Very Few Teachers Ever Quit Teaching

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Very Few Teachers Ever Quit Teaching, They Quit Their Principal.


Almost no teacher. Very few. Practically none. They don't just quit teaching. But they do quit something. (And Burnout is Real)

Almost all educators who entered the profession did so because they love growth. Teachers love to see children grow. Teachers love to see students learn. School leaders love to watch teachers grow. District and regional leaders love helping people and organizations grow.

With all this love, it's illogical that any teacher every quits teaching. Well, they don't.

Teachers don't quit teaching, they quit their principals.


Here are 4 ways to keep your star teachers from quitting you:

  1. Use words to encourage, affirm, and recognize individually and in group settings. There's no cost to words. There's no bank where they run out. Don't be stingy with good words.
  2. Visit them often and find the good. If you can't find the good, then it's likely that your lenses need cleaning. You provide great training and support, so the good is there. Find it and leave a sticky note to tell them the good they are doing.
  3. Involve them in a variety of ways. Find opportunities for teacher leadership...not just involvement in some dreaded committee meeting, but genuine involvement. Read more on involvement here.
  4. Be un-quit-able. That's right, be the person who leads with compassion, continually stays on the cutting edge of the profession, casts vision, and works side-by-side with the frontlines. Un-quit-able.

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