Leaving the Classroom: My Journey from English teacher to Virtual Assistant

I’d be lying if I said the idea of leaving teaching never crossed my mind. It did, pretty often in fact, usually around October and then again during testing season. It also crossed my mind when I felt like I was missing out on whatever my kids were doing, and then finally, during the height of COVID, it crossed my mind pretty much every day.

But, it was always a passing thought. It was always an “I’m really frustrated with BLANK, I wish I was doing something else” and then it would pass on by. There were a lot of components that were keeping me from ever allowing it to become more than a passing thought… until October of 2021.

At that point, I was in my THIRD year of teaching during a pandemic. My youngest daughter had started daycare for the first time and my oldest daughter had just started Kindergarten. They were constantly sick, and I was constantly left with the guilt of trying to figure out if I had to stay home (because making sub plans is horrible). That matched with some other personal and family struggles, and I was not in a good place. I felt drained, impatient, and unhappy. I felt the love of teaching leaving at a rapid pace. That is what lead me to realize it was really time to make a change.

I frantically searched for something else… anything else I could do and came across becoming a virtual assistant. I threw myself into it, learning as much as I could as quickly as I could, and very quickly fell in love. I felt like I was good at it, and it felt natural to me to do all the things you are supposed to do to become a Virtual Assistant. To be honest, I think that made going to work every day worse because I knew that there was a new adventure waiting for me at home.

It wasn’t until February of 2022 that I finally felt like I was in a spot to be able to start telling people I wasn’t coming back to the classroom. I got a lot of mixed responses, but mostly expressions of pride and happiness that I was making this change. By May of 2022, I felt confident that being a Virtual Assistant was my new calling.

Now, I am 8 months into being a full-time Virtual Assistant, 8 months since I closed the door to my classroom and my life as a teacher, and I’ve never felt better. I’m a happier and healthier person, and I know that I made the right choice.

There are times when I miss teaching, but I am finally able to look back on those times and smile, knowing they are memories that will be cherished forever. I have the UTMOST respect for every single person in the teaching profession, and I am so thankful for all the wonderful teachers out there that continue to educate our children. Just because I left the classroom doesn’t mean that my love and respect for the profession will ever fade. My time in the classroom is over for now, but the memories will always remain.

To all my teachers out there, you got this. You really do. You have a love and passion for your work that many people don’t. However, please remember that just because you CAN put everything you have into your job doesn’t mean you have to. Take care of yourself. Seriously. Take care of your mental health, your family, your house, and your life. Don’t let teaching become everything you are, because, at the end of the day, it is just a job. Yes, it is an incredibly important job, but it is still a job. Don’t let it become so overbearing that you lose yourself.

And if it is time to do something else, that’s okay too. Don’t let your feeling of obligation get in the way of reaching your dreams.

Stay busy friends and reach for the stars,

Cassie