How to Rediscover Life Outside of the Classroom
The teaching profession is undervalued, underfunded and under-supported.
Less people are choosing to pursue a career in education and more people are fleeing the profession than ever before.
According to the Education Week, the amount of people completing teacher-education programs declined by a third over recent years. And the National Education Association survey in 2022 found that 55% of teachers say they will leave the teaching profession sooner than originally planned and 90% said burnout is a serious problem.
I would wager a guess that most of us who enter the teaching profession don’t even intend on leaving. Myself included.
And yet, I left. After 10 years in the classroom I packed up two printer paper boxes of awards, student made ribbon roses and countless owl trinkets home to sit in my basement for the past three years.
I loved teaching. I was good at it. And that wasn’t enough to stay.
I had someone reach out to me on social media blaming me for giving up on something I loved. That was a good reminder that social media is just a highlight reel. That person didn’t see everything I was going through.
I would leave my house before 6 a.m. to get to school.
I wouldn’t see my kids or husband before I left.
I drove close to an hour each way.
My department forgot about me throughout the year for meetings and get-togethers.
My admin only came to my room once.
I was doing all the FFA things.
I had serious behavioral issues and they were brushed off.
I was getting paid less money than I was in my previous school district.
While I still loved teaching, I was at a breaking point as a person. As a human.
I needed a change and I am so thankful I was able to get connected to a company that allowed me to learn and grow with them while still being education adjacent.
I Left The Classroom, Then Came Back – Here’s How I Did It
The past three years I was able to rediscover who I was outside of being a teacher. I was no longer tied to the identity of being a teacher. . I was just me. With a job.
And after years of discovering who I was outside of the classroom I realized that being in the classroom is a part of who I am. So I returned with a new mindset about what being a teacher is to me. I asked myself this question…
How do we marry the fact that we LOVE being a teacher but it doesn’t define everything we are?
I used to only identify myself as a teacher. I used to pour all of my energy, my identity and my success into what happened in my classroom.
In my story, it wasn’t healthy. I became burned out. And yes, being burned out from teaching is a real thing. And leaving teaching is an acceptable action if you need that off ramp.
I took that liferaft and clung on to it harder than Rose did to that door on the Titanic.
It took years to be even open to the idea of heading back to the classroom. The one thing that allowed me to come back was working on who I was outside the classroom.
And I am not just talking about my other responsibilities in life like being a mom and wife.
I figured out who Sarah was and then started to honor the things that made me feel like myself again.
That led me to really examine what opportunities, events, I was saying “no” to when really all I wanted to do was say “yes.”
What are those things that are non-negotiables for you? What are those things that light you up?
If you need some guidance figuring this out for yourself, the e “A Simple Exercise To Redefine Your Identity as a Teacher” blog post that walks you through identifying the Three Circles Model of your life.
For me I realized that I needed the following things in my life. Not sparingly. But consistently.
Growth
Adventures
Relationships
Before I could ever entertain the idea of returning to the classroom, I needed to commit to honoring what makes me me. And not letting the craze of the school year impact that.
What I realized is that the way we can become the best teacher for our students is to live our life to honor who we are outside the classroom.
And to be honest, it’s not the easiest thing to do. And that takes time, intentionally and focus.
What “Always Learning” Really Means
But, here at G&G we live by the mantra of “Always learning”
Always learning is a simple reminder to live.
Always learning isn't about piling your desk with new ideas that most likely will never come to fruition. It's about always learning WHO YOU ARE and how you can better serve YOURSELF so you can serve others.
So, if you have connected with your three circle model of your life and identified those three areas that are the core of you being you, it’s time to make that commitment to lean into them.
And yes, we have a resource for that.
At the end of 2024, I was in a place I needed to lean into my three circle model. I saw some buzz on the internet about yearly BINGO cards. Some people decided against a word a year or a vision board to make a little bucket list for the year in a BINGO format.
So I did it. I made a BINGO board for 2024 that honored myself. Here are some of the items I have checked off this year so far
Growth
Run a half marathon
Join a club/community
Make a reading nook in my office
Adventures
Try a new Donut Shop
New Tattoo
See a favorite athlete play
Relationships
Overnight trip with my husband
See a play with a friend
See a favorite athlete play with my daughter
If you want to lean into who you are and challenge yourself to meet your needs this upcoming year, go ahead and grab the 2026 Bingo Board Template to make your own!
I am not saying that focusing on this three circle model and making a BINGO board is going to solve all of education’s issues. That is a much bigger problem that we need to be focusing on with our teacher’s unions, board of educations, and legislatures.
What I am saying is that focusing on you and honoring who you are outside of the classroom could be something that allows you to feel more fulfilled everyday you walk into the classroom.
