Quitting teaching: my laughable attempt.

[Ferris]

My dad genuinely loved his job but in his early 60's through an eye test got discovered to have a possibly life-threatening AVM, this resulted in several years of being signed of sick, neurology appointments, a bit of surgery and then after about 2 years got a 'graduated' return to work, in all fairness his work were very accommodating. But then when they offered another round of routine VR he did the maths and thought 'fuck this!'.

Not long after, my mum who had scope creep problems with her work, and typically has had in different jobs as well started asking herself similar questions, started doing the maths, and realised she could also say 'bollocks to this'.

They've never been happier.

Cunts are practically nomadic and will be happier than I ever will.

Wish I'd never been born, etc.

They've not got into this camper van lifestyle have they? Mine bought a mid '00s Mercedes sprinter and they've stuck a bed in the back[nb]I'm exaggerating for comic effect, the thing is ridiculously over-spec[/nb] and drive it all over the shop. They've talked about shipping it to North America which fills me with dread that they'll park on the drive and squat there indefinitely.

It sounds like our parents are in very similar places, and I don't just mean the West Midlands.

[Sebastian Cobb]

They've not got into this camper van lifestyle have they?

Yeah it's a fucking ridiculous massive Fiat thing and has a double bed in the back section away from the rest of it.

Part of the AVM thing my dad had meant he was forbidden from driving and never really took that up, and although my mum has had 'lessons' driving this behemoth she is an objectively bad driver; I used to find her driving me 20 miles home from brum airport in a Rover 75 fucking terrifying experience because she just blindly crossed lanes on roundabouts.

I can't legally even drive the thing because they changed what weight limits a normal car licence allows you after 1996 it well exceeds that.

They used to more-or-less leave me alone when I lived in Aberdeen but now have started going on holidays that 'just happen' to take them past me and I can't really say no to. I don't mind it this time since I've not seen them in about 2 years thanks to covid etc etc but the "we're passing through and you more-or-less have to see us now" is a trick they've pulled a few times.

[holyzombiejesus]

Twit, what kind of work do you think you'll be looking for?

Enjoy your summer, you've earned it.

[PlanktonSideburns]

What you've done with yourself in that patch of time is fucking brilliant twit2, a well of exponential benefit swirling out of you into other people's lives for eternity

Make sure you recharge your batteries before endeavours of that magnitude again, however long that takes. Taking it easy after all that is not coasting, it's necccicary self care to make sure you can do it again if you want to

Though you could probably spend years being a bit of a prick and still be good to go

[finnquark]

Enjoy the summer Twit, you deserve it. There's a lot of recognisable stuff in your post, and you've put it down in some vivid and moving words. I hope you find something you consider valuable to move into next  - I'm sure you'll have plenty of energy for it once you've recharged.

I've just finished my eighth year since qualifying and the vast majority of people I trained with are long gone. The thing that struck a chord from what you said was the awful feeling of trying to focus on getting young people to think critically and freely, whilst observing so many of them suffering such hardships. I'm at the other end of the spectrum in the system (16-19 college) and it is easier in many respects than primary/secondary. But there's the same brutality to seeing young people lose hope and vitality in real time, and this year more than most.

A large proportion of the saddest and most difficult stuff I've encountered has happened in the last 18 months, either related or not to COVID. I think anyone who has done the length of time you've done is to be lauded and I hope you have good people around you to make sure you know that. I've certainly thought more about leaving it in the last 12 months than ever before. You'll have made such a difference to so many young people's lives.

[Ferris]

Enjoy your summer, you've earned it.

I'm sorry for diverting this thread, Twit2's OP resonated with me strongly and I posted some of my very rare entirely genuine stuff (which I avoid, as a rule)

I very much agree with this sentiment - take time off, figure out what your next steps are and give those a try. Absolutely no need to feel guilty - from what I know of the system, it is dog turds and you have done your part.

[Bernice]

Shut up Ferris. I love baseball, teachers and you.

[Ferris]

Shut up Ferris. I love baseball, teachers and you.

Very kind, and you are justifiable 2 times out of 3.

[Bernice]

Ha, that was nice of me after a few Thursday jars. Just to redress the balance, I'd like to say how sorry I am that both the Toronto Blue Jays and your mother are utterly fucking useless.

[The Dog]

You've got to know when to mould 'em,
Know when to scold 'em,
Know when to walk away,
And know when to run.

[Smeraldina Rima]

I'd like to award Twit 2 the honorary medal for seven years of being a good lad in a horrible crushing world. Remember the children you might have inspired in case they come up to you in later life wanting to be remembered.

[Blinder Data]

A great post, Twit 2, and best of luck with your future.

If you fancy a change of scene, a primary teacher I know much prefers the curriculum (and pay!) in Scotland if you ever fancied a move northwards, though many aspects of the education system are antiquated and it might be only a matter of time before it becomes more like England's...

[Twit 2]

Had you never considered teaching specifically literature, and at a higher age level, since you love it so much?

Is possible, I suppose. Dunno if I'd have to retrain for that, or whether they'd except my existing primary teaching qualification + "I love books, me!"

EDIT - also interesting use of words in the thread title, "my laughable attempt".  Does that mean you haven't discounted the possibility of returning to it in future?  And is that return based on the matter-of-fact fact that you need a job to support your family so you'd consider going back if nothing else comes up, or is there the possibility that you'll get a..."moral hunger" (for want of a better phrase) to go back?  Also, how common is it for people who have left/quit the system to return many years later?  As you alluded to yourself, the teaching business is unrecognisable now compared with when I was at school.

The wording was mainly just mirroring an existing CaB thread title: "Quitting smoking: my laughable attempt", but yeah, a little bit of what you mentioned about the worthiness of the profession having a pull on you. Anecdotally, I think most teachers quit and don't come back.