The Teaching Profession
Behind every classroom is a teacher with a story. The Teaching Profession explores the people, pressures, and possibilities that shape life in education—from the joy of making a difference to the challenges of workload, burnout, and feeling heard.
Through articles, research, personal reflections, and meaningful conversations, we’ll examine what brings people into teaching, what helps them stay, and what leads them to leave. This is a space to celebrate educators, ask difficult questions, and consider what meaningful support for teachers should look like.
When a Teacher’s Resignation Starts a Bigger Conversation
Samira Hardcastle, an award-winning former teacher at John F. Kennedy Middle School in Nashville, taught for eight years before resigning. Recognized as a Blue Ribbon Teacher of the Year, she drew widespread attention when she spoke publicly about her departure, alleging pressure to change a student’s grade and raising concerns about support for educators. Metro Nashville Public Schools disputed her characterization of the grading incident. (Her story is linked below)
Her account offers a starting point for a broader conversation: What happens when teachers feel their professional judgment is no longer respected—and what would help them stay?
What do other teacher’s experiences and national research tell us about why educators leave?
Samira Hardcastle’s experience raises important questions, but one account cannot tell the whole story. To understand why teachers leave, we also need to examine broader research and listen to educators across different schools and communities. The articles and reports below explore working conditions, professional support, compensation, and what might help teachers stay.
Explore the Articles and Research
Education Week - June 2026
Why Teachers Say They Leave the Profession—Or Say They Want to Quit
RAND - June 2026
Teacher Well-Being, Pay, and Intentions to Leave in 2026
What leads a teacher to step away from the classroom—and what might make staying possible? This section explores those questions through teacher experiences, research, and conversations about working conditions, leadership, compensation, and respect. We’ll look at both the personal decisions and the larger systems behind them, while asking what schools can do to help educators build lasting, fulfilling careers.
Why Teachers Leave
Teachers bring experience, knowledge, and an understanding of their students to the decisions that shape schools. How can we ensure their voices are heard and their professional judgment is respected? This section explores teachers’ opportunities to influence decisions, raise concerns, and work alongside school leaders and families. We’ll consider what trust, meaningful support, and shared responsibility look like in practice.
Topics we’ll explore include:
A voice in school decisions: Teacher input on curriculum, grading, classroom expectations, and school policies.
Professional judgment and autonomy: Balancing teacher expertise, student needs, and accountability.
Administrative support: How leaders listen, respond to concerns, and support teachers through difficult situations.
Parent–teacher partnerships: Building respectful communication, setting boundaries, and navigating disagreements.
Speaking up: Creating environments where educators can question practices and offer solutions without fear of retaliation.
Public perceptions of teachers: How media, public discussion, and community attitudes shape respect for the profession.