First-Year Teacher Ready To Quit After Their 4th Day On The Job — 'Does It Get Better?'
There's nothing easy about being an educator in today's world.
Frame Stock Footage | Shutterstock There's absolutely nothing easy about being a teacher. While it's definitely a rewarding job, supporting children through their educational journey and supplying them with the necessary knowledge they need to succeed in this world, there are also many obstacles and challenges. From the abysmal pay and lack of resources to dealing with parents, school administrators, and budget-focused school districts, teachers are always on the losing end.
Such was the case for one teacher in particular, who posted to the subreddit "r/Teachers" to share that they were not exactly happy about their new profession. Upon recently becoming a teacher, they admitted that they're unsure how long they'll be able to last.
A first-year teacher said they are ready to quit after their 4th day on the job.
In a short Reddit post, the first-year teacher explained that they recently completed their 4th day in the classroom and were already wondering if it was a job they could continue to do. They admitted that throughout the day, all that was on their mind was "I want to quit."
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They questioned if this feeling of not wanting to pursue this career would ever go away or just get better. On top of that, they wondered if they were just being dramatic about the entire ordeal. They claimed that as soon as their students left for the day, they hopped on Google and researched other ways that they could use their degree besides being an educator.
Other teachers sympathized with the new teacher's frustrations.
In the comments section, people were incredibly supportive and empathetic to this first-year teacher's experience, with other educators sharing their stories from the job that proved just how difficult it really is. One teacher wrote, "Teaching is incredibly difficult. The first year is extremely difficult. The first month is brutal (even after 28 years) and the first week is the most exhausting mentally and physically of it all."
However, they insisted that it would eventually pass, but that it would be rough until things finally started to get better. They encouraged the teacher to just "keep putting one foot in front of the other."
Another teacher shared, "I’d always encourage teachers to give it 2 years before leaving. By year 2, I felt a lot better (as an actual second year teacher and in middle school). Every year after your first is just constant improvement! I’m on year 5 total, year 2 in middle school and glad I stuck it out."
Most teachers are incredibly burnt out and ready to quit.
This first-year teacher's experience is not uncommon, especially nowadays. Most educators are incredibly exhausted, overwhelmed, and stressed, to the point where many have considered just leaving the profession altogether as a way to preserve their mental health.
According to a survey by the RAND Corporation, the share of teachers who report burnout dropped to 53 percent from 60 percent. However, teachers are still more likely than other working adults to report experiencing poor well-being on every scale. The RAND survey found that the share of teachers reporting "frequent" job-related stress in 2025 was similar to levels reported in 2024 and 2023.
About 21% of teachers found difficulty in coping with job-related stress, significantly higher than other working adults. If you were to only focus on the negatives, you'd wonder why anyone would ever put themselves in the position of being a teacher, but the rewards often outweigh all of the mess and hurdles that teachers have to face.
It's about helping kids learn and seeing them succeed in life, knowing that you were able to play a part in shaping their futures. Whether it's seeing a struggling student finally manage to understand a concept, or when the student who never raised their hand in class finally speaks up to answer a question, many educators look at moments like that and know all of the hardships and stress were worth it.
While the journey may be challenging, it's those moments of progress that can remind them why they entered the profession to begin with.
Nia Tipton is a staff writer with a bachelor's degree in creative writing and journalism who covers news and lifestyle topics that focus on psychology, relationships, and the human experience.
