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This week on Teachers in Transition, Vanessa Jackson explores the exhaustion that comes from navigating modern educational systems — from locked doors and “performative safety” to Teacher Incentive Allotment frustrations, burnout, networking, and why so many teachers feel emotionally depleted by May.

What begins as a bizarre experience trying to enter a secured school campus turns into a broader conversation about hypervigilance, bureaucratic friction, teacher burnout, career transition, and the hidden emotional cost of constant monitoring and compliance.

Vanessa also discusses the Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA), the growing frustration surrounding how those funds are distributed, and why highly accomplished educators often underestimate the sophistication of their own transferable skills.

And yes… this week’s Teacher Hack is simple, rebellious, and probably necessary:

Go take a nap.

In This Episode

• Locked school doors and “performative safety”
• Why teachers are exhausted in May
• Hypervigilance and nervous system fatigue
• “Move forward, take fire”
• Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) frustrations
• Why teachers underestimate their professional value
• Networking as the “inside key” to career transition
• Why relationships matter more than online applications alone
• Rest as resistance to burnout
   
   

Mentioned in This Episode

A Night at the Opera

The Marx Brothers comedy routine referenced in the episode:
 “Two Hard-Boiled Eggs” scene from A Night at the Opera

“Move Forward, Take Fire”
Taken from the book Dear Madam President: An Open Letter to the Women Who Will Run the World by Jennifer Palmieri

Teacher Incentive Allotment (Texas)

Official Texas Education Agency information:
 Texas Teacher Incentive Allotment (TIA) Information

View the letter sent to a teacher about their TIA here

O*NET Online

Career research and transferable skills exploration:
 O*NET Online

Career Transition Reminder

Teachers already possess highly transferable skills:

• communication
• leadership
• crisis management
• organization
• relationship building
• project coordination
• training and development
• adaptability
• strategic thinking
   
   

Sometimes the problem isn’t your ability.

Sometimes the problem is simply that nobody has shown you where the side entrance is yet.

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• sharing the episode with a teacher friend
• leaving a review on Apple Podcasts or Spotify
• supporting the show financially starting at just $3/month Support Teachers in Transition
   
   

Connect with Vanessa Jackson

• 💌 Email: Vanessa@teachersintransition.com
• 📱 Call or Text: 512-640-9099
• 📅 Book a Free Discovery Call: teachersintransition.com/calendar
• 🧭 LinkedIn: 
• 🔗 Bluesky: @beyondteaching.bsky.social
• 📸 Instagram & Threads: @teachers.in.transition
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