A former teacher’s Facebook letter has gone viral, after she claimed that the standard of education in Australian schools was in “crisis”.

Kathy Margolis, who wrote she had been a school teacher in Brisbane for over 30 years, announced via Facebook she was quitting the profession.

“I cannot continue to do a job that requires me to do what is fundamentally against my philosophy of how it should be done,” Ms Margolis wrote.

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The woman in her 50s pointed out that she was now looking for alternative employment, which was “not easy”.

Among her many gripes was that teachers were paid for 25 hours work per week, when she claimed they did a lot more.

The post had been shared over 20,000 times.

“Classrooms are overcrowded,” Ms Margolis wrote.

“Filled with individuals with all sorts of needs both educational and social. Teachers are told we must differentiate and cater to each individual.

“Good teachers try desperately to do that but it is near impossible and we feel guilty that we are not doing enough to help the children in our care.”

She also wrote: “Teachers have very little professional autonomy anymore”.

“We are told what to do, how to do it and when it has to be done by.

“Never have I experienced a time in my profession where teachers are this stressed and in real fear for the mental health of not only themselves, but the children that they teach.

“The pressures are enormous.”

Read the full letter below: