I've graduated high school and I'm looking into becoming a Montessori teacher, but I'm perplexed. Should I attend a traditional college and get my early childhood cert, or will a Montessori Teacher Education Program give me one? And what programs are the most credible? It would also be very helpful to hear how others have become Montessori Teachers, especially at a younger age.

Hi! I am doing my first solo lesson of the semester. I am teaching insurance for my first lesson and need help with fun, engaging activities for students. Insurance isn’t the most fun topic so it’s a little difficult for me to think creative on this one. My students range from 9-12 grade and are constantly on their phones during class. A little context: my mentor teacher only lectures assigns worksheets. I don’t want to go that route because a lot of the students don’t pay attention to him most of the time.

Any ideas are appreciated, thank you!

I would like to opt out of getting phone calls that notify me of a sub job in my area. The problem is, when I try to opt out of calls, I get this warning: _ “Pressing ok indicates that you acknowledge the following disclaimer: Limiting your availability to accept calls from our district will be considered a declaration of not accepting work and may be considered a non-work day for the purposes of employment verification.” _ Does disabling phone calls in any way negatively affect my ability to find sub jobs on the website/app?

Some of mine regarding classroom management include

Have you tried having a heart to heart conversation telling them you care. Telling students you care will make them start to care about school.

Just make your material more interesting.

Have you tried building a relationship.

Just call home.

Talking to chronically absent students will make them want to come to class.

What are some tone-deaf things you’ve heard from admin.

So I'm tutoring my neighbour science and maths. She recently broke her calculator and told her mom to get one but she can't afford to buy one.

My student requested for a favour - to get her a calculator as a gift and not tell her mom. She wants me to keep it as a secret.

On one hand, I'd like to help, on the other, I don't think it's a good idea to do it behind her mom's back.

This is a dilemma, can anyone give some thoughts/ advice on what I should do?

Which city would you prefer to teach high school in? Why?

So I have this colleague. She started off pretty nice. Offered to give me a hand for help among other things.

What annoys me about this colleague was this: If there's a discipline issue happening before her eyes, she would ask me, "Are those your students?" If I reply that they are not, then she would say, "Do you think that we should intervene?"

And by "we", she means me. She tells me to go and intervene a minor thing that doesn't need to be intervened.

I did it anyway but it doesn't sit right with me. First off, if it bothers her, then why didn't she intervene herself?

Then annoyingly, she has to add in how some other random teacher has better classroom management and that kids should learn to respect through fear.

If that's the case, why didn't she intervene on her own???

And then guess what else she does? She goes and manages her own students but tells me to manage some other class's students! WTF!

Can someone help me how to deal with these stupid inconveniences? How do I navigate this? I freaking tired of these types of scenarios but I don't know how to deal with it. If I bring it up and say, "Well, you're the one who saw it. You should intervene", then that makes me look weak as a teacher as well because I'm not the one dishing out the classroom management skills.

I lose either way if I do it or if I don't!

Nice moment! Made me tear up a bit he would spend his short time recognizing the people who educated him 🥺

https://twitter.com/TheAcademy/status/1635114345599311873?s=20

I’m so tired of the politics involved with teaching. The having to treat everyone “fairly”, the lack of accountability for students AND parents, the fact that we’re lowering the bar for teachers instead of improving working conditions and salaries to entice qualified people to actually want to do the job. I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was in first grade. I went to a technical high school to fast track my education and gain some experience before college. I was the first person in my family to go to college and graduate. And now, 4 years in, I’m absolutely miserable.

This past week I reached my limit. I have a policy in my class (7th grade ELA) that if students are caught cheating on a test or talking during a test, it’s an automatic zero, no questions asked. This policy is outlined in my class syllabus that goes home at the beginning of the year that students AND parents both sign and then it gets returned to me. We review this expectation before every test.

Last week, I caught two students cheating and talking during a test and gave them both 0’s. One of them got very upset and emailed me asking why he got a 0 and adamantly denying what I saw with my own eyes. I explain the situation, what I saw, the fact that he agreed to this policy at the beginning of the year, and that I will not be changing his grade.

This student then starts emailing me and harassing me for two days straight. Sending me emails at night saying things like “you gave me that grade and you’re going to change it because you know I wasn’t cheating”, “I’m starting to think you have a problem with me”, “it shouldn’t take this much effort to convince you I wasn’t cheating.”, “I’M GOING TO FILE A REPORT AGAINST YOU” (yes, all capital letters), “you can talk to admin or whoever you need to talk to. I don’t care. I’m tired of all the disrespect at this point.”

Admins response? “Just let him retake it. It isn’t worth it.” How is it not worth it to teach kids accountability? To teach them that they can’t talk to people like that; especially not their teachers? To teach them that throwing a temper tantrum doesn’t just get them what they want? They’re literally doing nothing to support me in this situation which completely undermines me to my students.

I’m just so over it. I don’t get paid enough to be blatantly disrespected by a 12 year old. Or to be this miserable. Or to be so physically and emotionally drained at the end of the day that I have nothing left to give to my infant son. Is it like this everywhere? Do I just need to change professions or is there hope? Does anyone else feel like this?

Small town Midwest elementary school. Recently overheard some things from an elementary school psychologist in a social setting that really surprised me. I won’t get into what was said but let’s just say this particular kid might be acting out in school. But I know the home life of this very young student is likely particularly rough due to marriage issues. Anyway, along with sharing specific details of what was said in this meeting with the student the psychologist was basically saying that our kids shouldn’t be friends with the kid.

My spouse and I are really sickened by this honestly and think this has to violate some sort of code of conduct. I know it be would be awful to find out a school representative was taking about our kids that way.

I’d like some honest options on if this is acceptable? Normalized? I’m sure teachers need to talk about students to other teachers sometimes. But I believe a psychologist should be trusted not to share details about a student with no one except parents and the current teacher/principal. Any advise on what we should do, if anything, about it? We are not employees of the school.

Any WA state educators out there? My husband is taking a transfer to Spokane area and I have a few questions:

• I’m currently an AP - anyone know how hard these jobs are to get?
• if I have to go back into the classroom, are teaching jobs hard to get? I’m secondary ELA
• Is there a job board where most jobs are posted (like edjoin in CA)

I’ve been looking around but I don’t see any jobs at all. I’m guessing they typically hire later in the year for next year (?)

Thank you for any insight!

I live in Europe and I finished four years long high school major called "pedagogical lycée". In general it's like a regular high school with few weeks of praxis in-between and mandatory pedagogy nad psychology classes. My qualification allows me to work as a teacher's aide which I did for two years, at first in after school care (8 - 10yo) and then as a teacher's aide in middle school (14yo)

I got an offer to work in a private nursery as a teacher. Honestly I always knew that I'd fare better with younger children (I enjoyed working with the younger ones more) and I love the job (it's in the private sphere so you can imagine the difference in pay and benefits), but making such an abrupt change with no prior training scares me.

I am very young, I don't have children on my own and my experience with kids that young (one to three years) is very limited. Heck, I have no idea how to change diapers! I feel like I definitely should have more experience with this. However I was assured that my current education is enough and that there will always be two more experienced teachers alongside me to help me with everything (it's small nursery, ten children and three teachers).

What is your professional opinion about this possible career change? Do you think I'll be able to transition smoothly from being (almost high school) teacher's assistant to nursery teacher? Do you have any tips on what I should read/study to prepare myself better?

Behavior at my elementary school is reaching fever pitch. In my grade, there's at least 1 fight a day. I get cursed out by a student (and give a disrespect detention for similar things) about 3x a day. My grade-level group has done everything: positive behavior management systems, negative too, tally wars, individual store points (+ and -), bribing with candy/chips, calling parents, calling coaches, Tier II and III plans, behavior folders, sticky note warnings, class bean jar wars, the list goes on.

Admin put us on full lockdown, no student transitions, silent lunch, reverse suspensions, and behavior got even worse as students were triggered by changes to their routines and the tightening down. Admin asks us 'what can we do to help?' meanwhile I'm a first year teacher shrugging, like, I don't know. I really don't. The 18 year veteran teacher doesn't either, she broke down crying in my room last week.

Last week, a student popped off on me 10 minutes into the day for not giving him a bag of chips (he didn't earn them according to our behavior system) and said: "Shut the fuck up you dumb fucking bitch. You whore! You ugly fucking ho! That's why no one likes you, you dumb fucking bitch. Ugly ass whore! Asshole bitch! Fuck you! Die bitch!"

I gotta be real, I laughed out loud. He just kept going (more than I wrote above). I mean, I saw a student visibly check the time. It was funny. He got one day ISS. Admin pulled me into a meeting to say that it was inappropriate of me to laugh at him. I asked if it was inappropriate of him to curse me out like that. They shrugged and said: "You should have let him cool off, not sent him down to ISS immediately. Sometimes they come in a little amped up, he should have gotten a timeout first." Completely disregards the fact that he's done this 3x in the past. He's not SPED, no 504 Plan, he just curses a lot and disrespects teachers, because he knows he can get a little slap on the wrist timeout and nothing more.

I don't know what they want. A student filmed a video threatening to kill me, I was never informed by admin, they never checked in on me. I had to hear about it from the para who found the video on the student's computer. That student got 2 days ISS. No restorative circle (which my school preaches, but obviously doesn't practice) before they came back into class. No apology, no one even informed me.

I feel like the accountability for all behavior is on me, and when I'm calling my master teacher or admin begging for help because a student is calling me a 'cunt' in class, I get a "I'm in a meeting" text and a promise to come visit my classroom that never happens. Principal has come into my classroom ONE time this year. VP came in only TWO times.

I'm in a union but I don't even know how to express the situation, or if its something my teacher union can help me with. Any ideas? Or is this normal and I just gotta deal until I eventually quit the profession...because this is not sustainable.

I need advice on how to approach returning to work as a breastfeeding mom. I have to return at the end of April after being out since October. I am still breastfeeding and plan to continue pumping at work. I reached out to my principal to arrange for a space and time to pump, but it’s been two weeks with no response. The building is very old and my classroom windows are huge (curtains are considered a fire hazard, so not an option). What should be my next steps…Human Resources, my Union, Buildings and Grounds, another email to my principal? HR is not the most reliable.

I start my new placement tomorrow, and I’m realising I don’t have much of what I would consider clothing fit for my role. I’m going to be a substitute teaching assistant in an ALN school, and for now all I can think of is a skirt (of course with tights) and a turtleneck with my usual boots. I really only have two pairs of leggings (one of which definitely is not professional) and a pair of jeans; I don’t really think they’re going to fit the teachers’ clothing standards for my role.

What would be good things to invest with for my job?

My department chair (science) is retiring at the end of this year. I'm in charge of getting his retirement gift together, so I'm looking for some suggestions. I know he and his wife are going to be doing some RV traveling. Would gas cards be a good as part of the gift, or is that tacky?

Does anyone send custom online certificates for achievements, graduation, passing tests, Christmas greetings etc to students?

Any online tool you use?

I had an interview on Thursday with a school where I really want a job. They seemed like they really like me, and I think I answered questions well. But at the end they said they didn’t have approval with the board yet to hire, they were just interviewing early so they’d have someone already when they were given approval and that it might be 3 or 4 weeks. I’m trying to decide whether or not to apply for other jobs in the mean time. I’ve always heard back so quickly from interviews and the wait may kill me.

Basically my budget has been out of wack since loans have been stalled for sooo long, and I want to make sure I get it right. What should we be checking before August?

I wish I new why. As I would consider myself far from the category of being amazing at classroom management. But these students do seem to do well with me. I am diagnosed with bipolar type 1 and I wonder having expiring with feeling things at a heightened level makes me suited for understanding how to manage and work with these groups of students.

I want to add that where I see other veteran teachers talk soft with these students when their emotions are heightened I take a tougher approach to how I communicate and I feel it works better for me. When they are yelling and swearing at me or escalating in another way, I do get loud with them but I am very exact with how I want to word things to them “I understand you are angry with me and that is okay but I need you to pick an option, because you can either step outside and get it together so we can have a talk or you can choose to continue this, but I know you will not feel good about it later. So please help us both out and give yourself a moment.”

Rough example of how I word things. I do not take away accountability but express recognition of how they feel. And try to provide assistance on what they should consider doing.

Does it get any better each year when the year ends and the kids leave? This is my first year and I’m an assistant teacher. I’m leaving this year to go to college and these kids don’t want me to leave. And it’s hard on me too. But does it get any easier as time goes on?

I hate conferences so much. I’m at a new school this year and having my first conferences this week. I’ve taught for 5 years, but a different grade and different school with relatively “easy” parents. I’m so anxious that I literally want to just quit and run away. I’m a pretty introverted person. How do I get myself through this?

Starting at a new school tomorrow with seniors. I don’t have the curriculum or what they have done so far. I don’t have access to my email yet or have a computer,keys,badge.

I WILL have these all tomorrow morning but for now I am just sitting here with no idea of what I should do tomorrow.

Plus it is daylight savings so my time is thrown off.

I’ve had one period that has been out of control. Other teachers have heard me repeatedly telling students to quiet down so that I could teach. This is a class wide problem. On the advice of another teacher and my cooperating teacher, I instituted a new policy- silent period, where any talking or side conversations gets you a short fifteen-minute detention after class the next school day. I’ve already had a parent demanding a conversation about one of their students because apparently there was “no warning or communication.” Sure I didn’t warn that kid specifically, but I told the class maybe 20-30 times over the past few weeks to quiet down and focus, and it didn’t work. Now the parent wants to escalate it to the principal. I’m just feeling really saddened and frustrated. Why can’t a parent trust me to give their kid a 15-minute detention? Why do they assume that I’m some rogue student teacher giving students detentions on a power trip? Is this what teaching is gonna be like?

Bonus- this parent emailing me? They’re also a teacher.

Florida teacher's aide attacked for allegedly taking student's Nintendo Switch granted protection order (msn.com)

It is time for everyone to say, stop the nonsense, and get police involved. I am tired of hearing , oh, but the school to prison pipeline. It is students ACTIONS, NOT the school pressing charges that cause the problem.

Public Education employees, we all need to change careers. We have been disgraced all too much from all sides for far too long. We get treated and paid so poorly that’s it’s a joke for ALL the stuff that we do. We suffer everyday and put more time into other people’s children over our own. Let this bullshit system die and let the students, parents, and communities fend for themselves. Then maybe people realize how important Public Education really is and will advocate for real change, but I highly doubt it.

We’re all underpaid and all know we deserve more. But exactly how much do you think we should be paid on average? What would be the bare minimum acceptable salary for what we do? And let’s assume we’re all teaching a few years experience with a masters. I’m curious what people think because if you were to ask me, I honestly don’t know what we deserve. But I feel like teachers with their masters should be making at a minimum 80k. All the schooling we do, work outside of work hours, difficult of the job, and how essential our job clearly is, it seems like 80k isn’t even asking for much. But I know this is all pie in the sky

*I'm just looking for what everyone does because I'm new and don't know what I should do when one of the five illnesses going around in my school get to me.*

If you're sick, when do you officially take the day off?

For context, we text our secretary when we need to take a day off. We have an online system to enter the days, but our fist step is to let her know. I don't know what you guys all do, but that's what I do. I know that it's courtesy to call off ASAP, but I feel bad texting someone on a Sunday or while they're eating dinner. I also feel bad waiting until that morning, because that puts them in a tough spot to get a sub. What do you guys all do? TIA!

She's been calling a lot of teachers after contract hours. What would you do? I kind of dwell wondering why. However calling back might open more floodgates of work stress on my day of relaxation. I wish she'd follow up with an email to suspend the uncertainty.

A lot of y’all seem to act like this but it absolutely doesn’t. I have plenty of students who get good grades, study a lot, do all their work, but get extremely stuck-up about it and break the rules because of their ego. They use their high performance as an excuse and try to take advantage of me by being like “But I’m one of your best students!” - No you’re not. Only in terms of grades.

A lot of these students also don’t act like this at home, they’re well-disciplined at home (well, according to parent-teacher conferences) but they become insufferable brats at school. Trust me, I’d rather have a well-behaved student with poor grades than a poorly-behaved student with A’s.