Before You Quit Teaching

Bad news first: Teachers, especially new teachers, are often undervalued, underequipped, and unprepared for the reality of high-poverty classrooms. The result is frustration, fear, and a loss of idealism and enthusiasm, fatal flaws for someone facing 30 fourth-graders and a besieged principal every day. Hopelessness can set in fast. But before you quit, realize this: Not only can you survive, you can experience the joy and satisfaction you expected when you first decided to teach. Besides, your students need you.