long story short im 27 and i got a job for the first time at high school as teacher assistant, the thing is I don't have no experience whatsoever or a degree for special education I just have a bachelor's degree that not related to it and graduate few months ago and im glad I got cause I mean nobody wanna train a newbie

it's been just 1 month since I started and im doing the summer classes for some students who failed some classes or were absent, even though I'm literally learning but still have no idea how to help them sometimes lol but the teacher gives me some tips on how to do it and im thankful really, but there's one thing i still don't understand why's happening, i don't how to connect with these students, and im not gonna sit here and lie, im not very social and sometimes blunt, but with the students im always careful about what to say and it gets very overwhelming, i started to thing teaching is not for me, at leat an school, I mean I can't control my poker face, sometimes I even forget to smile when someone smiles at me, and yesterday 2 of the students who let's say "trouble maker" that i was with for 2 weeks and I was waiting for them to finish the test and take the paper out and come back to the class, as when i left with test papers I overheard them talking about the i scare them so much and just me being there not even doing anything shift their fouce to me instead of focusing on the test, and that made me feel sad and confused, cause im not trying to be intimidating or scary, I really want them to feel comfortable with me, the thing is I have NO IDEA HOW TO DO IT, it's really gotta come naturally from your personality or u gotta manually change ur personality lol.

im literally have no idea why, is it my voice? my poker face? my lack of yapping? I can't even ask my teacher about it it's so embarrassing lol

excuse my wrong spellings im not native and also sleep deprived

Why do virtual school teachers say student behavior is better? How?

I'm not talking about the virtual teachers who are mainly asynchronous, that's very fortunate, I'm asking the ones who literally are live with students.

Do you set the chat to teacher only during instruction? Because that's the only reason I can think without some student interrupting or spamming chat.

I (27F) have wanted to be a teacher since I was 5. I fought through high school bullying and challenging classes to earn an advanced Regents diploma. College was lonely and full of failures, but I earned my bachelor’s in education. Grad school was pure burnout—no friends, a job I hated, and a professor who asked if I even wanted to teach. I still got my master’s in Adolescent Education. I finally found a district that felt like home. I started as a daily sub, then became the long-term AIS Reading teacher for almost two years. I bloomed. I got my elementary certification, made real friends, moved in with my fiancé, and started a master’s in Literacy (PreK–12) because reading intervention is what I actually love. Then everything fell apart. Caught up in wedding planning, moving, and starting the literacy program, I forgot to update my resume. I wasn’t even considered for the permanent AIS job I had been doing. I applied for 2nd grade instead. HR said there was no opening, even though class lists showed no third teacher assigned. I constantly felt second-guessed, talked down to, and left out of the loop—even though I was usually the first to notice problems. At the end of the year, they took my badge (first time in three years; no one else had to turn theirs in). A week later, my school email was deactivated. I received a “reasonable assurance” letter stating they expected me to return as a daily sub next year. It feels like they quietly fired me without a single conversation. I’m devastated. I loved that district and poured years into it. Now I’m terrified about continuing my literacy master’s. Without a stable teaching job and the benefits I had just started receiving, I don’t know if I can afford it—or if the degree will even matter if I can’t get hired. It feels like everything I’ve worked for since I was a kid is slipping away. I know I made mistakes (the resume, ADHD calendar forgetfulness). I know subs are often treated as disposable. But I also know I showed up, did the work, and still got pushed out in silence. AITA for feeling this destroyed and questioning whether I should keep pursuing the literacy master’s? Or am I right that the district handled this really shitty?

Context: Teaching 18 years, 17 of which was in a magnet middle school. Highly motivated students and parents. Students literally cheering when I say enthusiastically but somewhat sarcastically, “we’re learning matrices today!!” I never really needed a “hook” or some engagement strategy prior to…now.
Currently, I work in a setting where kids are not motivated, for various reasons. Parents will sometimes encourage school, but it’s not always the priority. I’m more of a tutor, really. I cover all subjects and all grade levels K-12. Most of my students receive homebound services.

Question: what are your best strategies or even lines for enticing a kid to do school work who really doesn’t want to do anything?

I used to think I was lucky, but I now realized I’ve missed out on some valuable learning experiences myself.

Humor appreciated. Suggestions appreciated. Humbly ready to soak up some knowledge from my Reddit teachers.

I’ve been passionate about teaching and working with kids ever since high school (I’m 27). I ended up going into accounting because my parents kept telling me I would never make money if I became a teacher, so it was kind of a last resort thing. I live in Indiana, and the schools around me have a starting salary that is about the same as my current position’s starting salary. I’m more interested in teaching than ever getting my CPA. If you have switched from accounting or another corporate role to teaching, I would love to know your experience and any advice!

Hi all! I got a non renewal pink slip this past June after getting my provisional license and working there 2 and a half years. That school was an inner city school with terrible students and horribly mean teachers, as well as admin that don't know how to do their job. I got hired pretty quickly at another school for this coming fall. The pay is a little better, the benefits are great, and all of the staff are wonderful. There's one caveat with it that I'm struggling with: the hours are 7:15 - 3:15. At my previous teaching job it was 7:45 - 2:45. I'm a very obsessive person when it comes to sleep, and I'm really concerned it'll be an issue. Should I look for a different job? Has anyone experienced this?

Thank you all :)

Single teachers: how do you feel when people flirting or hitting on you say, “I wish you were my teacher”; “I would have paid so much better in school if you were my teacher”; “You’ll be some students’ sexual awakening.” (No joke, I have been told this before.)

Is it just me or is it not the compliment people think it is? I know the person means well, and it’s slightly funny to think about but at the same time, but no please don’t flirt with me that way.

I am planning on creating a classroom rules poster and a consequence continuum poster to have printed out. I have my few rules that I know I want to have on each one, but I am really interested in some ideas from y’all about stuff you’ve seen over the years that you think a newer teacher should have on their consequence continuum and as classroom rules/expectations.

I got an offer at an elementary school in that is an hour East away from where I live in SoCal. I have three kids ages (soon to be) 4 and under. My twins will start pre-k in our local district. I’ve been interviewing and applying for jobs since the spring.

My questions:

1. Would you bring your school aged kids with you? (I’m leaning towards no because that’s a long time in a car daily for young kids and all their school friends would be far away, how early we would have to get up and ignoring the convenience).
2. Is this a make or break commute? I did this commute previously when I taught in DC and commuted from Northern VA. I am excited about the opportunity and I don’t feel like I can be picky with the current state of job hunting in education particularly here in SoCal. However having a young family I don’t want them to miss out on activities or sacrifice tons of quality time. My husband is also military so I have to be readily available for my kids when he’s not home but we have a bit until then 🤞🏻

Any previous experience or thoughts appreciated!

Hello!

I want to know whether I am justified in my feelings or if I am going crazy.

I recently started teaching band. I got hired at a school district in December just as I finished student teaching as the Middle and High School band teacher with the expectation that I will teach elementary music this coming school year (very small district). This specific school district has had a troubled history with band directors. They had one teacher who taught there for around 20 years, let's call her Martha. Following the pandemic, teaching had taken such a toll on her that she quit and started working at a convenience store. I learned that she regularly spent 7 days a week at the school, working upwards of 12 hours a day. Since then, the school had one teacher who (from what I've heard) was bullied out of the position by the students. Following that, another teacher filled the position for a year until the district tried to pin too much work on her (teaching both bands and both choirs on top of elementary music).

This teacher left in September of 2025. Following that, the school hired two different interim teachers before hiring me at the end of December 2025. I say all this to emphasize the fact that these students had 5 different band teachers in the last 3-4 years. I have worked there since, but I have received a lot of pushback from students who miss Martha (she did elementary music and middle/high band, so all of my students had had her at one point). I've had students openly say in class that they want Martha back, and a pair of students wrote on their stand that they miss her. Since she left, the band program has shrunk from upwards of ~70% of students in band to, I would estimate, ~30%. From what I can tell, they don't dislike me; they just wish things were the way they used to be.

In May, I met Martha for the first time. I stopped by the convenience store she works at, and I told her, "Hi, I'm the new band teacher for this school district. I've heard a lot about you." The first thing she told me was, "Oh boy, you should leave." She told me that I went to a good college, have great references, and could do so much better than this small district, which she described as an "armpit." The conversation went on for a little while longer, but I'm not going to lie, this chat messed with my head for a solid couple of days.

We exchanged numbers, and for a day or two afterward, she texted me about how the school admin screwed her over, and how I should leave and find a better place, how many of the students are so misbehaved, and how the ones I had been left with (who had given me the aformentioned pushback) were the "good ones," etc.

Fast forward a few weeks: she texted me saying that working at the convenience store had been terrible due to shifts in management, and rising gas prices creating an unbearable work experience. She tells me that she was considering applying to be a paraprofessional for the elementary portion of the school (K-12 is all in one building). While I was apprehensive for reasons I will mention momentarily, I was supportive. I am not in a position to tell this woman what she can or cannot do. I told her that the kids would love to see her again, especially since I've heard so many students say they miss her.

Recently, there was some drama with the choir *teacher* at this school (I could make another post if people are interested), which resulted in her getting fired. I received a text from Martha a few days ago saying she applied for the choir position and that she has an interview tomorrow [July 23rd]. From what I know from my superintendent, not many people are applying for the position, and I believe she is very likely to get the job.

Now for my worries: first of all, I'm not worried that she's trying to take her old position back from me. That role had wrecked her, and even if she were, she could only work part-time because of Social Security. I had brought this up to my Dean of Students, and that was the conclusion he thought I was worried about. I fear that her being in the school will undermine my position in the eyes of the students. I fear that students will think, "Oh, Martha is back working in the school. I wish she taught band instead of OP." The students there want stability, something the district struggles to provide. I fear they will jump at the possibility that things can go back to how they were how ever many years ago. Similarly, I fear that a power imbalance may form since she has so much experience in my position, and that her license is obviously in band, and not choir. This is definitely my overthinking, but I partly fear that she may try to micromanage me in my role despite me also having a teaching license, and the education to back me up.

I fully understand that I can't control what she does. She is clearly an accomplished educator with her own desires and expectations for herself. However, I'm scared I may not have the expertise or experience to prepare myself for this situation--or if there will even be a situation to prepare for. I am writing this post to see if anyone may have any insight into this situation, or if anyone could suggest any actions I could take to prepare for the possibility of a situation occurring. I apologize for how long this story is, but I believe all of the mentioned context is important to get the full-scope of this event.

Any help would be appreciated. Thank you!

We’ve reached that time of year again! It’s almost time to get our rosters, where 15/30 students have 504s and IEPs, and nearly every accommodation has been selected for them. All 15 need to be near instruction, have frequent check ins, extended time, reduced workload to show mastery, the ability to leave the room upon request, and separate testing with a teacher or supervisor who doesn’t exist. You begin to realize quickly that it’s basically impossible to enforce consistent rules and procedures since a majority of students are an exception to whatever rules you’re trying to institute.

We desperately need SPED reform. I dare any principal, case manager, counselor, or school executive to say that the current setup is realistic or doable. At our school, 504 accommodations are rarely even based on substantive data! But that doesn’t stop them from checking every box without a thought as to how teachers will implement 20 accommodations per day.

My proposal: limit the number of accommodations to two or three critical supports that we truly believe will help the student. Every accommodations box that is checked becomes less and less meaningful because it is less and less sustainable. And if I’m being brutally honest, if you need 20 different supports to function in a class, you probably shouldn’t be in that environment. And do we have any data on the degree to which these supports are even working?! If I had 20 supports at my job, I’d be employee of the century. Right now, it’s a lot of throwing anything at the wall and seeing what sticks. There doesn’t seem to be any desire to wean students off of accommodations so that they can more independently function in their adult lives.

I hate to be so blunt about it. There really are kids who genuinely need support. But there has to be a better way to support students other than determining they’re too weak to handle their lives and accommodating them into oblivion. We must come up with something better or I don’t see how we can continue.

I got offered and accepted a job in a new district today. I did disclose to my principal that I have a preplanned vacation that overlaps with some of new teacher orientation week. I would miss the first day all teachers are required to report back. My principal has been supportive but I know ultimately it’s more of a HR decision. I have over 10 years of experience so I’m not a new to the field teacher but I’m obviously not trying to start off on the wrong foot with a bad first impression. I would 100% be willing to go in any day before I leave and do anything I would miss during the trainings/PD/onboarding. I’m torn on what to do, should I ask HR about it when they reach out to start the onboarding process or should I just cancel the trip all together. Anyone have any experience with this? Thanks!

EDIT- NTO days aren’t required to attend so not super worried about those days. Day I would miss would be our first official contract day at my site where principal said they would be going over safety, other procedural things.

Hey y'all,
I currently hold an existing California single subject credential (in S.S.) & am looking to add a second credential, in English. I have already taken & passed the four CSETs, demonstrated subject matter competence, & have an English learner authorization, so I only have 1 requirement left: "A 3 semester (or 4 quarter unit) course in departmentalized subject matter pedagogy directly related to teaching in the content area" (source).

My question for you all, particularly those who have already taken an English pedagogy class to satisfy this requirement: I want to take this course at one of the CTC approved institutions , but it must be online-only (and preferably asynchronous). Any recommendations? I am trying to prioritize cost (cheaper the better, ofc) and ease of the actual course itself.

Any & all suggestions much appreciated 🙏

My district is hiring a coordinator of assessment and remediation. I am in an urban area of VA. Let me know the good, bad, and ugly. Do you like your job? Better or worse than being in the classroom?

I am a first year teacher and wondering what I should be doing my first day. The first week of school is only two days so I’m not sure exactly what I should do.

Thank you for any suggestions!

Hello fellow teachers!

I am starting in the fall teaching Biology to grades 9-10 and Anatomy to grades 11-12.

I have a few questions and concerns about what I’m actually supposed to be doing until the new year starts. I met with a few members of the department and was given a textbook for each class but we do not have a set curriculum. The anatomy teacher also sent me her pacing guide and assured me I could use any of her materials or add in my own.

I plan to work on building a syllabus and thinking about classroom management, but besides that I’m lost in terms of what I should be doing to set up labs and activities, and generally what notes I should teach. My old co-op from student teaching gave me full access to his materials but I don’t know if it’s aligned to what the other teachers are going to use.

Generally I am lost and not sure how to move forward. I want to ask the other teachers but I’m also afraid of looking incompetent at my job or that I rely too much on others…

Please help

So yesterday was my first day teaching third graders, it went ok! I did okay I think, 90%of my class left saying I was their favorite teacher(taking this with a grain of salt because they’re 8 and it’s the first day but still) except I’ve felt very uneasy about one interaction.

There’s a girl in my class and we’ll call her Jane. She…tested my limit yesterday. Everyone came in excited but she would interrupt me in the middle of talking to harass other girls from across the room. “Mrs. Soso, she said I was too loud. You need to move me. She’s looking at me and she’s rude, this is not happening today.” Or directly to the students “No, you’re RUDE. Yes your are. Yes you are. Yes you are”. She did this multiple times through the day, she made three girls cry. I was standing next to her at the end of the day, watching her interact with another student. This other student didn’t let her use anymore of her sticky notes (to be fair she shared three with her already) and Jane shouts “Mrs., she just called me fat.” I was there and I know she did not, the other student started crying.

This is the point when I got in their level and told her I am not okay with the choices she made today, yelling and fighting with her friends is unacceptable, and tomorrow when we get to class she will come in ready to be respectful of her classmates and teacher. She understood and then we went home.

I did try to pull her aside one on on, I did try to make personal connections with her, but she had a lot of fake cries(yelling no tears), ignoring me, and went I pulled her aside to talk and find out what happened she walked away in the middle of it. It felt more like…she’s was trying to see how strict I was. And bless her heart, I am not a free spirit teacher.

I’m struggling because it’s the first day, I didn’t want to pull out the teacher voice in the first day, and it DEFINITELY was a teacher voice. Not a yell but a straight forward “we are done with this behavior and of story” voice.

Was I mean? Should I have been more lenient on the first day? I didn’t want to start bad habits or expectations but she’s only 8.

I’m a teacher with a toddler who is very active. We have such little paid time in the classroom to prepare and his daycare doesn’t begin until my contract officially resumes. I’m feeling so stressed wondering how I’ll get everything ready. I don’t even know how I’ll unpack the car with him present. I need to collate and decorate and I feel so stressed. I tried making a to do list, I just don’t know how I’m going to do it with a little one running around. The last thing I want to do is to go in during the evening during the precious few hours we get to be with my husband.

Hi, im a student here and I jst wanted to give a little ramble about my favorite teacher. so I grew up without a father figure in my life untill 4 years ago in 5th grade taht changed. I met Mr.B (Not gonna say his name but yea) and He was my art teacher for 2 yrs and for the next 2 hrs after that I would come to his class every day after school a day just hang out. this was the highlight of my week. He was always so kind and would listen to me and confort me. He was just a father to me and he recently retired only after im moving to high-school. he was the best person I ever knew. And to all the teachers out there please if you can help a kid even give them any space fir them to be themselves and open up to you is the best thing you can do as a teacher. Thank you for all the teachers who give students this. (P.s sorry abt crappy grammer)

I am an incoming first year first grade teacher. I was hired beginning of the month, and I finished all of my onboarding last week. We start orientation on the 10th, and the first day of school is the 24th. But I haven’t heard anything from them about being able to see the classroom and start setting up, curriculum, if there are any materials or supplies for me, class list, anything. When will I find out about all of this, and be invited to start setting up my classroom? Does this usually happen during orientation? I feel so underprepared!

I just finished my first year as a middle school ELA teacher, but my goal has always been to teach high school.

I interviewed at all three high schools in my district. One never responded, one principal wanted to hire me, but HR blocked the transfer, and the third rejected me after a second interview.

Is this normal? Do districts usually want teachers to get more experience before moving from middle school to high school, or is this a sign that HR doesn't view me favorably?

Honestly, this has been really discouraging.

Hi!

I’m in the Seattle area and there are 0 teaching jobs available - unless you’re in SPED.

Since April I’ve been routinely checking Seattle, Highline, Tukwila, Renton, Kent, Federal Way, and Auburn. There’s nothing.

I’ve heard rumors that August is the new status quo for external hires (not April or May anymore).

I’m a first year teacher - hopeful. In the event I can’t find a teaching position, what would be the better alternative between subbing or being a paraprofessional? Or, do you have other suggestions?

Thanks!

Hey Fellow Teachers,

I just wanted to share a little story for anyone currently feeling discouraged by the hiring season.

I’m entering my 4th year of teaching here in Southern California. Honestly, this job hunt was brutal—way harder than when I was a first-year teacher, and I still don't fully understand why the market felt so tough this time around. Since May, I’ve been on 7 different interviews, dealing with the usual radio silence, rejections, and endless waiting.

About a month ago, I interviewed for a position I really wanted. Two days later, I got the standard rejection email. I moved on and kept applying elsewhere.

Fast forward to today: I got an unexpected call out of nowhere from their HR department offering me that job!

I couldn't believe it.

If you are currently stress-scrolling, feeling defeated, or waiting on callbacks: keep going. The hiring timeline in education is weird, unpredictable, and often works in mysterious ways. Things really do have a way of working out when you least expect it!

I’m a 2nd grade teacher and part of our “policies and procedures” committee for my building. We have a new principal this year, and we will be having interventionists working in the hallway/pod space with students. This will be “their” space and they will not have offices. They will be out there all day. Because of this, he doesn’t want us to do whole class restroom breaks.
In the past, we’ve lined kids up and supervised them in the hall while they take turns going. (The expectation has always been silence, and sometimes we have them bring books or work as well, but this is a no go for him). We do one break in the morning and one in the afternoon for each class, and we’ve found that this cuts down on kids asking to go between breaks. I don’t think it will be successful to do no breaks and only send kids asking needed from class.
Any ideas on what to do? We’re supposed to come up with a plan for the building. My solution would just be to not have interventionists working in a hallway space, but I don’t get to make those decisions. 😬

I’ll go first. Ruthless top-down micromanagement and a culture where no effort was ever good enough. Swathes of longtime highly qualified- to qualified-educators suddenly rated poorly, and new teachers hung out to dry, expected to meet shifting goals without support. I think it will be a tough year in that building.

What drove people away from your dysfunctional school?