Let me ask you something.
Have you ever felt like teaching your first year was less about education… and more about survival?
Like, no one told you you’d spend more time chasing sharpened pencils than inspiring young minds?
That was me. Fresh out of college. Bright-eyed. Armed with binders of lesson plans. And within two weeks, I was thinking… what in the world did I sign up for?
Here’s a stat that floored me later: nearly half of new teachers quit within their first five years. That’s right. Almost half. And burnout is the number one reason. Not lack of skill. Not lack of content knowledge. Just pure exhaustion.
So today, I want to flip the script. Instead of piling more on your plate, let’s talk about the things I quit. The things that saved my sanity and actually made me a better teacher. Stick with me, because the last one I quit? That was the hardest—and it changed everything.
1. I Quit Grading Everything
I quit grading every single piece of paper that crossed my desk. First year. Friday night. My friends were out eating wings. I was at home grading 27long division worksheets. Every. Single. One.
By worksheet number 21, I couldn’t even do long division anymore. And you know what? The kids didn’t even look at half the comments I poured onto their papers.
A 2019 RAND study found teachers spend an average of 11 hours a week outside of contract time on grading and prep. That’s 440 hours a year—basically an unpaid second job.
So I shifted: quick checks, exit tickets, peer grading, even letting students self-check some work. It wasn’t about laziness. It was about giving faster, more meaningful feedback while keeping myself alive.
And the kicker? Students cared more—because feedback came while the learning was still fresh, not two weeks later.
2. I Quit the Pinterest-Perfect Classroom
Confession: I once spent two weekends making sure my bulletin board borders matched perfectly at the corners. Measuring tape. Staple-gun precision. I thought I was building the Taj Mahal of classrooms.
Monday morning rolls around. The kids walk in. First comment? “Hey, do we have recess today?”
Not one kid noticed my symmetrical borders.
Research from Stanford University shows classroom décor only impacts learning when it’s functional. Too much visual clutter? Students’ attention tanks.
So I quit decorating for Instagram. Instead, I decorated for flow: supplies within reach, clear pathways, labels kids could actually read. And the vibe changed overnight. Classroom management got easier—because kids could navigate the space without constant help.
3. I Quit Saying Yes to Everything
The fastest way to burn out? It’s not tough kids. It’s not bad lessons. It’s saying “yes” to everything.
Tutoring. Coaching. Covering other classes. Directing the school play—spoiler alert, I knew nothing about theater. At one point, I was running on caffeine and panic.
Gallup reports that teachers working 50+ hours a week are twice as likely to experience high burnout. And new teachers? You’re the easiest targets—because you want to prove yourself.
So I started asking two questions before I said yes:
- Does this help my students?
- Does this help me grow as a teacher?
If not, I declined. And shocker: the school didn’t collapse. But my energy? It skyrocketed.
4. I Quit Comparing Myself to Other Teachers
This one stung. Social media had me trapped—scrolling Instagram, TikTok, blogs full of flawless classrooms and smiling kids in perfect uniforms. Meanwhile, I was drowning in papers, thinking I was failing.
Newsflash: those highlight reels aren’t real life. Comparison was stealing my confidence while adding nothing of value.
So I stopped scrolling. I stopped measuring myself against curated snapshots. I focused on my students, my classroom, my growth. And guess what? My students thrived—and I started to actually enjoy teaching again.
5. I Quit Perfection
This was the hardest one. I quit perfection.
If you’re like me, you want it all perfect—the lesson, the classroom, the teacher image. But here’s the truth: perfection is a mirage. You chase it, and it keeps moving farther away.
And my students? They didn’t need a perfect teacher. They needed a present one. Someone rested, smiling, laughing at corny jokes. A real person, not a robot chasing flawless.
The day I quit perfection, everything shifted. Teaching got lighter. My confidence grew. And the kids? They connected with me more than ever.
Final Thoughts
So, here’s the recap:
- I quit grading everything.
- I quit the Pinterest-perfect classroom.
- I quit saying yes to everything.
- I quit comparing myself to other teachers.
- And I quit perfection.
The result? Time back. Energy restored. Confidence rebuilt. And a career that didn’t eat me alive.
Here’s my challenge to you: pick just one thing to quit this week. Just one. And watch how much lighter you feel.
Remember—quitting the right things isn’t giving up. It’s making room for the teacher you’re meant to be.
Want more strategies for surviving your first year in the classroom? Check out my book Get Started on the Right Foot: A Guide for Teaching the First Days of School and listen to more episodes of the Teacher RockStar Podcast.
