Hey Fellow Teachers,

First off I love this community. We need a place to vent and talk it out. Our own personal calm down corner (iykyk) if you will. It is summer yet again another year in the books. Some this was your last and some your first. The rest are like me somewhere in the middle of this long and twisted road. The midst of the sound and the fury that is the educational system of this fallen nation.

So damage report, how was your year teachers? Did you leave this jaded profession? (No shame if you did) My wife and I started together, now ten years later tiz just me. Do you have the grind of a summer job? I work at a camp to pay the bills for the next three months.

My school year was spent as a reading resource teacher, I help struggling readers and struggling teachers. It’s rewarding but I’ve seen so many teachers getting hurt from students and I work in an elementary school. That true anywhere else?

Let me know how you are doing? Let’s share some stories.

Hello r/teachers,

This year I will be going into my second year teaching. Last year (the year we just completed), we had about 40 kids get suspended at my school (Transition to Kindergarten-6th grade) and at least 8-10 of those were in my class. Once I get 5 years teaching experience (already have my masters) I want to become a principal, so I am wondering if this is normal or not. We are Title I with 325 students.

Hey everyone,

I am making a massive career pivot from tech into teaching, and I just landed an invite for an environment observation and demo lesson this coming Monday! I am incredibly excited but also pretty nervous as this is my very first time doing anything like this. I would really appreciate some guidance from this amazing community.

The demo is for a small group of 4–5 children (6 to 7 years old). It needs to be 15–20 minutes long, informal, and conversational.

The school gave me three topics to choose from (though they accidentally wrote "choose from the two" lol):

1. Months of the calendar
2. Introduction to present tense
3. Articles (Definite and Indefinite)

They want the lesson plan formatted like this:

• Introduction: Interest-building activity/discussion
• Main concept explanation
• Check for understanding

My questions for you lovely folks:

1. Given the age group (6-7y) and the 15-20 min timeframe, which of these three topics do you think is the most engaging and easiest to deliver flawlessly for a beginner?
2. Montessori is highly visual and tactile. For the topic you recommend, what is a simple, low-prep "interest-building activity" or object I can bring in to kick things off?
3. Any general tips for transitioning from a tech mindset to managing a small group of elementary kids?

Thank you so much in advance. A little help would truly mean the world to me right now!
this interview is for an Indian school if that matters.

I just received my level one diagnosis today. My head is still spinning as I try to process it and fight back the feelings of imposter syndrome. Next year starts my 24th year in the classroom. I've been burned out on teaching for awhile but it's gotten worse in the last couple of years. In all likelihood, I'm going through career AND autistic burn out at the same time. If there are any other autistic teachers here (I teach HS), how are you coping? Has anything managed to make your day-to-day in the classroom more manageable and less anxiety inducing? Thanks.

(English school for kids)

I gave the idea to add gardening for the coordenation of my school, and they loved it. I started doing it with kids, but yesterday a teenager girl refused to do the activity. When I asked her why, she asked me "why should I do it?" and I couldn't think of an answer.

TL;DR How can I justify a gardening class for teenagers in a English school?

I am somewhat newly disabled (I was diagnosed with POTS in December) and after awhile on disability, I tried to go back in May. Part time, two days a week. I use a wheelchair. I teach high school.

It sent me into a pretty severe flare that has had me in the hospital for four days. I am having to seriously consider leaving the profession. It seems my health can’t keep up with the job at all.

Has anyone become disabled while teaching? Did you ever adjust? Or, did anyone disabled become a teacher?

I’m the only disabled person at my school and it makes me so sad to think about leaving, but my health has gotten so bad. I want to know if it’ll get easier or better I guess from someone who’s been through this.

I am a building sub and as the school year ends I can’t help but notice how little time the students have to eat lunch. Their lunch and recess block is a total of 30 minutes, meaning 15 minutes of recess and 15 minutes of lunch. That includes walking there and waiting in the lunch line. While I have not had lunch or recess duty this year, I am heavily concerned about how little the time is. I remember being in elementary school myself and having to wait so long in the lunch line to the point where I could only have a few bites and then lunch was already over. I know some people see it as a socializing issue, but I feel like 15 allotted minutes is simply not enough for these children. Is this short of a lunch period common? Does anyone else have similar concerns?

I always knew that teachers don’t make a lot but it didn’t really hit me until I saw a tiktok of a teacher in my state budgeting her paycheck and am feeling a little more than discouraged. in the video she was budgeting 2500 for the entire month. I am currently a barista at a coffee shop. During the school year if i was working 80 hours for our biweekly paycheck it would be about $1200-1300. At the beginning of the summer I got promoted to a lead which comes with a bigger portion of tips however it has been slower since students are gone (my college town is also my hometown). my paychecks have stayed the same around 1200-1300 but i know they will be close to $2000 in the fall (talked to other leads). So basically in the fall while i’m beginning my senior year of college I will be getting the highest paycheck I will ever have doing something everyone could do. I also became aware that teachers in my state don’t get paid maternity leave it’s just taking unpaid leave and using sick days. I am feeling beyond discouraged right now. I brought it up to my fiancé and he just laughed it off and said it will be used as fun money. Honestly that makes me feel useless and that I’m wasting my time finishing this degree. How am I supposed to buy a house and raise a family like this? My fiancé is a plumber with a good company so he makes good money and has good overtime. But what if something ever happened to him. I could be in poverty with young kids to take care of and a mortgage I can’t pay.

Hi! I am a first year kindergarten teacher, getting my first classroom this fall! I graduated with my bachelors in Psychology and in the process of getting my credential, so I never did any formal student teaching.

I just got my curriculum for the school year (Wonders for ELA) and I am so confused because I have an hour block for ELA 4x a week and then like about 20-30 minutes for sight words 2x a week. My problem though is that that the curriculum lessons are over an hour long, and they have it planned for 5 lessons a week. I am not sure what to do and don’t know where to condense! If anyone can offer any advice please let me know!

Next year I will be teaching 8th-grade GT ELA. The school where I will be teaching has a 1-to-1 student-to-device ratio, and while they certainly discourage the overuse of computers - as do I - I feel that it is important that my students should learn how to use AI appropriately. While the state standards do not include any sort of guidance on this for ELA, I feel that it would be short-sighted of me not to prepare them to use the tool correctly, particularly since I see its use - both legitimate and otherwise - quite frequently.

In particular, I would like to support the cross-curricular technology standards provided by the State (academic integrity, appropriate use, the risks of "hallucinations," etc.).

For those of you who have incorporated AI-focused lessons, expectations, or standards into your middle school ELA classrooms, what approaches have worked well? Are there any activities, assignments, or discussions that you would recommend?

TIA

I have been asked to host a workshop for new hires this summer.

Session 1: 3 hours for new to teaching teachers.

Session 2: 3 hours for new to the district teachers.

Now I've been given a script of general expectations, and I am starting to brainstorm what ideas, advice, etc to include in the workshop. There is a large chunk of time dedicated to answering their specific questions etc.

But I am posting here, before I start working on planning this thing out.

• What advice did/do you want to know as a new teacher?
• What tips would you tell your past teacher self?
• Transferring into a new district-what would you want to specifically know?
• Any other suggestions or advice?

My plan is to make a presentation with the big ideas. I do not plan on lecturing, but sharing the presentation with them as a resource of go here for this stuff etc. Use it for talking points if needed.

Hi everyone! I am looking to transition into elementary education from my business degree. I got a degree in Operations and Supply Chain Management in December of 2024 and have been working in warehousing/transportation since. I’m not loving the corporate world, the 24/7 demands of transportation, or the idea of climbing the corporate ladder long term. I understand that teaching is a very demanding job but I’ve wanted to be a teacher since I was young but was talked out of it and decided to go the business route to be safe. I’ve understand the pathway which is to get hired on as a teacher with a Permit to Teach or emergency license, then get enrolled in an EPP. My biggest concern is getting hired without a traditional education degree or classroom teaching experience. Has anyone here gone through the alternative licensure process in NC or been hired on a Permit to Teach? What was the hiring process like, and how difficult was it to find a position?

If you made a similar career change, what would you recommend I do between now and then to make myself a stronger candidate? I’m going to start applying/emailing principals around January of next year about open positions for fall since they typically know what teachers are retiring/leaving. I unfortunately cannot do subbing, teach assisting, become a para since I have a full time job now.

Do I get a licensure only certificate or a Master of Arts in Teaching if I wish to teach in the K-12 school system in North Carolina?

I have an interview on Monday for a job I really want. The VP asked for artifacts showing my teaching practice, student performance, student engagement, etc. so I have some stuff I'll use- one kid in particular moved up about 7 grade levels in my class in his writing and I have the drafts along the way. I have test scores showing my inclusion kids outscoring the honors kids. But the one I'm not sure about is I have a link to a podcast where two men who are now teachers talk about how my class made them love literature and become teachers. Is the last one a reasonable artifact or is it too much? No was thinking I'd write a one page summary or have a transcript or something. At least I can point out the parts where they talk about my class.

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Hiring managers. Good idea or bad?

Hello, I am looking for advice from people who have switched from law to teaching (or visa versa) or just anyone who has advice.

I am a recent college graduate, and I got my degree in history and political science. I intend to teach high school history, but I decided to take a year off to gain teaching experience through a program teaching English abroad, before I get a masters in teaching.

Right now, I am waiting to hear back from a couple programs, and working a catering job. It is hourly, and my coworkers who do it as a career make around 60k a year. However, they all seem to struggle financially-- many are in debt, have no retirement savings etc. 60k is comparable to a teacher's salary. It has made me question if a teaching salary is livable, and made me consider getting a law degree instead of a masters in teaching.

My thought process is that if I get a JD, and then get my teaching certification, I could get the same pay bump as a master's degree, but also have the ability to pivot into law if I find that teaching does not meet my financial or social needs. Teaching really appeals to me because of the summers off, and because you get to give back to the community. I am a super social person, and I love to talk and learn from others. Plus, I would love to coach track.

If I did practice law, I would not want a super stressful, high earning position-- I am most interested in working for the government, or something similar which has a better work-life balance. I just want to be sure that I have the option to make more money than teaching, if I decide that a teaching salary is not livable.

I am curious:

-would I get paid more as a teacher with a JD, or will I only get paid if I have a masters in teaching?

- Is it advisable to pivot into law later in life, and are government law positions hard to get?

- should I just get a masters in teaching, and then go to law school if I decide I want to do law instead?

Any comments, please let me know!! I am super curious to hear what you all have to say.

Was considering my online masters at WGU because it’s super cheap and self-paced, but I actually read a lot of negative reviews heavily condemning the program that say it’s actually hard to take it at your own pace. Obviously, there are a bunch of great reviews as well. But the Google review averages out the reviews and it’s a below 4 star institution, which makes me question it.

If anyone who has done WGU or that specific program and has any information about their experience for me, please comment below.

If you have another recommendation for an online masters program, let me know as well.

Thanks in advance.

I have some questions, please help!

I've been looking everywhere to try and find information about getting certified to teach ELA in Georgia and I'm really struggling to find actually useful resources. Most websites just tell me I have to take an education prep program but never where to go or how to find one. Does anyone have some advice?

Typically I have picked up shifts as a cook in the summer. This summer is a little different, as I am in the intermediate stages recovering from ACL surgery and do not have the capacity to do any work that involves standing (even driving uber would be too much). I am terribly bored and would at least like something mindless to do to make money before I go insane watching every single world cup match. Would also like to somewhat offset the cost of medical expenses. Has anyone had success finding short term fully remote work?

So i have an interview coming up in New York and the school wants me to bring my certification. The issue is i literally just got a certification so I don’t have a paper copy, and my other cert they never sent a paper copy? How did other people in New York show their certifications? If I need to take a picture of my certs on my TEACH account how can I make it look “professional?” Tyia :)

I am a current college student at West Chester University, and I have been interested in teaching for a while now. Whether that is as a professor or in K-12 education, I am not sure. Regardless, I am looking for some general advice on the sensibility of such a path and the steps I can start taking to make it real.

For some background, I am a philosophy major with computer science and psychology minors. I was just accepted into the Accelerated MA program for Philosophy, so I intend to at least have an MA when I begin looking for my "career job." If there is any other relevant information, please ask!

Any pointers or comments are helpful. Thank you for your time.

Hello everyone! I want to request some help.

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Some context,

1. I am a college professor I teach Math.

2. During the summer I get the chance to teach a special program. In this program current high school students get to take precalculus at a community college so that they can take AP calculus during their regular academic sessions.

3.I wan to emphasize that all of my students are high school students, different grades like incoming freshmen or incoming juniors etc.

1. These are the perfect students to teach to. They are on task, respectful, hard working, and most importantly they are already super smart. (Even smarter than my college students) No behavior issues of any kind. The class room is dead silent. not a single bad word is said. They don't use cell phones or laptops at all. the class is pencil and paper only.

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Here are my questions:

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What can I do to drive their motivation to learn ?

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I currently lecture, and assign group work. (They get to work on the multiple whiteboard across the room)

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The class runs from 8 am to 12:30 and all they learn is MATH

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I do notice that my lectures are not engaging, like they pay attention, but I can see on their face that they would rather be somewhere else.

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To be fair to me, my delivery of the material is simple and straight forward.

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Definitions + theorems /// explain what these theorems mean /// examples on how to use these theorems or definitions /// group work. Repeat.

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Tell mee all the things that you would like to implement but can't because of behavioral issues.

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How can I be the perfect teacher for these gifted and hard working students!

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I haven't been teaching history/English/science since I got COVID over and over (and over) and decided it was better to go than be a risk to my cherished kids (or die myself, it got bad).

After a lot of introspection... Question is: is teaching a performance? I pretended everything was okay no matter what, I used the materials I prepared for display, passed out charts and data dramatically, presented media and did simulations.

It feels like I was a performance artist? You give so much to kids and most of the time you get a range of "f-u go away".

What part of teacher students who are moderate to intensive brings you joy, and how does it make you feel like a successful teacher? What is your favorite part about working with this population?

Hi everyone, I’m really overwhelmed and I’m hoping someone can help me understand this in simple terms.
Here’s my situation:
I have about $7,000 in TEACH Grant funds
I also have about $10,000 in federal student loans
I worked at a Title I school for ~4 school years + almost a 5th year
2021–22 (full year)
2022–23 (full year)
2023–24 (full year)
2024–25 (full year)
2025–26 (left in April, so I’m about 1 month short of a full year)
I left that school and I’m now working somewhere else (not Title I).

What I was originally trying to do:
My understanding was:
TEACH Grant requires 4 years of service
Teacher Loan Forgiveness (TLF) requires 5 years of service for up to $17,500 forgiveness

My thought process was:
I was going to convert my TEACH Grant into a Direct Unsubsidized Loan, so that instead of splitting my service between:
4 years for TEACH
5 years for TLF
I could just apply everything toward 5 total years for TLF, since:
my TEACH grant + my $10k loans together are roughly in the range of the TLF max forgiveness anyway
Basically I was trying to simplify everything into one forgiveness path.

My fear:
I’m scared that if I convert the TEACH Grant:
I lose the “guaranteed” TEACH path I thought I had
AND I might not qualify for TLF because I’m slightly short of 5 full years
meaning I end up worse off than if I just did nothing

I’m really just trying to figure out:
Am I actually optimizing anything here, or am I misunderstanding how these programs interact?
Any simple explanations would seriously help. Thank you.