About this episode

Dr. Jamita Horton shares her journey of redefining her identity and career in education after facing systemic challenges.

What happens when the system tells you that you "care too much"? For Jamita Horton, Ed.D , that moment in a Milwaukee principal's office was the beginning of a decade-long journey of pressing reset on her classroom, her career, and ultimately herself. In this episode of The Exit Interview, Dr. Horton takes us from Sunday school teacher's aide to kindergarten teacher to assistant principal, unpacking how rigid behavior management, a lack of mentorship, and the slow erasure of her identity pushed her out of traditional K-12 spaces not once, but twice. She gets real about what COVID revealed (protected planning time IS possible), what it feels like to leave a school after six years with barely a goodbye, and why she finally had to ask: "Who am I outside of the classroom?" Now running a teacher policy fellowship at Teach Plus Dr. Horton has found her sweet spot developing educators and advocating for change at the systems level, without losing herself in the process. Whether you're a kindergarten teacher holding the line on productive noise or a burned-out administrator questioning your next move, this one's for you.

People in this episode

Host: Dr. Asia Lyons

Guest: Dr. Jamita Horton

Topics covered

• educator identity
• career change
• K-12 education
• teacher advocacy
• COVID impact
• mentorship

Keywords

• education
• teacher policy
• career reset
• K-12
• mentorship
• COVID
• identity

Mentioned in this episode

Organizations: Teach Plus

Places: Milwaukee

More episodes of The Exit Interview: A Podcast for Black Educators

• Different Countries, Same Story with S. Jae Ali · July 21, 2026 · 1h 36m
• When Equity Work Become a Cage with Dr. Danica Moore · July 10, 2026 · 1h 58m

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