The Time I Wanted to QUIT Education - Episode 10

Teaching is NOT an easy job.  It takes a lot out of you and you must have a great capacity to give.  You find yourself giving so much of yourself and so much of your time that you can burn out easily. 

In 2016, I left Pittsburgh, PA and headed back to my home state of North Carolina.  I was exhausted and needed something new and yet familiar.  I ended up at Piedmont "You Know" Middle School in Charlotte, NC.  I loved what I saw when I looked at their website and I felt intimidated because they looked like a dynamic school.  I left Pittsburgh two weeks before the school year started and needless to say it was a looooooooooooooooot.  By the middle of the year I was going to work at 7am and not leaving until 7pm, four out of the five days!  I was ready to walk away.

I sat down with my principal and prepared a speech to let her know that I was going to leave.  She looked at me and said, "James, you cannot come in early and stay late every day.  You are going to have to pick one.  Either you come in early and leave on time, or come in late and stay a little later.  You CANNOT DO BOTH!"  

I sat with her words and I decided that I would give it one more year.  Over the summer I went to work and taught myself all the things I needed to know and redid all my answer keys and tightened up my mastery of content. 

I reflected on a sermon by Pastor AD3 when he said, you didn't ask for easy, you asked for excellence!  That is how I approached the rest of my career.  Five years later I am the best teacher I have ever been.  Listen, don't give up if this is truly something you called to do.  You didn't ask for easy, YOU ASKED FOR EXCELLENCE!

Thank you for listening!

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