The 2022 Teacher of the Year in Georgia’s largest school district has quit his job, citing frustrations that many Georgia teachers are facing.
Math teacher Lee Allen of Archer High School in Gwinnett County, Georgia, spent his last day on the job Friday. He started his education career at Northwest Whitfield High School in 2014 before starting in Gwinnett in 2019.
Archer said issues include teacher burnout, student-parent apathy, large classes and cellphones.
“The issues we’re facing currently are familiar issues in education, but they’re exacerbated from COVID,” he said. “Large education systems can sometimes be slow to change. I just felt these things that we’re returning to, it was really affecting me, and I was afraid if I didn’t do something, I’d leave the profession entirely.”
(READ MORE: Amid Republican overhaul of education, Georgia teachers feel under attack)