ETA: I tried to use generic language but basically I'm a teacher at a public middle school.

I tend to disagree semi-often with decisions that are made by my superiors at work, that affect me - like top-down decision making / programs. I usually don't disagree with the entire program, but implementation details, like timing or scope or some methodology. This is maybe like 30% of the time? By superiors, I mean my site superiors, and my district superiors.

Sometimes I can find a workaround, sometimes I can't. Sometimes I do my own thing, but it's hard... I'm a weird blend of a rule-follower but a rule-questioner. I always speak up either in person or via email and explain my reasoning logically, always trying to find common ground. I have a reputation and credentials for being an excellent, effective worker and I'm often given big responsibilities but also have a reputation for being "opinionated"/"difficult" (it seems that they want yes men).

Other workers at my level always come to me privately and thank me for speaking up but they are too afraid to do so as well or it's just not their style (rock the boat vs. go with the flow). Turnover at my school has been around 50% every year. Our school has been through 3 principals, 4 APs, 5 lit coaches, and 5 math coaches in 8 years. I have gotten along with varying degrees with all of them, some of them more open-minded to me than others.

This always happens a lot at this time of year (training time, time for new program implementation, etc) and I sometimes get so discouraged about my job / choice of profession. I always cry this week - just did today. I start to think about becoming admin so I'm the decision-maker (people tell me to be admin all the time), but I don't want to leave the classroom. Honestly I just want to be empowered and trusted to make the decisions that are best for my students, rather than be told which lessons which day which way and which tests and which behavior management system etc. I feel an increasing lack of autonomy over the past 8 years in my career.

I don't know what kind of advice I'm really looking for here but does anyone else experience this regularly? How do you handle it? Do you want to stay in your current job, or do you think a new company or new admin-style position would be better? Has anyone made a change due to issues like this, and how did that work out? Is the private business sector like this? Is this just the nature of not being in charge?