5 Things Teachers Need to Leave Behind in 2025

You Deserve Better Than Just Surviving

As we head into the new year, I’ve been thinking a lot about what teachers are carrying—and what needs to stay in 2025.

Not because you’re doing anything wrong. But because you deserve better than just surviving.

If you’re a teacher who’s exhausted, overwhelmed, and wondering if it’s supposed to feel this hard, this is for you.

Here are 5 things to leave behind in 2025:

1. Teaching in Survival Mode

If every day feels like you’re just trying to make it to dismissal, I’ve been there.

You wake up already tired. You walk into the building with a knot in your stomach. You count down the hours until you can finally go home, collapse on the couch, and try to remember why you chose this profession in the first place.

It’s the worst.

But here’s the truth: Something is broken and it’s not you.

Teaching shouldn’t feel like endurance training. It shouldn’t feel like you’re drowning every single day. And the fact that it does? That’s not a you problem. That’s a system problem.

Joyful classrooms where teachers and kids thrive? They’re possible.

I’ve seen them. I’ve helped build them. And you deserve to experience that not just dream about it while you’re grading papers at 10 PM on a Sunday.

Survival mode isn’t sustainable. And 2026 deserves something better.

2. ‘Classroom Management’ That Relies on Control

Silent rooms. Rigid rules. Constant consequences.

They don’t create learning. They create shutdown.

I get it. When you’re frustrated, when behaviors are escalating, when you just need to get through the lesson, it’s way too easy to fall back on control tactics.

Especially right now. Because behavior is so much.

Students are coming to school carrying things they shouldn’t have to carry. Trauma. Instability. Stress from home. And when they act out, it’s not because they’re “bad kids” it’s because they’re overwhelmed kids.

But here’s the tension: Students don’t need to be controlled, but you also need to be able to get through your lessons.

So what’s the answer?

We’ve got to meet in the middle.

Students need structure, yes. They need clear expectations and consistent follow-through. But they also need relationship, belonging, and the safety to make mistakes without being shut down.

Compliance is not the same as engagement. And classrooms built on control will never create the kind of learning you became a teacher to facilitate.

3. Teaching Without Seeing Culture

Let me say this clearly: Ignoring students’ identities, language, and lived experiences doesn’t make classrooms neutral. It makes them inaccessible.

When you teach as if culture doesn’t matter, you’re not being “fair” or “colorblind.” You’re teaching in a way that only works for students whose culture already matches the dominant one.

Culturally responsive teaching isn’t a trend. It’s not a buzzword. It’s not something you do during Black History Month or when you read a diverse book.

It’s about effectiveness.

When students see themselves in the curriculum, when their languages are valued, when their experiences are honored, they learn better. Period.

And yes, I’ve said this a lot. I’ll keep saying it. Because it’s that important.

If you’re still teaching like culture is “extra” or something you’ll get to “when you have time” 2026 is the year to shift that. Your students deserve to be seen.

4. Doing It All Alone

Struggling in silence has been normalized in education but it shouldn’t be.

Somewhere along the way, we started believing that good teachers should be able to handle everything on their own. That asking for help is a sign you’re not cut out for this. That if you were “good enough,” you wouldn’t need support.

That’s a lie.

Coaching, collaboration, and shared problem-solving are how teachers grow.

The best teachers I know? They ask questions. They seek out feedback. They share what’s not working and brainstorm solutions with colleagues.

Asking for help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign you’re serious about your craft.

If you’re carrying struggles in silence, whether it’s classroom management, lesson planning, or just the emotional weight of this work, find someone to share it with.

A mentor. A colleague. A coach. Someone who gets it.

You don’t have to do this alone. And honestly? You shouldn’t.

5. Guilt for Wanting Joy

Here’s something I need you to hear: You don’t need to earn joy by burning out first.

We’ve been conditioned to believe that joy is a reward. That it’s something you get after you’ve worked hard enough, struggled long enough, sacrificed enough.

But that’s backwards.

Classrooms rooted in joy, belonging, and trust are more rigorous, not less. When students feel safe and connected, they take more risks. They engage more deeply. They learn better.

Joy isn’t the dessert. It’s the foundation.

And here’s the part that might surprise you: Students don’t need to earn joy either.

Joy shouldn’t be a prize for good behavior or perfect grades. It should be the baseline, the thing that makes learning possible in the first place.

If you’ve been feeling guilty for wanting your classroom to feel good, for wanting to enjoy teaching again, for wanting students to actually want to be there, let that guilt go.

You’re not being soft. You’re not lowering standards. You’re being strategic.

Because joyful classrooms work. And you deserve to teach in one.

So Here’s My Question:

Which one of these are you leaving behind?

As you head into 2026, what are you ready to let go of?

Is it survival mode? The control tactics? The isolation? The guilt?

I want to hear from you. Drop a comment below or send me a message. I read every single one, and I’d love to know what resonates most with you.

Because here’s what I know: You’ve worked too hard to keep carrying what’s breaking you.

Let’s build something better together.

---

Want more support heading into 2026?

If you’re ready to leave survival mode behind and build a classroom where you and your students actually thrive, I’ve got resources to help.

Check out my YouTube channel for practical strategies you can use tomorrow. Join my email list for monthly freebies and real talk about what’s working in classrooms right now. Or grab a copy of Rooted in Joy for a full framework on building joyful, culturally responsive classrooms.

You don’t have to figure this out alone. I’m here.

Dr. Deonna Smith