My dad was a teacher for 30 years. He retired a week ago...and he doesn't miss it. Advice for the new teachers (especially student teachers) in here.

Hey there teachers, I am the son of a middle school teacher. He taught 6th grade English and Social Studies for 30 years. I just wanted to take a moment to congratulate my dad on his recent ( abrupt ) retirement from a job he loved. My dad started student teaching in the fall of 1988 and got his first job as a teacher in the fall of 1989. He taught at the same school his whole career, staying with one principal (who was great) and got to see the "good times". In the spring of 2020 he got the abrupt transition to online and survived it. In the 2020-2021 school year he went hybrid (in person). In the 2021-2022 school year he went full time. He made it through all the crap that came with those years, the kids staying home, the kids having to go remote, etc. And this year was great, things seemed like they finally settled down. Behavior was good, kids were good, staff were good.<br><br>Then in the middle of November, my dad had an incident with a student. This student got mad and threw a book at him. My dad was not physically hurt. He was treated very nicely by administration...but he was done. He sent in his letter of resignation about a week later and on Dec. 1st he turned in his keys and retired. My dad had planned to teach until the end of the year ( May ) but he just couldn't do it anymore. My point in all of this is, if you're a student teacher, you're new to teaching, or you're just looking to get into the field, it is unsettling to see what's happening. My dad was a very patient and level headed man, if he's tapped out, I think a lot of the best teachers are going to tap out too.<br><br>&#x200B;<br><br>Here's my advice: You don't have to stick with it. Don't make yourself miserable, if it's too much, it's okay to move on. I was hoping my dad would teach for another 2-4 years but sadly that's not the case. He was great at what he did...but he just can't take it. And honestly, I don't blame him. I know this is a great profession but if you're good at something else, it might be time to explore that. I know this post has been very vague. My dad didn't want me to go into specifics, but I feel an obligation as a supporter of education to reach out to new teachers. Don't feel like you owe it to anyone to stay. The kids won't suffer (in my opinion) and the schools will figure it out. Take care of yourselves.<br><br>TLDR: My dad was a teacher since 1989. He retired about a week ago. I'm not sure how many more teachers will be around. Let this post serve as a warning and some advice for new teachers.