willing to talk about the classical education system/process if you're ever interested.