Why I No Longer Teach: Commitment or Compromise

Commitment or compromise! These words rang out like a banging cymbal when I heard them uttered by Dr. Miles Munroe, a man who was so influential to many. He stated that he would rather stick to his commitment he made to his faith and the Most High God than to compromise his commitment, his values, his morals to serve the world. When hearing this, I was pondering a decision to leave public education as a teacher to maintain dominion over my household as a wife and mother and to run my own businesses. Hearing those words were affirmation! Too often in education, I have witnessed, first-hand, the degradation of values and ethics over policy and politics. Children are viewed as numbers rather than souls. The SYSTEM, though it has never been perfect, is in ruin and our children are paying the price; the dedicated teachers are suffering as well. I could no longer compromise my values to be employed. It came to a point of, "At what cost?" My soul was on the line, and at the end of the day, when I am at the end of my days, I want to look on my life and know I lived a life of integrity, a life of purpose, a life where post mortem, my father will say "Well done!" I am reminded often through social media, news outlets, daily interactions, that the moral standards are wasting away. Some people will judge my situation and say that I could have done what I could to change things from within. I wholeheartedly do not believe that. Culture, environment, is everything. That culture, that environment was sucking me dry like it has done to so many educators. I choose to help change it using God as the head to give these future kings and queens what they deserve, a life to live, to live abundantly. I chose to stick to my commitment. I could no longer compromise for the world.

Some will say they are not people of faith, and that is fine! But, when it is all said and done, will you commit to your beliefs or will you compromise contingently? Remember, once you compromise, you open a door, and you will have a foot outside and inside. You cannot stand that way for long. Growth does not live there. Life does not live there.