by Emma Atkinson
“Are you sure you really do not want to be a teacher anymore?”
It felt like I was asked this question over a million times by my friends and family when I told them I didn’t want to teach anymore. Did they think I was delusional for even expressing that? Yeah, maybe a little bit, and I would be lying if I said I did not feel a little delusional myself. However, I also knew that if I wanted to see real change in the things I do and in all the hard work I have put in, I needed to step away from the public education sector. I needed to find something new that would still give me the fulfillment of helping individuals learn and grow, and where all my hard work and dedication would not go unnoticed.
From a young age, I knew that I was going to be a teacher when I grew up. How did I know that? As a small child I quite literally drew an image of myself as a teacher, standing at the front of a classroom, with an apple on my desk, on a sheet of paper that asked, “What do you want to be when you grow up?” It was an easy decision back then because my grandfather was a teacher, my aunt was a teacher, and even my grandmother was a piano teacher, so it was almost as if it was decided for me. As well, my mother is a nurse and my father is a well known coach in my hometown. With all of those role models, helping and mentoring individuals naturally became part of who I am.
When the opportunity to pursue education and become a secondary teacher came to me, I took it without hesitation. It was an easy choice, and honestly… I loved it, and I still love it. But what I did not love was the feeling that no matter how hard I worked and how many students I helped succeed, it just never felt like it was enough. There were other reasons too; how overworked teachers are, the lack of resources, the constant stress, the violence, and so on. (I could probably write a whole novel on it, but I will save you from that.. for now). Having all your hard work and dedication go unnoticed is a feeling that I would not wish upon anyone.
Do I think I deserved a medal for what I did while teaching? Absolutely not. But what I do think is that every single teacher deserves recognition for all of the hard work they have been doing, and to feel safe and supported while doing so. That was not something I felt teaching in the public education system, so for now I am stepping away from teaching and continuing to follow my passion for helping others.
My name is Emma Atkinson, and I am a secondary teacher who needed to step away from the teaching profession and pursue my passions in a new way, which has led me to work for reachAbility. If you, like me, are curious to see what comes next on this new career journey, I hope you’ll follow my story and keep checking back in. For now, wish me luck as I start my new adventure.
