A former elementary school teacher has sparked discussion and gone viral after detailing the various issues that caused her to leave her profession.
In a video with over 1.6 million views, TikTok user Danielle (@daniellexstyles) goes through a PowerPoint presentation she made detailing the multitude of issues that eventually inspired her to quit her teaching job.
“This video is not meant to come off as disrespectful by any means to my county, school, or principal. Anyone who knows me should know that my goal in life is to encourage and spread kindness,” she writes in a disclaimer at the beginning of the video. “I simply want to bring awareness to benefit the greater good – why teachers are leaving the profession.”
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Throughout the video, Danielle notes the numerous issues present at her school. For example, she cites multiple instances in which students got into physical altercations with either other students or the teachers themselves, and faced little or no consequences for their actions.
She also notes several problems with her own workplaces. These range from feeling a lack of support from higher-ups to being gaslit and blamed for issues that were outside of her control.
Surprisingly, Danielle also alleges that vaping became a problem among students in her school. She states that she did not expect this to be an issue given that she taught elementary school, but it was.
The video contains a multitude of other allegations, ranging from students being unruly and teachers not being given the resources to resolve the issues, to teachers experiencing significant mental health issues due to their in-school experiences. Owing to these issues and others, Danielle says that around 30% of her school’s staff left after the 2022/2023 school year.
Above all, she alleges that her administration did little to resolve or prevent these issues despite knowledge of them. In some cases, Danielle says, she was reprimanded for bringing these issues to light.
“When people say that they’re teachers, you do not understand what goes on behind closed doors,” she says at the video’s conclusion. “I poured my heart out to my students every day…all while we as staff [were] getting shit on by parents, administration, and other students. I came home empty, and that is not fair to me, which is why I decided to leave.”
“My mental health was awful because I was pouring everything I was into that building and into those kids, which I do not regret. I love my students…but it’s not enough,” she continues. She later adds, “It’s about people understanding that teaching is not easy, and that there is something wrong with the system that this is happening…The reason why I want to share is because this is an issue with education as a whole. Yes, there are good schools. Yes, there is good administration, but at the root of everything, there is a problem and it needs to be fixed.”
Danielle isn’t the first teacher to virally share their quitting story. As detailed by Annie Rauwerda for the Daily Dot, TikTok has become a hub for teachers to voice their issues with the contemporary teaching environment—which, in turn, includes many stories of teachers choosing to leave the profession.
For those who are still teaching, TikTok has become a platform to note their observations and worries as well. Last month, a teacher went viral after claiming that their 7th-grade students were reading and writing at a level significantly below their grade.
Back on Danielle’s video, users shared their thoughts in the comments section.
“No one truly understands unless they are a teacher themselves,” wrote a commenter.
“It’s so hard being a first year and already wanting to quit because of all of this,” added another. “Teaching is my passion but i don’t wanna hate my life forever.”
“Started my 11th year and YEPPPP this happens everywhere,” offered a third. “It is badddddd & I love my kids but it is sooo scary sometimes.”
The Daily Dot reached out to Danielle via email.