So I chaperoned for my middle schooler's field trip. I'm not used to being around other kids besides my own so maybe you can help me out.

One girl randomly went straight up to me swaying her hips side to side saying " do you like big naked butts?" I just laughed with embarrassment and walked away and so did they.

I tried to tell myself oh they're just kids beings kids but Im a 30 year old man, I don't know why a 12 year old would say that so blunt and sexual. Anyways its probably not a big deal but I'm just not used to kids saying outrageous things.

super nervous for this exam and cant find much studying material - only study. com

I'm a second year teacher. I'm young, small, and quiet, so people often feel free to take their anger out on me. In the Carline today at dismissal, a parent screamed at me and mocked me when I politely tried to ask a helpful question ("which students are you picking up?"). It took everything in me not to cry. What advice do you have for making yourself feel better in these situations? Having to accept belittlement and disrespect with grace is really starting to get to me.

How do I become/kickstart my career as a professor?

I’m currently in my 3rd year of undergrad, im studying to get a bachelors of science in health services. And after I graduate with my undergrad, I plan to immediately start a masters program in public health so I can get my MPH.

My longterm goal is to be a professor, which I know most professors have a PhD. Although, I know private universities, community colleges, and some state schools hire professors with only having a masters degree.

Is there any specific things I should be doing now or while I’m in obtaining my graduates degree so that I can quickly be hired as a professor once I’m done with school? I’ve talked to my advisors about it and they all just said to talk to my own professors, which they all had careers before becoming a professor.

I’m currently in grad school up for a grant, but in order to qualify you have to work in low income schools for 4 years after graduation.

I would love to hear experiences (of any kind) that y’all have had in low income schools. I want to have as much input as possible so I can make an informed decision. Thank you!!

(Please be kind, this conversation is not about attacking others based on any characteristic. I’m just curious to hear seasoned teachers’ experiences)

EDIT: The children’s well-being ALWAYS comes first and foremost. I am asking this question to help determine if I am capable of supporting these kiddos. This question isn’t focused around the grant money. I want to do right by these children and I won’t apply/accept if I feel I am not right for the job.

I'm used to helping people. I grew up with two younger siblings, I try to be a helpful and proactive friend, I'm frequently expected to provide students structure and guidance with behavioral choices (such as sitting still, controlling use of electronics, and managing volume). Both by personal inclination, and by the other demands of teaching, I've become someone whose first instinct is to give questions direct answers, to give people proactive advice, and to help people plan ahead and structure their activities.

Yet I know, both from research and personal experience and expert testimony, that this is not the best way to approach content learning, at least where it concerns students at my academic level (highschool). After a full day of micromanaging everything else: keeping our hands to ourselves, keeping our butts in our seats, going to the bathroom in a rational and fair order-- it's hard to then stop and remember to ask kids to think for themeslves.

So I'd love to know how others approach this question. How do you break the instinct to offer too much help and guidance, and give students more room to make their own academic choices and struggle through their own questions & problems?

So by some miracle I have landed some science teaching interviews with no teaching certificate lol. Does anyone have any advice on how to make myself stand out and sound as appealing as possible during my interviews? I have a degree in environmental science and have been working as a middle school instructional assistant for the last year. I also have been a college level biology class teaching assistant. Any advice would be extremely helpful!!!

Story time-

About 2 years ago, I left teaching after 10+ years in the classroom for a HR position. I left for multiple reasons-I have never really had a job outside of teaching. I had mental health struggles for years. I felt so overwhelmed by the demands of a post-COVID students. And I was just burnt out.

Despite that, I always had the yearning to return to teaching. There is something fulfilling about teaching that I have not been able to find in my current role or in the private industry. I have tried to find ways to fill the void by supporting my colleagues' well-being, reasoning with layoff decisions, and such. It, however, never seems to really do it.

I have thought long and hard about this pivot-like 1+ years. I don't want to go back as a classroom teacher as I know I will be retraumatized and feel ineffective as an educator. I have looked into the SEIT role (I am licensed in SPED and Early Childhood) where I would work with students 1:1 and feel flexible on my time (work about 25+ hours for FT).

I know there have been many stories of teachers leaving, but what about teachers returning-what would your advice be and why did you pivot back?

So I have taught in New York City for many years. New York has "specialized high schools" and only the "best" students get into them by taking one high-stakes test (SHSAT). At the best specialized high school, Stuyvesant, 75% of the students are Asian, 20% are White, 5% are Black and Latino (those are the percents I remember from a couple years ago).

A famous Catholic School like Transfiguration - which is private and in Chinatown - sends an enormous number of its Asian students to the specialized high schools. So the government has given Transfiguration a number of awards. My public school in the Bronx sends zero kids to specialized high schools and gets no attention from the authorities.

Now, research from a Nobel Prize winner from MIT shows that schools like Transfiguration are probably not great - the parents are great. The parents put enormous pressure and set exacting expectations on their children to achieve. Here is the research: Perceptions of 'good' schools are heavily dependent on the preparation of the students entering them, study finds (phys.org)

Indeed, I found an article that even suggests that most Catholic schools purport to provide a better education for their students than public schools, but, again, it's all due to parents and NOT teachers or administrators there: Are Catholic primary schools more effective than public primary schools? - ScienceDirect

So, to be honest with you, based on what I have seen in New York City, Catholic school teachers tend to fit the stereotypes we think of - conservative disciplinarians who do not tend to use the most up to date educational strategies or methods. And they claim they do wonderous things! No, it's your parents who do the wondrous things!!!!!!

For a long time I have had a colleague who has said, "The Catholic schools have good parents, good students but average to mediocre teachers and non-entities as principals. They have such great parents that they don't need great teachers. Just give the kids textbooks and let them do the learning."

And he continues by saying, "The public school system has highly trained teachers, great work ethic, great idealism, but we don't have the parent power the Catholic system has! We don't have parents who establish expectations or put meaningful pressure on their kids to learn and succeed. So the mediocre teachers of the Catholic system get the ribbons and we get the contempt of politicians who are doing nothing to distribute wealth or equalize opportunity."

I think it is exciting that we FINALLY have evidence to suggest how important parents are in the educational process. EMPIRICAL evidence.

Now, I am not bashing the Catholic school system - although, to be honest, I feel it often bashes us in the public school system.

I am, more than anything, defending public school teachers who work their butts off, but do not have the advantages that the private schools have.

Now, how do we turn this into policy!!!!!!!?

I just finished student teaching in 5th grade about 3 weeks ago. Immediately after spring break, I started in a 4th grade classroom as a long-term sub for a teacher’s maternity leave. I loved my 5th graders SO much almost immediately. They were so warm and welcome and mostly well-behaved with some mild behaviors from a couple of boys. They wanted to be at school.

However, in 4th grade, I have seven boys that are absolutely feral. The rest of them are chatty but otherwise respectful. To be fair, I was warned. They’ve been awful all year for their regular teacher and every related arts teacher. I was so excited to be offered the job and had on my rose-colored brand new teacher glasses. I just knew I could ✨love✨ them right out of those behaviors and our ✨relationships✨ would magically overcome any problems.

They all have behaviors that are wildly inappropriate and unpredictable. None of them take anything seriously and their personalities range from downright disrespectful to moderately rude. They LIVE to disrupt the class with anything from asking silly (“funny”) questions to “accidentally” falling out of their chairs to just holding conversations with each other from across the room while I’m teaching. One of them started rolling around on the carpet today during a lesson. Another emulated oral sex on a pretzel rod. I want to do fun things with them - we’ve tried morning meetings, silent ball, task cards to get in some movement, “jeopardy” style expectations refreshers, and more. They can’t handle any of it. They can’t handle a freaking brain break. I had to turn it off halfway through yesterday because, again, the boys dominate the classroom and ruin it for everyone by acting like wild animals, even after we reviewed expectations right as I turned on the video. I’ve resorted to mostly handing out worksheet packets for them to do (we’re deep in test prep) and then telling them to “read” on their devices (although only about 30% of them read- the rest openly play games and I don’t have the mental energy to fight them if they’re not being disruptive).

I’m really questioning my entire life right now. I gave up an extremely successful career to return to college as an adult to fulfill my “dream” of becoming a teacher but this is a nightmare. How is it that two sequential grades within the same school can be so vastly different? What kind of teacher finds her own students unlikable? Do they just not respect me as a “sub”? Things are going to get better, right?

Do you all think that this is a good program to go through to get your certification? What's your thoughts? Is it hard?

I was just thinking about ever-patient, slow talking, always positive Mr. Rogers. If he got hired at your elementary school tomorrow how do you think he’d do?

Would he be successful? Would he reform the place? Would he quit? Would his fish be poisoned and his trolley stolen? Would admin give him a needs improvement or a non-renewal?

What would become of Mr. Rogers?

Hello! So I'm currently in my first year of college for Wildlife Conservation and Ecology but I've always wanted to do something with education as well. While I've had amazing teachers in the past help me on my way to realizing that I absolutely want to work in conservation and such, I personally do not want to become a teacher in a traditional school system (k-12). I know how horrible it is for teachers in today's climate and I've heard all about how my teachers in high school kind of sort of actually despise the job they're been forced to stay in for 30+ years if they wanted to make any semblance of a good salary.

So, my question is: what education careers are there outside of the typical school system in the US (specifically in conservation/wildlife conservation/ecology)? Everywhere I'm looking for internships or full-time jobs to try and plan for the future are just camp counselor jobs and while I'm not opposed to an education role in a job like that I also know that those types of jobs aren't necessarily viable for long term success in making enough money to live in the world today.

​

Any input would be lovely! And if anyone is in a similar pathway of career life as me would like to put their two cents in that would also be greatly appreciated!!

I am about to graduate with my Bachelor’s degree in Elementary Mathematics Education, and I just applied for my very 1st teaching job! There are multiple positions open, and it’s a smaller school district but should I contact the principal by email to introduce myself or is that over kill? I submitted my application, attached a resume and cover letter (both optional) but I’m not sure if I should reach out. Like I said I have no experience besides my student teaching experience… i’m in Washington fyi. Thanks for any info!

“What would others find to be the hardest thing about working with you?”

I am looking to get my alternative teaching license through the state of Ohio. I already have my bachelors degree in an unrelated field to teaching. To begin the process, I need to take the Ohio OAE for integrated social studies. Long story short, my first session got revoked 30 questions in due to parental interference. But even then, I did not feel like I knew the content well enough after attempting to study and taking the practice test, I feel hopelessly lost. Are there any alternative pathways for me to take? Should I get my masters degree in teaching first and then go for licensure? Please help. I just need guidance.

Has Pedagogy of the Oppressed become somehow newsworthy? What's going on?

Hi, so two weeks ago I applied for my paraprofessional license with the state of Illinois, and I have my bachelors degree so I'm more than qualified. I'm just waiting for my transcript from my university to be delivered to the Illinois State Board of Education. I'm not sure if every university uses Parchment when sending out transcripts, but it doesn't give me exact tracking for the shipment, it just says "Parchment has shipped your transcript via US Postal Service First Class Mail, which typically delivers in 5-7 business days." and it's way past 7 days, so it should be delivered but ELIS still says I have no degree on file. When I was talking to a teacher friend I have, he said I should've just sent it electronically, but I could've swore when I was applying it said to send a physical transcript. So I really just have two questions - 1. How long does it take for ELIS to update my degree information, and 2. Am I able to just send an electronic version of my transcript?

What’s the most difficult and the most manageable range,when first dip toes into education and teaching—> “online teaching” and “classroom based teaching”?

Just a blip of your advice please 🙏

I had a promising Zoom interview with a school two hours away today. The interview got scheduled really out of the blue - they reached out to me - and if they offer me the position, I have a hard time imagining that I will not take it.

Literally until last week, I was not expecting to leave my current post. This means that my principal has already signed me up for (and used district money to pay for) a summer conference I asked to attend. In the event that I am offered this other position, I do not know how to deal with this fact gracefully. Technically, I will still be under contract to my current school until the end of July, but I guess it still strikes me as being a little shady to let them pay for me to bone up on literacy when they already know they are not going to have my services for the coming year. Does this seem like the kind of thing which might leave a bad impression?

A rant because teachers voted for two full day planning days (with students off school) rather than 4 half days

Although I do agree that public Ed is just a business. She can fuck off and sub for me.

If so I was wondering what advice you could give to those looking to become teachers. I am someone with OCD that is currently in school to become a teacher. I am sort of worried how my OCD will behave once I become a teacher. Thank you!

I am taking part in organizing a postgrad degree and am helping in module exams. The exams are taking place in an online platform, but there is no question bank manager, i.e. for every exam you have to upload the questions one by one. This is quite bothersome, but it would be better if I could have a question bank somewhere to keep all the questions in an organized manner, and use it to draw questions and give to the secretary's office to upload.

I would like it to be easy to use and add questions when I think of something good, and it would be really useful if you could give tags to questions, e.g. for which topic/lecture they are, or how difficult they are, or things like that. And then if you need like 30 questions , 10 easy, 10 hard, 10 medium it would randomly give you a selection.

I haven't been able to find something free and open source. Is there anything available? If not, do you have any recommendations for really cheap ones, that I could maybe convince the university to pay for? Unfortunately there are no available resources from my university.

I’m a student teacher this semester. I have been observing a teacher at a school I was placed in. I observed that her students purposely like to anger her. For example, they’ll know an answer to a problem but will purposefully answer “I don’t know” or give her an answer that is somewhat related but absurd? ( my best way to describe it) Have you had this experience? What do you do, or say? (This is a ninth grade Algebra class)

Hi everyone,

I'm about to step into the shoes of a teacher who's been on indefinite sick leave for a month. Before this, I served as a student teacher, and now I'm taking over as a substitute for her 9th and 11th graders.

While the 11th graders, who have chosen to take chemistry and generally intend to pursue their education in STEM, will be easy to deal with, I'm a bit apprehensive about the 9th graders. It seems they've been quite inactive since their teacher left and are demotivated. Although I usually manage challenging behaviour well, I must admit that disengagement usually poses a big challenge for me. I don't know when their teacher will be coming back, so I can't really plan any major, super fun and engaging activities or anything of the sort.

My initial approach involves establishing clear rules while easing into the material. Since there won't be any standardized tests at the end of the school year, I plan to cover the curriculum comprehensively rather than rushing through it. In the first few classes, I'll try to build a relationship with them by discussing how they've been coping with their teacher's absence, their habits, interests, etc.

However, I'm seeking concrete tips or strategies from those who've navigated similar situations successfully. Any specific approaches you've found effective in connecting with students who may be feeling demotivated would be greatly appreciated.

Title basically says it all, but I’m being interviewed in 2 weeks with potentially 2-4 other prospective teacher for middle school. I have to present a lesson plan or evidence of a successful lesson. Any recommendations?

What metric are you guys using to pick a good campus? Word of mouth? Vibes at the interview? Is there a website that rates them other than the state page that says the turnover rate?

Many of these posts keep coming up, so I'm sorry if it is a bit repetitive. I don't have too many people to talk to about this.

I just received my English AA and have been considering becoming a teacher. When people asked what I would do, I always said I didn't want to be a teacher. Honestly, I think I opposed being a teacher because I didn't think I'd be good at it, but I have slowly warmed up to the idea. I took a Children’s Literature course at my community college, and I loved it! I loved the literature and our discussions about approaching the material with students, especially more controversial subjects. It was a fun course that opened my eyes to teaching and child development. I was also inspired to teach because my brother has been struggling in school, and I went to a meeting with my mom to address it. I am trying to be more active in his school life, making me want to help other kids as best I can.

I’ve been lurking in the sub for a while, and I have seen many people practically screaming to run from this field. I know teaching is not easy. I went to public school and have witnessed the atrocities of my classmates, so I know how bad kids can be. I have also heard about how bad the job is because of admin and parents. I am not sure how I would handle all of that because I have not experienced it, but I feel like I might be able to deal with it.

Ideally, I would want to teach ELA/Literature for secondary school, though I'm not entirely opposed to teaching elementary. I have also thought about being a professor at a community college or university.

Let's see if this works. I've tried to post this twelve times in a row and it's been rejected each time.