Teachers are tired and giving up, which has led to an epidemic of teacher shortages across the United States. Teachers do not want to teach anymore; they are finding new and clever ways to use their degree and subsequently leaving the world of education, but why? The majority of teachers, from my own experience, are so passionate about their jobs and their dedication to their students is unwavering, but then they leave. Especially in the public school system, teachers are fleeing from their positions like they are being chased away. It’s probably because they are.

In any school system, there are challenges, but recently, there have been some of the most disappointing and degenerative changes in policy, public or private, that most of us have ever seen. I mean, come on, it is 2023 and there are laws being passed to ban transgender kids from using their preferred names. We as teachers face serious liability if we even mention that the concept of LGBTQIA+ rights exists, or in states like Florida, we can no longer have classroom libraries! Teachers are being told that they must teach in a certain way and ignore things that may be relevant just to retain the image of a white, Christian America, which I hate to inform you, does not exist. It never did; it’s just propaganda. 

As a future teacher, I am terrified. I love the idea of teaching these young minds, shaping them into real people and cultivating their passions, but I have to limit myself so as to not lose my job. These are the eggshells that all teachers in the majority of schools across the country  currently now have to navigate. These restrictions now limit the teachers’ freedom of speech and have a deep negative impact on our students. One of the best ways for students to learn is to see themselves (their race, cultural tradition, gender, sexual orientation, etc.) in their learning, but now none of the students who identify with a non-cisgender or a non-heterosexual orientation will be able to see themselves in their education. Not only that, but teachers are being forced to ban students from being themselves; if they choose to change their names or pronouns, we cannot abide by them or respect them as a student. 

These restrictions make teachers not want to teach anymore, at least, in part. Why be forced to hide their beliefs and disrespect their students, paired with being overworked and underpaid? The least they can do is love their students, help them understand who they are as people, and assist them in making informed decisions—but if those ideals do not comply with the ideals of a white, Christian America, it has been apparent that these ideals do not matter at all.