This constructivist grounded theory research study investigated why teachers remain in their profession when teacher attrition is at record highs by focusing on understanding their experiences and their decisions to continue to teach. Decades of research highlighted the factors that influence educators to leave the profession. These factors included burnout, increased classroom size, standardized testing, retaliatory practices, compensation, lack of support, ineffective professional development, and lack of career advancement. The purpose of this study was to understand the reasons for teachers who choose to remain in the profession. Through snowball sampling of K-12 educators in the Northeast region of the U.S. who self-identified as remaining in the profession for at least 2 more years, eight teachers were recruited and interviewed. They provided context to their experiences and new understandings of their perceptions. These new understandings answered the research question: "What are the perceptions and experiences of educators who choose to remain in the teaching profession?" Data were collected through online interviews employing semi-structured questions with an open-ended format. Analysis was based on the development of a single grounded theory through the definition of axial, and focused codes. The focused codes included issues in and outside of the classroom, core beliefs, motivation, concerns, difficulties, significant events, teacher retention, and strengths for the profession. When analyzed using the metacognitive theory, the theoretical basis of this study, codes were further aligned within the metacognitive theory including defining declarative, procedural, and strategic knowledge. The resulting alignment with teacher agency led to the development of the final theory titled the metacognitive theory of teacher agency. This research concluded by recommending that school leaders, districts, and pre-service training programs recognize the relational nature of teaching, the cumbersome nature of the education system and redesign it to foster effective relationships between leadership and educators by incorporating strategies to address the teachers' needs and increase teacher retention. [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.]