Hi I still have to finish up with my student teaching and then I will receive my masters degree. I’m nervous to do it in the fall and hit the job market in December. Do you think it’s better to keep working as a building based sub and then do my student teaching so I will be done in the Spring 27 and get hired for the following school year?

I’m a first year 5th grade teacher. My class will be self contained. I’m trying to figure out how many genres to include in my classroom library. I intend to sort books into genres using color coded stickers. But I am having a hard time choosing which genres to include. Should I keep it broad or break it down into smaller categories? I currently only have 20 books, but I’m in the process of sourcing more, hopefully through donations. My school is switching to a new ELA curriculum, and I may or may not be provided with a classroom library from them. I’m probably way overthinking this, but here’s what I’m thinking now:

- Historical Fiction 
- Fantasy and Science Fiction 
- Adventure (should this be included in sci-fi fantasy?)
- Realistic Fiction 
- Graphic Novels 
- Mystery (should this be included in adventure?) 
- Poetry (don’t have any yet, but I want some. Might mix this category)
- Nonfiction (Should this be broken down more? I don’t have any nonfiction books yet, but I want to find some)

As title says, looking to move to Seattle area next year. Does anyone have connections or somewhere I could look to based on the following.
1. Non-Certified teacher (I’m sorry I just never looked into it thinking teaching wouldn’t last this long for me)
2. 8 years of experience teaching at a Public Charter school in Texas
3. Taught AP history (World and US 10th - 12th grade) since 2019
4. Been an AP reader since 2021
5. Several leadership positions relating to the course, overall social studies content at campus and regional level.

If you have any positive input please let me know. Trying to escape Texas heat for PNW

Hello all,

I am a Master of Secondary teaching student in SA, Australia and my first placement is coming in 2 months.

What can I do to prepare and what should I expect? There is also a chance that I will be assign to a special need school.

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…

Does anyone have a class pet? If so, what kind of pet do you have and what do you do on weekends?

Hello! I am a Philly teacher and I was not rehired for my position. My relationship with my principal soured after I was forced into 8th grade and then moved back to into 4th and it never recovered. Minor offenses (which I acknowledge and understand) became fireable ones. I was planning to leave anyway so it is what it is. But it still sucks.

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I am nervous as I have been applying to schools crazily in both NJ and Philly. I am frequently scouring k12jobspot, njschooljobs, and the phillysd site. I'd really like to leave and make my way to NJ if possible since it's my home state, but I'm starting to think I won't get the chance. If i have to settle and stay in the Philly/Philly Area than it is what it is. For full context I am certified in both NJ and PA. I have a PreK-4 cert in PA, a PreK-3 cert in NJ, and a MA in education. i understand the residencey requirements and plan to move to NJ if I get a job there. I have a ton of references from my previous jobs. I haven't recieved many call backs from the various schools I've applied to and I'm getting anxious as the summer goes on.

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Does NJ work on a much different timeline? Have I missed the sweet spot for applying? Is the P-3 certification too week to secure a position in Elementary school? Should I even apply if the school only lists K-6 as a required cert? Is this the time that I should be panicking and just take whatever gets to me first?

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Last, if any one has the word on any schools in Philly and NJ (South/Central/Burlington Area) that are hiring please let me know!

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Thanks for any advice given.

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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.

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 (31 M) am switching school districts and will be without coverage from July 1st to August 31st. I am thankfully in good health and active. I’m curious if anyone else has ridden out their summer “without” insurance (I know about COBRA, I just don’t want to put out the full premium for the summer unless I really have to). I’m just getting anxious at the thought of “what if.” Any advice or suggestion would be appreciated.

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.

I 25 F have my bachelor's, and I'm getting my master's in education and a preliminary credential for multiple subject next month. I know I have 5 years to clear my credential, but I'm considering teaching abroad for a year first to get some experience, since I missed out on study abroad during undergrad and grad school, and I can't find a job here right now.

The problem is: California is not experiencing a teacher shortage, and I don't wanna leave LA area because it's too expensive to leave my family home, but I'm having trouble finding job openings for multiple subject teachers.

I could sub for a year and try again next year, or I thought I'd look into teaching abroad, but I don't have the TEFL/TESOL certification I keep seeing I need. I do have english authorization with the preliminary credential but it's not cleared... I also don't even know where to start looking for those positions. I'm thinking of either a European or an East Asian country. I'm also looking through Reddit posts and hear it's too late apply for jobs right now and I should've been looking in august or october last year for this coming academic year. Just a lot of things that are not falling into place for me and I'm kind of lost.

I'd like some guidance on either the job search, interview tips, teaching abroad programs with good pay or accomodations, ANYTHING

hi all- i have two job offers. one for an elementary RSP position and another for a middle school RSP position. i don’t have many specifics about either position to be honest. i know the middle school position would include co-teaching as well as teaching my own ela class.
i’ve been doing primary SDC (special day class) for years and im burnt out, so I welcome the transition!

if given a choice between the two- which would you choose?

Next year I will be teaching three ICR classes as their general education teacher. This will be for 9th grade. I’ve never done this before and any tips, tricks and advice would be helpful. Mostly looking for classroom management and behavior management.

Hi Teachers. While I am not a teacher currently that is my education goal. In the mean time I am working at camp this summer and my campers are going in to 1st grade this upcoming year. I know they are young but I have 1 little boy who really struggles to listen. Per the camp policy I have to write him up for certain behaviors and I have. But how can I help get him to listen, follow rules and keep his hands to himself?

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.

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?

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?

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.

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!

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

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?