Decision Time

Can you believe it's contract time again? Per usual, the year goes from slow to fast in a nanosecond and here we are looking at our annual contract. Based on the last two challenging school years...or so, the instant signing and handing back of contracts doesn't seem so instant. 

There is no doubt that teaching is a rewarding job. It offers some great benefits: summers off, breaks throughout the year, good health benefits, and reasonable "work hours." The kids and parents appreciate the hard work that we do. Depending on your situation, your administration and colleagues could be really awesome. Teachers are essential! 

However, it can also be a time consuming and difficult job. The preparation and planning take a lot of time and energy. In most cases, the correcting and organizing gets done after hours. Over the last few years, teachers have had to learn new skills, deal with new safety protocols, and try to teach students that have been absent- a lot! 

My advice to you is this: take your time and talk with someone else about the pros and cons of this career. Make a list of your accomplishments this year. Make a list of your students' accomplishments. Look around and see if the jobs out there offer something that would better suit your personal or professional goals. Do your best to focus on what you want/need and try, try, try, not to worry about what will happen at your school if you decide not to go back. I would be remiss if I didn't suggest you also look at those things that were very challenging to you either emotionally or physically. You can't dismiss those things, because if there weren't things that were challenging, you probably wouldn't be contemplating this decision at this time. 

One last question: How will this decision support your short-term and long-term career and financial goals?