Lesson Plans? More Like Exit Plans! How and Why Teachers are Leaving in Droves.

REAL TALK FROM REAL TEACHERS

• “For me, I’m out after this year. I’m done. It’s the kids’ behavior that pushed me over the edge. I never expected it to be 80% of the job.”

• “I left at the end of year 10. I still absolutely love the idea of teaching, but I could not stay with what it had turned into. It broke my heart.”

• “It’s simple… Teachers are leaving because of society’s willingness to turn its back on the profession. If we don’t feel respected, we leave.”

• “I quit teaching in 2022. My principal tried to pull this sh*t with me, saying that I was under contract so if they didn’t find a replacement for me, I could be in ‘real trouble.’ I laughed and said I’m not going to be looking for another teaching job, so if the trouble she spoke of involved not being able to get hired to teach anymore, I hoped that that was a promise!”

• I keep telling myself I like teaching… but then I wonder why I’m always desperately looking forward to every single break we have. We literally have a countdown to every break on the white board in the teachers’ lounge. Something is off...

THE PROBLEM

The teacher shortage is REAL.

1) How bad is it? 

• It’s bad; we’ll let the numbers do the talking. In June 2025, there was an estimated 400,000 unfilled teacher positions, which equates to about 1 in 8 teaching positions across the country! With a small staff of 40, that would mean there are 5 vacancies. (Source: The Learning Policy Institute) 

• Get this, The National Center for Education Statistics reports that 86% of US K-12 public schools reported challenges for hiring teachers in the 23-24 school year. That means only 14% schools comfortably filled all of their positions. Wow!

• And it’s even worse with teachers of color. According to EdTrust, more than half of U.S students are children of color, and yet only 20% of employed educators are teachers of color. As if that wasn’t bad enough, about 40% of the nation’s public schools do not have a single teacher of color on record! Not good!

• And let’s not forget those wonderful subs who cover our butts when we need a day off. According to DevPack, over one-third of public schools (35%) are “extremely concerned” about finding enough substitute teachers for their staff. As we know all too well, this usually means that our colleagues are giving up their plan periods and lunches to cover for us. Teachers shouldn’t have to miss their lunch just to allow another teacher to take a break!

2) Where are teachers going?

• It’s simple… They’re quitting! 90% of vacancies are created by teachers who leave the profession entirely, most of which leave due to dissatisfaction with their jobs. Go figure! (Source: The Learning Policy Institute)

3) Why are teachers so unsatisfied?

• We’re stressed! 62% of teachers in 2025 reported frequent job-related stress, which is nearly double that of similar working adults at only 33%! Furthermore, the study found that about 21% of teachers found difficulty in coping with job-related stress, which is significantly higher than other working adults. (Source: RAND study)

• Okay, it’s time to address the elephant in the room…

• According to the same Rand study, teachers reported working nearly 50 hours per week, on average, in 2025, and yet they also reported an average base salary of approximately $73,000, which is $30,000 less than similar working adults who reported salaries of around $103,000. This isn’t rocket science, people! Pay teachers more!

• But it’s not just about the money. During a 30-year career in academia, renowned British Psychologist, Sir Cary Cooper, published over 100 pieces of research on workplace well-being and stress. He had the following to say about teaching: “Of all 80 occupations I’ve studied, teachers are in the top 3 most stressed occupations.” When asked why, he said, “The hours are long, the workload is heavy, and there is change for change’s sake from various governments.” (Source: Tes Magazine). Ha! You mean giving us new standards and initiatives every year isn’t helping?? Who knew!?

• Finally, as if you needed more evidence, the NY Post cites a LinkedIn survey that found teachers to be near the top of the list for professions with the highest burnout rate (see table below). All the jobs listed have nearly a 50% burnout rate. This means half of teachers will eventually quit!

• What do these jobs have in common? It’s no surprise; they’re emotionally taxing. Kandi Wiens, author of “Burnout Immunity” says, “When you’re in a caring profession, you’re dealing with a lot of difficult, sensitive situations, some of which could have serious consequences for a child or patient’s well-being. That can get exhausting, fast.” Oh don’t we know this to be true! Nearly every day, we are making monumental decisions that have enormous impacts on our students. It’s tiring!

THE SOLUTION

Let’s be honest. Some days it feels like there’s no way to fix education. But we did the hard work for you and dug in to the research. Here is what the experts say needs to happen.

1. First, what’s the saying? Money talks, bull sh*t walks? Yeah, I think that’s it. Pay teachers more! It doesn’t make sense that one of the most stressful jobs in the world - a fact that has been corroborated by a multitude of studies - also pays $30k less than the average working-adult. Teachers don’t mind helping students and dealing with stressful situations at work… we just don’t want to come home and also deal with stressful financial situations at home! Nearly half of all teachers (45%) say their current salary is not enough to sustain them long term (Source: TeacherSalaryProject).

2. The Learning Policy Institute did research on this topic and came up with the following 4 remedies:

   1. Invest in high-quality pathways into teaching

   2. Provide new teachers with mentoring and induction supports

   3. Provide competitive compensation (oh good, they agree!)

   4. Improve working conditions

   5. Strengthen data accessibility and infrastructure (to better inform decision making and policy solutions in schools!)

3. In our research, we looked for examples of districts that found successes in teacher retention and we found a great example with California who had one of the biggest successes in the country implementing teacher residency programs. This also aligns with the LPI’s first solution listed above about providing high-level pathways in to teaching. Modeled after medical residencies, these programs pair resident teachers with experienced mentors for a full year while they take integrated coursework. 85% of the residents were still teaching after 3 years! (Source: LPI)

4. FrontlineEducation has a similar suggestion. They say that the districts seeing the most progress are the ones treating staffing as a strategic, system-wide priority – not just an HR responsibility. “The path forward is to lead with data… and invest in your people.”

Okay, your homework this week is to fix the teacher shortage problem…. GO!

Alright, just kidding. This is a monumental problem that will require many layers of change from many levels of education and government. No ONE person can fix it. The best we can all do is advocate for teachers everywhere by standing up for ourselves and spreading our message!

A) Campaign, vote, and share out articles and newsletters similar to this one! The more our voices get heard, the better chance for change!

And if we can’t affect policy, we can at least try to affect our own behaviors and implement strategies that work for us. Here are a few ideas that can help.

B) Find a mentor teacher and partner up with them - especially if you’re new! Mentorships have proven to be effective and a support buddy at work can help socially and emotionally! Set regular check-ins to try and support and learn from one another. Focus on sharing resources and strategies for being happier and more efficient at work. Extra credit for forming a cohort of more than 2 teachers!

C) Just Say No! Yes, just say no to drugs AND to extra work! You have to draw some boundaries for yourself. One thing teachers need to admit is that a portion of teacher burnout is self-inflicted. The next time you’re asked to volunteer for extra work, JUST SAY NO. You’re already doing a lot, so let someone else step up or ask admin to find another way to complete that work. And if there’s something stressful on your plate you’re currently doing that’s already above and beyond, quit doing it (or at least cut back on it).

D) Set time limits for yourself. The next time you’re working on a project or grading papers, make sure it’s within the timeframe of your contract. If you’re working on nights and weekends, give yourself permission to dial it back. Your mental health comes first!