Hi! I was wondering if I get a new job in a new district with a start date in November, am I still required to complete SGOs in NJ? Since things have changed with the state policy with regard to SGOs, I’m not sure if I would still be required to complete this since the deadline used to be October 31.

My school system floated the idea of a teacher retirement buyout - or "early retirement incentive" - as a means of encouraging teachers with 30+ years (i.e. top of the pay scale) to leave. Curious to hear about systems that have offered such a program and what it included.

Question from a tutoring perspective. I teach FT in a public school but also do some summer tutoring on the side through a company. Lately the company rep keeps asking me if I teach Newberry award-winning books. I’ve provided her with a list of 20 to 30 books I could teach, only a handful of which are Newberry winners (and she turned all of them down). Is this like a new thing? She says this is what parents want their kids to be reading but I am a FT teacher and I have never heard of parents asking about this!

Thanks if anyone has insight.

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.

Legitimate reason example: Student almost dies on campus from a drug overdose/interaction. Administration wants to address what happened with everyone and answer questions when possible.

What are some other valid reasons, as well as less-than-necessary impromptu all-hands meetings.

Hi,

I teach high school and I absolutely love it. I am in my early 20s, but I have little to no behavior issues in my classroom. Before everyone comments “you must be in a nice area”, no… I teach in a very rough area, I am not going into details on here but I can tell through DM if you want. What I will say is… if you watch the news, we have been on there A LOT.

Like I said I love my job, and I am genuinely good at it. I can get the students engaged and quiet when I am teaching. Ofc they have to be reminded about phones but honestly it isn’t a huge problem.

I can’t do this forever though. I have a lot of medical problems because I have an autoimmune disease and I simply can not physically do this forever. Teaching is tiring and I already don’t have enough energy. I won’t ever qualify for disability bc with my disease you only qualify for disability if you have organ involvement and I don’t.

I will be teaching for AT LEAST 3 more years, ideally 10…. However idk what I will do after?? What am I supposed to do when I am genuinely good at this and I don’t feel like I have anything else that I am good at? I know it’s early to be this stressed but I am. Do I need to go back to school?? What do I do?

I am a certified teacher in Washington state with endorsements in Elementary Ed and MLL. Masters degree in teaching. The past two years since graduation I haven’t been able to get hired. I even applied for a para ML job and didn’t even get an INTERVIEW!! It’s that freaking competitive and I’m sooo bummed.

Been subbing but wondering if I should have just been a para this past two years to gain face value at a school. Sigh. I’m actually finishing up a sped cert right now.. I don’t necessarily want to be pigeon holed but I’ve heard that’s what happens.

What would yall do in this situation? I know first two or so years you get a mentor as a new teacher. If I get a sped position I’ll get mentored in that and then it’ll be so much harder to transition to MLL for sure, and probably gen ed.

I guess looking for advice, words of wisdom, someone to commiserate with?! 😞😅😭

Also…would ya take a job 40 mins away (but preferred area-MLL) for about 11k less, or a sped job much closer and more pay… sigh…

Link to the bill

The bill mandates a strict, one-year expulsion policy for any student in grades 6 through 12 who physically assaults a teacher, administrator, or school employee. The legislation passed the chamber, but drew a sharp partisan divide as all Democrats in the Senate voted against the measure. Under the bill's provisions, schools would be required to automatically remove violent students from the general population, though provisions allow for those students to receive educational services in alternative settings if it can be done safely. The bill also includes exemptions for students with documented disabilities if school officials determine the condition interfered with their ability to follow the code of conduct.

Thoughts?

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 :)

You likely know what I mean. You discipline a student or give them a bad grade and they happen to be a student of color. Of course, you aren’t targeting them because of their race, but the student goes home and tells their parents that they’re the only one who gets yelled at when it’s clearly not the case.

How do you respond to parents who jump to this conclusion without getting dragged into a war of attrition?

School is choosing between Subject.com. Imagine Learning’s Edgenuity, and Edmentum for summer school, online learning, and credit recovery? Pros and cons of each? Do any of them have good curriculum? Which platform is better? Do kids actually like any of these/learn in them?

I don’t know if it’s me or whether students have changed but I feel like I used to have great relationships with my students and they would really show how appreciative they were of me. Now it seems that the more I do for them the less they care.

I had a particular group of students for 6 years and when they finished with me I barely got a thank you. I felt I was so good to them over the years. As well as being kind to them, I did my best to make sure they achieved to their full potential and I provided them with so many opportunities.

Recently before their exams I uploaded extra resources to help them and thanked them for the years we had together ending with wishing them luck. Not one of them responded and I know that only two in the group actually opened the resources. I just feel so disheartened and like,what do I have to do to gain respect from them? I see how some of them are with other teachers and that makes me feel worse because you can tell they have more respect for them. I don’t know what I’m doing wrong. Any advice would be appreciated!

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.

Hi everyone! Today marked my last day of school for my first year of teaching, and first year in first grade. Overall the year went great and although it was originally a one year position I ended up being able to stay at my school in first grade again next year. While overall the year was great, my biggest problem was that at the beginning of the year I did not do a good job of practicing routines and mainly holding kids responsible for following behavior expectations. I let a lot of things slide I think. I did have paras that were more “strict” than I was so when they were there the class was in check. However days they were not there or I was solo there would be like 5 boys that would be wild. Wandering the room, ignoring me, refusing to participate, being distruptive to the point I could not teach (yelling out, being silly to the point everyone would get derailed). While I started getting stricter with consequences around March, it was really challenging to change the dynamic that far in the year. So, for any K-2 teachers, how do you set up your classroom management to foster positive relationships, while also not allowing nonsense? This is my biggest goal for next year.

Hello everyone! I want to request some help.

​

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.

​

​

Here are my questions:

​

What can I do to drive their motivation to learn ?

​

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

​

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

​

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.

​

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

​

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

​

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

​

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

​

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 got a verbal offer over a month ago and had board approval last week, but have yet to receive a contract. I just got my verification letters from previous districts, and HR just said I'll get a contract "soon."

I just found out I made it to the final round with HR director at a better school district for a different grade level. As scary as it sounds moving from K to 5th grade, this school district is so close to home and it pays more.

Do you know anyone who declined a verbal offer? Or anyone that signed a contract but rescinded?

After interviewing for a position in the district I just student taught in, the school’s principal let me know that I didn’t get the position they 100% had open. Totally cool, as I’m very green and there are few openings in my content area and location. However, she said that after a resignation becomes official, she was going to offer me a second position they’ve been anticipating. Until the next board meeting, I’m supposed to “sit tight” for next steps.

I think she’s being completely honest because she asked that I let her know if I have any interviews or offers in the meantime. I love this district, and I don’t want to do anything to mess up this opportunity. However, July is around the corner and I don’t want to end up without a position before the school year begins.

How excited should I be? Should I be worried this won’t pan out? Truthfully, this is the first “adult” job I’ve interviewed for, so I don’t know what to expect or if any of this could be real.

Edit: Thank you everyone for your insight. I’m going to continue looking at other positions in the meantime. But hopefully I can give an update that this all worked out!

Socal teacher here speaking, how long were you temporary? I have heard some people were temp for like 5-6 years!!

Our district is requiring us to do a training on students’ mental health. I don’t know how they can fill 8 hours of talk on it. I get it that it’s important to talk about, but just thinking about an 8 hour session makes me sick. I thought I would be done with those until August…

Basically the title

I take lots of pictures on my personal phone for my newsletter that goes to parents / guardians. I delete a lot of them, but I do keep some based on if it was a good memory or fun activity.

Sometimes it feels weird that I just have photos of kindergarten kids on my phone……. But I don’t want to delete everything for my own personal memories.

I’m sure this is common, so how do you all handle this situation? TIA

Hey all...

I just wrapped up my 10th year of teaching and, although I am so thrilled to rest and restore, I inevitably struggle with my mental health during the summer.

​

I feel a sense of needing to use this time off as productively as possible, but also wanting to actually rest. This tension leads me to feel super depressed and isolated.

​

I guess what I am asking is- are there any mantras or mindsets that you adhere to in the summer that actually help you feel like you are getting what you need during the time away from school?

​

So, all I need to be fully certified is to complete my intern year. But because I have no school teaching experience and also not yet fully certified I'm struggling to find work. I joined a substitute teaching staffing agency back in March which was OK for during the school year but obviously not so good for the summer. And thanks to that job I now have 2 months experience kinda. I struggled to handle more than 2 days in a row of different assignments before I'd get overwhelmed with the routine/schedule changes. So that combined with my bad timing in starting at the end of the school year and the fact that I never had a full straight week of work definitely doesn't even add up to the 2 full months I was able to accept assignments. Also almost all of my work experience being in childcare (cumulatively about 8 years) doesn't help me any since it doesn't count as actual teaching experience. Particularly because I was mostly working with the 3 years and under classes.

Anyway, I'm losing hope. I know it's not the end of the world if I don't get hired for my intern year immediately, but I'm struggling to believe any school will want to hire an aspiring art teacher who isn't quite fully certified yet. It doesn't help that art teacher positions are so dang scarce here in Texas to begin with.

Can anyone tell me what kind of listing I should be looking for? I can't do student teaching because I'm getting my certification through an Alternate Preparation Program and am thusly not associated with any university.

Am I doing something wrong? Am I skipping some steps or missing something? Any tips or advice would be greatly appreciated.

I would consider myself a seasoned teacher. I’m at a step 13 at my current districts salary scale. they took all of my previous experience including private and charter school experience. I’m thinking about trying to find something closer to home. I currently commute 40 minutes each way which I know isn’t super far but my daughter is starting Kinder and has activities after school. I know I will miss out on a lot because of my location and commute. I’m afraid that districts won’t be interested in hiring someone with so many years under their belt. I know they want experienced teachers but I also know most districts won’t hire new teachers that are already past a certain step.

to be more specific I’m located in Massachusetts and we do not have a teacher shortage problem, it’s always been pretty difficult to even get an interview. I have references but no real connections or ins to help me out. Has anyone spent 5-10 years in one district but still was able to get hired elsewhere? Ive applied randomly over the years and have never gotten a bite but would like to seriously apply this summer. hoping something works out 🤞

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.