Leaving a Job Gracefully For the Right Reasons

I have been a full time classroom teacher for the past six years. As a philosophical introvert who would much rather communicate through writing and discuss abstract theories, being forced to interact face-to-face, orally, with hundreds of people, from children and their families, daily and beyond, was a huge challenge. Initially, I enjoyed the excitement and the vigor; I felt that I was growing as a person and mastering social skills that I lacked as an introvert. Teaching during the pandemic was also exciting, despite numerous worries about becoming sick. I actually preferred the online and distant teaching methods we were required to practice during lockdowns and isolations. As an introvert, the online world is where I feel more at home, compared to the physical world.

Yesterday, I went for a walk without my dog. It felt liberating. No more stopping for smells and leaks, and walking at my pace to the music instead of my short-legged small dog's pace. I feel the same way about working with children. I have had to lower my pace and standards in life to match those of my students, who are around ten years old. As a thirty year old person, I feel that I am no longer willing to entertain their perspectives and speed. I am not getting any younger myself, so I need to better use my own time in this world, to better myself and succeed in my own endeavors. I know it is selfish to strive for your own success. But that is the most honest thing I can do in my life, as I am beginning to understand that I have already lived a third of my life. I must use the next two thirds intentionally and wisely so that I can live a fulfilling life that is true to me.

This reasoning is why I feel that I must leave teaching. It has been a wonderful profession for me. I get eleven weeks of vacation in a year, with great insurance and benefits, along with a pension. These perks make me want to stay in the education field, but I must remove myself from the front-lines of the classroom and join the administrative side, perhaps as a consultant. I do not wish to be another front-line professional in administration, such as becoming a principal or assistant/vice principal. I wish to be a professional working with other professionals rather than with the public, hopefully still in the education world, perhaps in Education Ministries in government, Teachers' Unions, or in school district central offices. That is why for the past two years, I have worked hard to obtain my master's degree in education simultaneously while maintaining my full time job as a classroom teacher. That is why I continue to apply for secondment/interchange positions with my government. That is why I volunteer at my teachers' union and school district's committees. Hopefully one of these areas will present an enticing offer that will make sense for me to leave my tenure as a classroom teacher. I do enjoy the perks of being a teacher as well, so I am in no hurry to leave. Plus, I have gotten quite good at the job in the past six years, navigating a global pandemic as well.

Lately, I have been coming across more information about vibrating at a higher frequency and raising your energy level to receive the better things in life. The walk yesterday was a result of this thinking, that I need to elevate myself and my standards to do things that truly invigorate and excite me. Walking with my dog is nice, but I can walk so much better if I go by myself. Working with children and impacting positive change in society as a teacher is nice, but I probably can do so much more if I removed the baggage required of teachers and simply became a professional who works in an office to impact change at the organizational level.

For the past year or so, I have been searching for what I truly wish to work on. Yes, I know that I want to work with other competent adults rather than children, and I know that I wish to work in more insular offices rather than in public-facing schools. But what sort of work do I want to do? My master's degree helped me to realize that my professional goal is to decolonize our society's institutions, so that Indigenization and reconciliation can occur. Public education is a huge institution in society, and I already have six years of experience in it, allowing me to work with it more. But I also want to enter the military to see the inner workings of that institution. It is another huge part of society and a significant institution that impacts a large chunk of the country and beyond. I also have an interest based on my three years as a Cadet back in junior high school. Joining the military can be done part time in the Reserves. I wish to do that soon.