Teacher Trauma. Why are so many teachers leaving public education after only three to five years on the job? After all, even though Texas ranks number 27 in the country for teacher pay, starting pay is still $44,527 at a lot of districts.There are more than a few reasons, say local teachers. Perhaps the biggest of all is the stress related to the standardized tests administered by the state, which flows from the school board to the superintendents, to the principals, to the teachers, to the students, to the parents, until all parties are doing a bit of hair-pulling.Behind the ...