Enough is enough: Droves of angry teachers across the country are quitting — and not quietly
A new trend on Tiktok, known as #TeacherQuittok, is showing masses of teachers sharing their stories as they leave their increasingly hostile workplaces, VICE News reported on Friday.
Nick "TheTejanoTeacher" Muniz, "a 31-year-old former high school teacher, used his video to share how unsure he was about leaving the only job he ever wanted, and what he found helpful during his transition," reported Trone Dowd. "He told VICE News that for teachers, who often let their profession become their identities, TikTok tell-alls made by others who left can be comforting, and provide an invaluable resource."
"Muniz is one of the hundreds of former teachers creatively sharing their stories about quitting education under hashtags like #TeacherQuittok, #ExTeachersOfTiktok, and #LifeAfterTeaching," said the report. "On the platform, some former teachers have filmed their last, emotional moments in their empty classrooms and posted them with noir-esque voiceovers. Others are explaining to the camera how they built up the courage to leave just moments before hitting record. There are former teachers who left the profession months ago documenting their slow transition to other careers. Some, like Muniz, are giving advice on how to leave education without going broke."
Many of the teachers cite how much the profession has changed since the pandemic, as well as the political fights over gun safety in classrooms, the purges of books, and accusations that teachers are indoctrinating children in "critical race theory" for simply discussing racial subjects.
This comes as a war over education continues to ramp up over the country — not just in grade schools but in public colleges and universities.
In Florida, allies of Gov. Ron DeSantis are advancing a bill that would effectively give his political appointees control over who teaches at public colleges, what subjects they can teach, and what grants and research they are allowed to take. And in Virginia, Bert Ellis, an appointee of Gov. Glenn Youngkin to the University of Virginia Board of Trustees, discussed in cell phone texts how he saw his push to reduce discussion of slavery on campus as a "battle royale for the soul" of the institution.