You don’t have to hate teaching to outgrow the way you’re doing it.

For a long time, I thought there were only two kinds of teachers: those who still loved the job and those who wanted to leave. It seemed like a simple choice. Either you were happy in teaching, or you had reached the point where you wanted out.

Looking back, I don't think it's that simple.

I never fell out of love with teaching. I still enjoy being in the classroom, I still care deeply about my pupils, and I still believe education changes lives. What changed wasn't how I felt about teaching itself. It was how the job was fitting into the rest of my life.

Like so many experienced teachers, I found myself spending more and more time thinking about work. Evenings became planning time. Weekends disappeared under a pile of jobs I hadn't managed to finish during the week. Family time was interrupted by thoughts of Monday morning, and I couldn't remember the last time I'd sat down to think about my own future rather than the next set of lessons.

For a long time, I convinced myself it was just a busy period. Once reports were finished, things would settle down. Once exams were over, life would feel different. Once the next term started, I'd somehow feel back in control again.

The problem was that the next busy period was always just around the corner.

Over time, I realised something that I now hear from many experienced teachers. They don't necessarily want a different career. They simply want a different relationship with the career they already have. They want to keep doing meaningful work without feeling that it has to consume every part of their life.

I think that's a really important distinction because the conversation around education often focuses on whether teachers stay or leave. Much less attention is given to the many teachers in the middle. The ones who still enjoy teaching but can't imagine another decade of working in exactly the same way. The ones who feel guilty for even questioning whether they want something different because they assume it means they've somehow lost their passion for the profession.

I don't believe that's true.

I think it's entirely possible to love teaching while recognising that the way you're currently working isn't sustainable. Wanting more energy, more flexibility or more time with your family doesn't mean you're less committed. It means you've started paying attention to the fact that your own life matters too.

For me, everything changed when I stopped asking myself whether I could keep doing it and started asking whether there might be another way. That question eventually led me to reduce my teaching hours and build a portfolio career alongside teaching. It wasn't about leaving education behind. It was about creating a working life that allowed me to stay in the profession without sacrificing everything else that mattered to me.

I know that won't be everyone's answer, and that's the point. There isn't one solution that fits every teacher. Some people will decide to leave. Others will happily remain full time until retirement. Many, I suspect, are simply looking for a way to make teaching sustainable again.

That's why I care so much about these conversations. Experienced teachers bring an enormous amount of knowledge, skill and wisdom to our schools. If we want more of them to stay, perhaps we need to give ourselves permission to move beyond the idea that the only choices are carrying on exactly as we are or walking away altogether.

You don't have to hate teaching to outgrow the way you're doing it. Sometimes the bravest question you can ask isn't, "Should I leave?". It's, "What would need to change for me to want to stay?".