I was hired as the third grade teacher at a local Catholic school. I was initially excited (my own classroom!), but quickly realized that teaching is hard. I hear that subsequent years are better. First year teaching is a big challenge, and novice teachers need a lot of support from their school community. Unfortunately, I had almost none.

The school was so small that I was the only third grade teacher, so I had no one to talk to who had experience with my curriculum. We didn't have a working copier. I was observed teaching only once during my first three months, and the administrator who observed me didn't talk with me about what she saw. Children who were sent to the principal's office for misbehavior were often sent immediately back to class because the principal was not available. Children who desperately needed an IEP (individualized education plan) were denied that service because "St Anthony's does not accommodate IEPs;" this also meant that I, the teacher, was not getting any support on how to help these children to achieve academically and/or socially.

Basically, I was miserable. I cried at least once a week after my kids left the room. I came home exhausted, had no energy to invest in my social life, etc. I eventually decided to quit and do my student teaching in the classroom of a mentor teacher rather than in a classroom of my own.

Letter of resignation:

Dear Mr. Eager,

After careful consideration, I have decided to resign from my position as third grade teacher at St Anthony’s. Although I have learned a lot during my time here, I feel that my education would be better served if I performed my student teaching next semester under a mentor teacher assigned by my university*. I will, therefore, need to leave my current position by Christmas.

I want to thank you for providing me with this opportunity to try my wings as a teacher. I also want to thank my coworkers for welcoming me to the St Anthony’s community. My time here has shown me that the education of our children is not something to be taken lightly; in fact, the caliber of the instruction provided by the teachers of St Anthony’s was one of the many factors that convinced me to improve my own teaching**.

I understand that a midyear transition is not ideal for either my students or St Anthony’s as a whole, and I would be more than happy to assist you in any reasonable way.

Respectfully yours,

*I have no idea what I'm doing, and I'm receiving no guidance or support here. If I'm going to learn and not burn out, I should do it in a more supportive environment.
**The education the children are receiving at this school blows, and I regret that I am one of many weak links in the chain of teachers at this school. (For example, my kids came to me in the 20% percentile in math. That's on average.) I think it would be better if I went and learned how to actually provide the education that kids need, even if that means abandoning my current students.

They found a new teacher who stepped in after Thanksgiving break. I am looking forward to moving on.