Teacher Leaves Her Job to Become Bartender: She Says It's Better Than Doing Paper Work

A woman quit her teaching job and told people online that she makes more as a bartender—with better working conditions to boot! Her viral tweet now has thousands of reactions, and not everyone agreed with her stance.

Abby Norman took to Twitter this month to raise some of her opinions about the teaching sector in America. She detailed her experience in the field and had nothing positive to say.

Norman, who quit her job as an educator, has taken on a career path that diverges significantly from her former position. She opted to work in the bartending world.

BARTENDING IS BETTER

She stated that bartending is a much better occupation than teaching for an array of different reasons. From being blamed regularly to never getting thanked for her efforts, her time as a teacher was unpleasant.

Norman also shared that there was no need for "lesson plans or grading papers" in this new job. While she did not allude to all of her duties as a bartender, it was clear that she preferred this occupation to her time swamped under paperwork at school.

EARNING MORE

The most intriguing part of her Tweet is arguably the bit that involved her salary. She said that she earns more for less as a bartender.

Norman purportedly works 15 hours less every week, yet she still brings in more cash than she did during her long days teaching at school.

DIFFERENT OPINIONS

Users on Twitter were quick to react to Norman's opinions. With more than 280,000 likes, it seemed as if people shared her sentiments. However, many believed she was in the wrong.

Comments about Norman missing the purpose of teaching were easy to spot. One user expressed: "Thought you go into teaching to make and impact the educational field ... Not for the money."

FINDING PURPOSE OUTSIDE OF A JOB

Regardless of whether or not teachers should enter the field for money, other netizens questioned the need for having a job as a means of fulfillment.

A user stated: "Some of us don’t need fulfillment from our jobs. We need a paycheck, so we can find fulfillment elsewhere." While this is a valid contribution, the reality that many workers don't get a salary that matches their input and effort remains.

MINIMAL INCOME

The online community explained that they were dishearted by the low value placed on essential workers. Many users pointed out that teachers were not the only group that earned minimal income for their work.

A commentator shared:

"Yeah its sad. Teachers, paramedics, firefighters, and police make chicken scratch while people who pretend on tv make millions. So many directions we could have gone as a species but we ended up here."

BARTENDERS ARE VALUED MORE

Her final statement spoke to a greater issue, which is the teacher shortage. Norman expressed that this should be of great concern to people. In monetary terms, Norman's experiences indicate that bartenders are valued more than teachers.

In 2018, an article addressed the teacher shortage and offered some explanation for this. In the previous year, 2017, the article stated that one in 10 teachers walked away from their teaching positions in South Carolina public schools.

TEACHER SHORTAGE

One teacher shared that the students often made the environment unbearable. Nicholas Sargent expressed: "Mentally broken down, crying on the weekends in anticipation of Monday morning, I made plans to quit my job ..."

This emotional strain paired with low salaries is often the culmination that leads once passionate teachers to walk away from their jobs as educators. It's about time these heroes in blazers get more appreciation, especially the many teachers that go the extra mile.