Should you quit teaching? A calmer way to decide
If you are asking this, you are not alone and you are not failing. Wanting to leave a job that asks this much is a normal response, and the decision deserves more than a bad Tuesday.
The choice is rarely just stay or quit. It is often leave now or leave in June, this school or any school, teaching or something next to it. Below are the questions that make the decision clearer. If it helps to say it out loud first, tell Carmen what is going on.
Talk to Carmen
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Say it the way you’d say it to a friend. Carmen will ask what she needs to know.
45 days before the first day of instruction
Texas resignation deadline without penalty
Texas Education Code §21.105Ways to think the decision through
Leave at the end of the year, or mid-year
Finishing the year protects your references, your license and often your summer pay, and gives you months to plan. Leaving mid-year can be the right call when your health or safety is at stake. Know which one you are choosing, and why.
- First step
- Write down the date you would leave under each option and what you would need in place by then.
Check your contract and license before you resign
Some states can sanction your teaching license if you break a contract. In Texas, resigning 30 to 44 days before the first day of instruction brings a reprimand on your certificate, and resigning later than that, or during the year, brings at least a one-year suspension. Good cause, such as a serious illness or a spouse's job move, and steps like helping train your replacement can reduce or remove the sanction. Rules differ by state and district.
- First step
- Read the resignation section of your contract and ask your union rep what leaving would mean in your state.
Try a different school, grade or district first
Sometimes the problem is the building, the leadership or the grade level. A move can change your daily life more than you expect. If you have liked teaching somewhere before, this is worth testing.
- First step
- List what drains you most and mark which items would follow you to another school and which would not.
Take a leave of absence
Many districts offer medical, family or personal leave that keeps your job or seniority while you step back. It gives you room to decide without burning the bridge.
- First step
- Ask HR or your union for the leave policies in your contract, and what each one protects.
Build the exit before you resign
Most teachers who leave well do it with a plan: a target role, a rewritten résumé, and a few conversations with people already doing the job. Planning while still employed keeps your options open and your income steady.
- First step
- Pick one role that interests you and message two people on LinkedIn who left teaching for it.
Talk to someone
Say it out loud to someone who is not your principal: a friend who left, a mentor, a counselor, or Carmen. If you are struggling with your mental health, please reach a professional. In the US you can call or text 988 at any hour.
- First step
- Tell one person this week, plainly, that you are thinking about leaving and why.
Sample conversation
How a conversation with Carmen starts
Carmen asks before she suggests. An illustrative example, not a real person.
I cried in my car before first period again. I think I need to quit.
That sounds like a lot to carry into every morning. I'm glad you said it. Is it the job itself, or this school and this year?
Mostly this school. The admin, the behavior, no support. I used to love it.
Then it may be worth asking where you teach before deciding whether. Would it help to look at what a move to another school would take, alongside what leaving would?
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Questions & answers
- Is it normal to want to quit teaching?
- Yes. In RAND's 2026 survey, 18 percent of teachers said they intended to leave their jobs, and teachers reported worse well-being than similar working adults on every indicator.
- Can I quit teaching in the middle of the year?
- You can, but it may have consequences for your license, depending on your state and contract. Talk to your union or a lawyer before you resign, and ask about leave options first.
- How do I know if it is burnout or the wrong career?
- Ask whether you would still want to teach in a different school with more support. If yes, it may be burnout from your situation. If no part of the job appeals any more, it may be time for something new.
- What if I quit and regret it?
- Leaving does not have to be permanent. Keeping your license current and leaving on good terms keeps that door open.
More for teachers
Just talk something through
Sources
- RAND: Teacher Well-Being, Pay, and Intentions to Leave in 2026 (State of the American Teacher survey)
- Texas Education Code §21.105: Resignation (probationary contract)
- Texas Administrative Code, 19 TAC §249.17: Sanctions for contract abandonment (SBEC)
- 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline
Last checked September 29, 2026.