Should I Stay or Go? How to Decide If It’s Time to Leave Teaching—Without Guilt

Hey friend, this one's personal.
If you’ve ever said, “Maybe I’ll just stick it out one more year,” this episode is your invitation to something different. Not a lecture. Not a pitch. A real workshop. A pause. A chance to breathe.

In this short episode, I’m sharing:

• What I mean by the “Invisible Backpack” and why it keeps you stuck
• The truth about “just one more year” (hint: it’s still a decision)
• The 5Ps Framework I created to help you sort the chaos and find clarity

But more importantly, I’m inviting you to join me for the DECIDE Workshop—a live, interactive session designed to help burned-out teachers make career decisions that are grounded in truth, not guilt.

🗓️ Two Dates to Choose From:
September 1 or September 27 at 2PM CT
🎟️ Click here to register now

Spots are limited because this isn’t a webinar. It’s a conversation.

You’ll walk away with:

• Space to set down what’s been weighing you down
• Reflection prompts that cut through the noise
• A personal roadmap—whether you stay, shift, or leave

This isn’t about rushing out the door. It’s about making your next move with eyes wide open

Let’s stop surviving and start deciding.

If you have any questions, reach out to me directly at Vanessa@teachersintransiton.com.

I hope to see you there! 

Transcript

Copy Transcript Copied

PODCAST MINI-SODE

Hi, I’m Vanessa Jackson, and welcome to Teachers in Transition.  Why yes, this is not a full episode and this is  the space where we talk about burnout, balance, and brave new beginnings.

If you’ve ever caught yourself saying, “Maybe I’ll just stick it out one more year,” or felt the weight of your job hanging  on your like an invisible backpack you can’t set down… this episode is for you.

The Hook: The Invisible Backpack

Teachers carry more than lesson plans and grading.  Guilt, fear, comparison, identity. We carry the weight of the world. And a lot of crazy expectations from society.  It’s what I call the Invisible Backpack. It’s heavy, and it makes it nearly impossible to think clearly about your future.

And here’s the truth: every day you say “just one more year,” you’re already making a decision. The question is—is it the right one for you now?

The Framework: The 5Ps

I created a framework. I call it the 5Ps for short, but it’s there to help with  DECIDE framework comes in. In the workshop, we’ll slow down, zoom out, and measure your career against what really matters.

The 5Ps help you get clear:

• Pay – Are you earning what you’re worth, financially and energetically?
• Peace – How much of your day feels calm and sustainable?
• Purpose – Does your job align with your values?
• Possibility – Is there room to grow or stretch creatively?
• Proximity – Does your work support or strain your personal life?

When you look at these together, you stop making decisions from exhaustion and start making them from clarity.

Reframe: You Don’t Have to Leave to Decide

And let me be clear—DECIDE isn’t about rushing you out of the classroom. In fact, I strongly advise against snap decisions. Sometimes the right answer is to stay. Sometimes it’s a small shift. Sometimes it’s a bigger strategy.

But you deserve to make that choice with eyes wide open—not through guilt, gaslighting, or someone else’s definition of loyalty.

So, I invite you to a Workshop based on the Teachers in Transition Decide Course. 

I am having two of them.  Same workshop, different days.  We’ll have one on September 1 and again on September 27 in the DECIDE Workshop.  They’ll start at 2PM central time. 

You’ll walk away with:

• Space to set down what’s weighing you down.
• A clearer sense of your non-negotiables.
• Reflection questions that cut through the noise.
• And the a roadmap—whether you stay, shift, or strategize your next move, you’ll have the tools you need to make the best choices for yourself.

This is your chance to step out of survival mode and into intentional choice.

I invite you to Join me on September 1 (or September 27). Don’t wait until another school year passes in the “maybe next year” trap.

The link to register is in the show notes. Spots are limited because I want this to be interactive, not just another lecture.

Give yourself this gift.  You are worth it. 

You can love your students and still leave. You can be good at teaching and still outgrow it. You don’t have to earn your worth through exhaustion.

I’ll see you in the DECIDE Workshop.

Until then—remember: you’re not broken. You’re rebuilding.
 ***END***