"Is there anyone here who really loves teaching?"

Teachers tend to love TEACHING-- not substitute parenting, substitute administrating, and/or substitute policing. If they loved those things, they'd have gone into childcare, administration, or police/corrections work. When the thing one loves is no longer possible, the healthy response is to seek opportunties where one CAN use one's gifts and talents responsibly.

Some teaching skills are transferable to other venues, where they can be put to use effectively.


I didn't learn this in teaching, but I did learn it in a burnout situation-- you can accomplish a lot more, and far more positively, with less cost to self, without doing uphill work that drains the self)-- 99% of the time. The guilt over leaving an untenable situation in favor of better allocation of effort often has been installed by the institution profiting from the guilt. Guilt robs effectiveness toward goals.

One of the first things any "agent of change" in any setting must learn (and practice despite pressure) is committed, resolute stewardship over one's personal, internal resources. If the work is important, it's important to be at one's best to do it-- not ragged around the edges AND inside.

~Susan