In September, Education Week asked teachers on social media to name the buzzwords they’re most sick of hearing. Coming in at number four was a term that’s uniquely infuriating when uttered by bosses: self-care.

“It’s a joke,” one educator said plainly. Another noted that the emphasis on self-care “demands [that] teachers maintain a healthy balance in their lives without addressing [the] pay, added responsibilities, and poor conditions” that inevitably disrupt that balance. The admonition to “practice self-care” effectively blames teachers for the sky-high stress and burnout they feel. Are you down about the fact that you’ve missed your prep period for two months and your paycheck barely covers rent? You really need to try guided breathing.

The pandemic brought mainstream attention to widespread teacher shortages, turnover, and attrition, but this crisis has been brewing for decades. Former teachers cite all sorts of reasons for leaving the profession, including impossible workloads and management structures that are grossly out of touch with students’ real needs. But perhaps the most glaring reason that people leave teaching jobs (or decide not to enter them) is the high opportunity cost: comparably educated workers can make substantially more money in other fields.