Should I Quit Teaching? What to Know Before You Decide
- Erin Sponaugle
- Oct 7
- 6 min read
It’s 24 hours until my book Teachaholic launches on October 8th, and I feel like a teacher waiting for the first day of school—excited, nervous, hopeful. I wrote this book to serve as a lifeline for teachers during one of the busiest and most overwhelming seasons of the year.
Right now, it’s not just pumpkin spice season or spooky season. For many educators, it’s disillusionment season—the time of year when everything starts piling on. Paperwork, testing, progress monitoring, behavior issues, and meetings stack up. The joy you started the year with begins to fade. If you’re a teacher feeling overwhelmed, overworked, and questioning your future in the classroom, you’re not alone.
Note: This post may contain affiliate links.
This post is for you. Because maybe you’re already whispering the question so many of us have asked: Should I quit teaching?
Want to listen to this message instead of read? You can hear the audio version in my podcast or click the Mp3 below.
Why October Feels So Hard
October is when the workload hits full force. You’re tracking data, prepping for assessments, managing student behaviors that seem to pop up out of nowhere, and trying to keep it all together.
You’re also battling your own inner voice: I should do more. I can’t say no. I have to be everything to everyone.
That guilt weighs heavily on already overworked teachers. And while your heart is in the right place—you care deeply about your students—the reality is you’re human, not superhuman. It's a perfect storm to whip an overworked teacher into a hurricane of teacher burnout.
I always started the school year with high hopes that things would go better than the year before. There were many years where things may have improved (such as having a group of kids that got along better or having a better handle on teaching a particular subject), but every year, that heavy feeling of things slowly piling on would happen right with the change of the leaves and the first sign of a jack-o-lantern. Reality would hit right when the workload picked up, and that one kid dared to keep trying my patience (over and over).
Teaching may not be what they show in the movies or what they say it is in those Facebook groups (where absolutely no one is a teacher), but does that mean we need to start googling how to change careers as a teacher?
“Should I Quit Teaching?” Isn’t a Bad Question
If you’re asking yourself this, it doesn’t mean you’ve failed. It means you’re paying attention. The truth is, many teachers reach this point—especially in their first few years—but also veterans who’ve been in the classroom for decades.
If you’re new, you may be shocked at how unprepared student teaching left you for the real job. If you’re experienced, maybe you’ve watched expectations multiply year after year with no end in sight.
Feeling trapped, hopeless, or convinced that quitting is the only way out is a normal response. But it may not be your only option.
Are You a “Teachaholic”?
In my book Teachaholic, I define a teachaholic as a teacher who’s deeply dedicated, genuinely cares, and wants to have a huge impact on students—but puts their own needs last, always. Teaching stops being just a job and becomes their entire identity.
Sound familiar?
You say “yes” to everything because that’s what you think a good teacher does.
You work yourself to exhaustion, ignoring your own breaking point.
You consistently put your needs last.
If you nodded along, you’re not a bad teacher, nor are you a teacher who needs to quit the profession. You’re just caught in a very messed-up system that rewards self-sacrifice and normalizes burnout - with little regard for how teachers repair the damage it does to their lives or the lives of their families.
But you can break the cycle.
I started teaching in 2003. In 2014, I was named the West Virginia Teacher of the Year. By 2016, I was sobbing and crashed out on the couch the week before Spring Break due to burnout. It took leveling myself to come to terms with the fact that I had zero boundaries and a very flawed perspective on my self-worth to start making changes and reignite my spark for teaching.
What Teachaholic Offers
I wrote Teachaholic as the book I needed eight or nine years ago. It’s a seven-day guide designed to help teachers like you reset your mindset, reclaim your boundaries, and build a healthier relationship with the job you love—without having to quit teaching unless that’s truly the right decision for you.
Inside, you’ll find:
The hidden “think traps” that lead to teacher burnout.
A step-by-step approach to setting boundaries (even when it feels scary).
How to handle social media and comparison culture.
What to do when people aren’t happy about your new boundaries.
How to recover from setbacks and sustain your teaching career long-term.
Each chapter pairs with a free Teachaholic Action Guide you can download at www.erinsponaugle.com/book. It includes reflection questions, graphic organizers, and prompts to help you apply what you’re reading right away.
Why Boundaries Aren’t Selfish
One of my favorite quotes from the book is:
“Sometimes change doesn’t start with the source of the problem. Sometimes it starts with us. Sometimes it starts with someone doing better for themselves.”
Teacher boundaries aren’t selfish; they’re survival. Without them, burnout accelerates, and students lose the stable, passionate educators they deserve. With them, you model for students—and future teachers—what a healthy work-life balance looks like.
Teaching’s Future Depends on Us
Our students see us every day. They’re quietly forming their own opinions about the profession. If they see teachers exhausted, resentful, and leaving in droves, they’ll think twice before stepping into our shoes.
When I taught fifth grade (the last few years especially), sometimes the students woudl ask me I liked being a teacher. Even when I was tired, sad, or exhausted, I would say, "Of course I do!" But the would give me a look that told me they knew I wasn't being completely truthful.
The truth is, the kids are watching. And they know that if teaching isn't a healthy, sustainable career for us, it probably won't be for them, either.
We can’t fix every broken policy or top-down mandate. But we can control how we show up for ourselves. That ripple effect matters.
Before You Quit Teaching…
If you’re wondering, “Should I quit teaching?” take a breath. It’s okay to ask the question. It’s okay to consider leaving. But it’s also okay to give yourself permission to try something different first—to shift your mindset, reclaim your boundaries, and see if teaching feels different from that place.
You are worth saving. Your joy for teaching is worth saving.
If you’re ready for a fresh start, grab your copy of Teachaholic on Amazon this Wednesday for just 99 cents on Kindle (until 11/08/25). Download the free action guide at www.erinsponaugle.com/book and start putting the steps into practice immediately.
You don’t have to be another statistic. You don’t have to give up on your calling. There’s a way forward—and you don’t have to do it alone.
Ready to reclaim your joy for teaching?
📚 Teachaholic: The 7-Day Mindset Shift to Conquer Burnout, Build Life-Changing Boundaries, and Reignite Your Love for Teaching launches Wednesday, October 8th on Amazon.
💜 Download the free Teachaholic Action Guide to start today at www.erinsponaugle.com/book or fill out the form below!
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