So, first time posting in CR. My wife just started her 10th year as a teacher here in Austin. We are both in our early 30's and are wanting to start a family of our own. She has made the decision that this is her last year as a teacher. She cannot do it anymore, she can't teach because she is too busy with classroom management, she can't work on lessons plans properly because she has to spend her planning period doing other tasks such as reaching out to parents or meeting with school admins, the lesson plans she does make have to meet a certain criteria and be approved by her admin as well. She spends the last few weeks of her month and a half off in the summer depressed and anxious about going back to work, nevermind the fact that during her time off she has to do trainings and in-services. She doesn't have the energy to enjoy her personal life, and we have had to put off starting our family because mentally and emotionally she wouldn't be able to handle it.
My mom passed away in March, she was a teacher as well, and even while she was in the hospital she was stressing about lesson plans and the requirements she was missing out on while hospitalized. I'm not saying being a teacher killed her, but her stress and anxiety I'm sure played a part in her early death at age 60.
It sucks that this nation and this state have done this to our public education, I am against private schools and charter schools. I grew up in rural south texas and loved my time in school, but Jesus I am terrified for the day that my future children will have to enroll.