Why are teachers leaving the education service?

While I acknowledge the number of teachers leaving the education service in the first three years, especially after the end of the 3 year contract, I questioned the interpretation on why teachers leave the service.

Most people, especially the public treat teaching as a job like any other. Before I entered into teaching, I never thought that teaching was a simple job – how hard can transmission of information be? Already our schools have been providing teachers with much professional support and improved working environment compared previously. Even with professional induction support programs, especially for new teachers, and reasonable work settings, however, some teachers do not stay in the education service for long. After gone through the process, I came to realize that the main source of this “not staying long” is not due to lack of professional support or working conditions but I believe the invisible “pressure” of teaching. Within the four walls of the classroom, teachers are charged to engage all students to learn, to teach all students values and character, to create a powerful learning environment to develop all students holistically, all these based on their own version of what schooling could be. Given the complexity of the work of teaching, it then takes a few years for new teachers to recognize the dilemma created by great expectations of a “Teacher”. Even with basic skills and growing competencies of the new teachers, teaching is both psychologically and physically challenging. Even the most experienced teachers are not always successful in the teaching of every student. This work is not for everyone. Those who can will stay on teaching. Those who are not suited to the task move into other professions and careers. There is this wearing down effort or weakening of resistance, especially as a result of continuous pressure to engage, to teach, to create, to develop students. Teaching demands a focused, unswerving belief that all students can learn and that we teachers can support that learning. These pressures are relentless and demand integrity and strong belief of those who stay!