A Teacher From Upstate NY Explains Why She is Leaving the Profession She Loves

Judi M. Carter Martin
 I'm retiring early. I started teaching later in life and LOVED LOVED LOVED it! Until now. We are taking a huge cut in pay by my retiring, and I still want to work, but I'm not a statistician, my kids aren't little data pieces, and New York is trying to tell me how to each and even what words to say when I teach. I'm done, sadly. This is my 23rd year of teaching, 9 in Iowa, and 14 in upstate New York. I saw some former beloved students yesterday, my husband was watching my interactions with them, and he asked me afterward if I really wanted to retire - that I was just such a natural with these kids. I said that's true, but these were kids from BEFORE - from the time when I was allowed to teach and be creative and the kids enjoyed the classroom. And he said he knows