Teachers deserve a voice. Their experiences should be known in order to identify troublesome factors that often make school a constraining place. Their stories, no matter how messy, must be explored to better understand why our society loses many passionate educators. Through autoethnographic inquiry, I analyze my own story using creative works (narrative vignettes and art-based collage) to demonstrate the complicated experience of a modern-day K-12 educator. As a researcher engaging in critical autoethnography, I examine my experience through the principles of the radical imaginary, knowing thyself, understanding teachers as prisoners/oppressors, an ethic of care, critical/feminist lenses and critical hope. These influences are present and visible in the linguistic and visual data presented, which are intended to capture the complex paradoxes that young teachers face in their professional journey. By examining my lived experience, I hope to capture an authentic portrait of my time in public K-12 education to create meaning. This personal work elucidates themes felt by many young teachers to shed light on their difficulties and triumphs. The conclusion of the research provides suggestions for society based on interpretive data analysis. [The dissertation citations contained here are published with the permission of ProQuest LLC. Further reproduction is prohibited without permission. Copies of dissertations may be obtained by Telephone (800) 1-800-521-0600. Web page: http://bibliotheek.ehb.be:2222/en-US/products/dissertations/individuals.shtml.]