hi so i'm about to become an art teacher in an elementary school and I realized I don't really know how to talk to children. I can usually join in if another adult can get the kid talking but whenever I try to initiate talking to children I feel like my questions arent interesting enough to make the kids want to answer lol

is this just me over thinking it or does anyone have actual advice on how to interact with kids and form relationships with them?

I really like kids but I don't have much experience with them. especially younger kids.

I'm a teacher, and I've noticed my students using the phrases “o algo,” “gem,” “esl fnf” and many many more constantly. I'm trying to understand whether this is just another internet trend or something worth addressing.

The phrases themselves aren't my main concern. What bothers me is when students shout them out during explanations, interrupt lessons to repeat them, or derail conversations because everyone feels compelled to join in. Sometimes, I have to stop teaching several times just to get everyone's attention back.

I've asked students what these expressions mean, but the answers are usually vague, followed by laughter or claims that I wouldn't understand. I'm curious about where the phrases originated and why they've become so popular.

I draw the line between harmless slang and disruption. If students use these expressions during breaks or casual conversations, that's fine. When they interfere with lessons and other students' ability to concentrate, however, it becomes a classroom management issue.

Has anyone else experienced this? It only started appearing in the last few weeks. Does anyone know what “esl fnf” and the other phrases actually refer to, and have you found effective ways to address repetitive meme-related interruptions without making the situation worse?

I am a Spanish teacher in Southern California, looking to earn 15 units by this coming Summer. I did 15 units this past summer through the CTA Summer Pass and ISU. I was hoping to finish another 15 through ISU, but they have changed how they give credit for courses as well as how much work is needed for units.

Currently doing another 6 units through CTA each unit will cost $85 and I have completed 3 of them.

So these are the places I am currently looking at:

• For teachers by teachers. I don't know why but the website gives me scam vibes.
• Courses4Teachers
• ISU

Any advice is appreciated. I did consider earning a masters, but my district does not offer a stipend for a second masters.

Last year I had a student take their own life, and now this year I've had: two attempts, a student pulled from their home by child services, two deportations and I just can't seem to get out of my head. I know, objectively speaking, I am not at fault for these things but I feel like I am. One of the attempts was explicitly because the student was being bullied by students in the class. It wasn't happening during class time (as far as I am aware) but it still makes me feel like I should have noticed something and done more. I know it sounds dramatic but in my head I sometimes feel like a murderer/attempted murderer.

I've tried talking to loved ones but I guess I just dont feel like they understand. My wife told me to calm down because I can't be responsible for the decisions kids I only see 45 minutes a day make but still. Lately I wake up every day struggling to feel like I am in the right career because it's so much. I love my students more then anything and it hurts.

I guess, aside from venting, I just want to know what more veteran teachers have to say about this. How do you handle when things like this occur?

Parent: Why is there a column on the rubric for parentheses?

(HAHAHA just kidding my parents don't come to meetings.)

After last week, I’m thinking of keeping some kind of tool in my room that I can use to shatter my windows in case of an emergency. My windows: first story, don’t open, not bullet proof.

Anybody have something like this? What do you keep? I was thinking of a small sledgehammer type thing. Those car window hammers don’t seem quite right for large window panes.

Any other safety/emergency tools or supplies you keep beyond what the school already provides?

Due to some life events I left my school of employment as a full-time teacher, a few months later I’ve enrolled in a Principal Certification program which requires teaching at a school for the practicum/internship. I had to scramble and not one school seemed to be hiring so I’ve settled for substituting (already bending the requirements for the program).

Largely the substituting has basically just consisted of telling the students the work is on Google Classroom then making sure they don’t destroy things and keeping them on task. But my principal program requires artifacts of leadership and responsibility… I’ve asked the principal to take on more responsibilities, such as sponsoring stuff or coaching, but she says that there isn’t a need for that at the moment (and I’d have to be full-time for that). At my previous school I coached a club, created an internship program, wrote curriculum, did a lot I feel! I also need an administrator to serve as my mentor, and she doesn’t seem super willing and I don’t know the other admin yet.

Anyone been in a situation like this? Of course I am looking for any other full time jobs, but at the moment stuck with subbing. How should I reproach my principal about gaining more responsibilities/leadership opportunities?

24F Middle School teacher. I’ve been working in schools since I was 16.

Fall break is ending, yet another school shooting has claimed the life of an educator. This time one only a few months older than me. I am genuinely considering a career change. I don’t know what to do. I don’t know if I’m being dramatic.

Teaching, and being with the kids, is my passion. But I am scared. I am tired. I don’t know if anyone else is feeling this way. I’m 24 being asked to plan how I’d shield kids with my body from bullets. I feel like a baby myself. I’m just 😭. I can’t sleep because I’ve been so distraught.

What do you usually think when a student writes an apology note on a poorly done test or assignment in high-school? Also curious to see how you may react differently based on the age of the student?

I teach 8th graders and had my takeover on Friday. In one of my periods, I was made aware that two students were calling another student names and were throwing stuff at him. I had no idea that was happening aside from the talking. I did a whole class redirection and eventually moved the student’s seat that appeared to me as just talking.

A few students from my class made a report to my principal that the students were bothering him. My principal messaged me about whether I saw and heard what was being reported and only shared that I saw them talking, so I moved the student’s seat. I just feel bad because the previous day two other students were bothering the same kid, but I had not noticed either. As a result, I was told to move the student’s seat away from the students, which I did. However, those two students were absent today, so I thought it would be good.

I just feel sad and defeated because I am now failing to protect this student because I am not noticing the behaviors in my classroom. I do make it a point to circulate the room during activities (discussions and independent), but a point in reflection is that maybe I should also move around the room and scanning more when I am lecturing.

I also just feel like the students do not seem to trust that I will do anything because they make the report to the principal right away. I do not know what I can do to make the students see me as an authority figure. My principal did ask I make phone calls home to the students families who were bothering him, which I did as soon I was informed. I want to protect all of my students and ensure they feel safe and protected in the classroom.

Hey everyone,
I really need some guidance, tips, or just a little reassurance from people who get it.
I’m currently in my first year teaching Special Education (grades 1–5, cross-categorical). I’ve been teaching for about 2.5 years overall, but this is a whole new world for me. I’m also neurodivergent and manage anxiety and depression, which makes the constant mental task-switching and cognitive load extra tough.

The Good:
I truly love working with my SPED students, and my support team on the ground—the other SPED teachers, our school social worker, and our psychologist—have been incredible and super helpful.

The Hard Part:
I feel completely isolated when it comes to administration (principal, SPED supervisor). There isn’t much guidance or support coming from leadership, and working in a large urban public school district means the bureaucratic demands are heavy. Because it's mid-October, I feel like I'm drowning and still don't have a solid grasp on the workflow.

Right now, I am extremely past due on:
Service Verification Forms
Teacher Educator Effectiveness (EE) Goals
Student IEP Goal Progress Tracking
Finalizing my Push-in vs. Pull-out Schedule
Between the mountain of compliance paperwork, endless IEP meetings, and trying to actually deliver quality instruction, my executive functioning is totally burnt out.

I’d love advice on a few things:
1. Paperwork & Goal Tracking: What system or routine actually works for keeping track of student progress and service hours without eating up your whole life?
2. Scheduling: How do you balance push-in vs. pull-out schedules when you’re constantly being pulled in different directions?
3. Managing Neurodivergence/Anxiety in SPED: How do you keep from drowning in executive dysfunction when admin support is low and paperwork deadlines stack up?
4. Prioritization: When everything is overdue, where do you start so you don't freeze up?
Thank you so much in advance to anyone who takes the time to reply. I want to advocate for my students and survive this year without completely burning out!

I’ll be beginning as a social studies teacher for high school in New Jersey in the near future and wanted some book recs to refresh my subject knowledge a bit. Any recs or tips in general would be appreciated (US and world preferred but anything is welcome). Have a good Sunday!

Why the f did i just read a report of how a teenager managed to "
shoot his way into" a school and then detail both the school's security and how it was compromised? I wish they would think about how that would influence future school shooters because up until now locked doors where a radical deterrent. Now, I fear, that is gone. Regardless, my own door locks from the outside, the automatic doors dont lock unless pushed completly shut: super safe. .

LOL I haven’t really tried for them but I feel like I’ve been given pity marks where I definitely did not deserve any. have you had any students try and get them?

Long post, so I apologize in advance!!
I’m a first year teacher (22F, 4/5 blend at a private Catholic school) and looking for some advice.
Last Monday was picture day. My school’s secretary came in to begin collecting groups of kids for pictures during math (I have 14 students). For some context, I do my math lessons in three 30 minute rotations. A 30 minute lesson, followed by 30 minutes of worksheet, then 30 minutes of skills practice and whatever grade doesn’t start on their lesson does their skill practice first.
During the 5th graders’ lesson, a group of 4th graders is taken and one of my students can’t find her picture packet in her backpack. The student tells me she can’t find the packet and I tell her that there was nothing I could do in that moment, especially considering I was in the middle of a lesson.
I will admit, I should have written a note to remind myself to help this student find her picture packet. If I could go back in time and do so, I absolutely would. Unfortunately, in the moment of returning to my lesson after an interruption, I forgot.
This thirty second interaction I did not think much of really upset this student, which, again, I wish I had handled it differently and feel terribly about.
The next morning, however, her mom came into my classroom to talk to me. The principal and secretary greet kids at the front doors which open at 7:45 for students to come in and it was assumed she had a tutoring or homework question. However, this parent laid into me about my professionalism and how her daughter felt I did not care about her. She then added that when I sent a dress code slip home with her daughter, I should have just called her instead of sending the slip home (her daughter was wearing leggings and they are not allowed in our dress code and I was merely following what I had been told about dress code violations). She also mentioned she worked for the Church and helped the Church a couple times. I could not get a word in otherwise with this parent to explain myself and the situation. At this point, I also have other students in the classroom who are now witnessing this. My principal was unfortunately not there that morning as her daughter who is in my class was home with a concussion and resting. I call her because I am so upset and the secretary has to get the preschool class’ aid to watch my class so I can go to the staff room to calm down and talk to my principal.
Friday after school my principal sent an email to this parent, reminding her that while we want to make sure we are on the same page to support our students, that morning drop off is not the time to do so, especially since there are other students in the classroom and I am preparing for the day. She also added if there are concerns to reach out and set up a meeting. The parent responded and asked for a meeting for Monday morning and my principal asked if she wanted both of us or just here there for the meeting. The parent has not yet responded.
I am now super anxious over this because I feel like I have to now defend myself and my choice to a parent who yelled at me and thought it was okay to do so in front of my students. I felt very undermined and like I was judged for my inexperience. Yes, I should have remembered to help the student. I wish I could change what happened but I will use what happened to now do so in the future. This is only my second month teaching on my own in my own classroom and I am trying to get used to the curve of having no support staff. When I was student teaching in a 4/5 classroom in a public school last year I had my mentor teacher and an instructional assistant.

Need some advice! Here’s the backstory…
My wife’s best friend moved to Georgia about two years ago, and we live in Pennsylvania. Her friend has a son who is turning one, and his birthday party is this coming weekend.

My wife originally wanted the two of us to fly down for a long weekend to celebrate, but flights are ridiculously expensive right now, so we decided not to go. She was pretty disappointed because she really wanted to be there.
Well, I decided to surprise her and booked her a round-trip flight so she could go by herself and stay with her best friend for the weekend. I even planned everything with her friend ahead of time. She would fly down Friday and come home Monday.

Here’s where I messed up. I surprised her with the trip today, but what I completely forgot is that she has parent-teacher conferences on Monday (she’s a 5th grade teacher).

I looked into changing her return flight to Sunday, but there are no direct flights, or we’d have to use different airports, and the price jumps another $250+, which is more than we can really justify spending.

Now she’s completely torn. She really wants to go and be there for the birthday party, but she also feels guilty about missing parent-teacher conferences and worries about what her coworkers and administration would think.

So, what would you do? Would you take the trip and miss a day of conferences, or skip the trip and go to work? Especially curious to hear from other teachers!

This will be my first time teaching older kids. Normally I would have them play a fun and silly game, but all the games I know I think are too childish for them. What can I do with seniors to get to know them?

Just curious and wondering for advice

Hey yall! I'm looking to become a computer teacher for k-5 in Alabama and was wondering if anyone knew which praxis test i need to take? I saw some people saying the technology and engineering praxis but thats for a higher education level than I want to teach. If anyone has any other advice for becoming a teacher in Alabama, please let me know! Thank you all!

Greetings fellow educators!

My question is more or less in the title. The yearbook club at my middle school has about $150 in our club account, and I am down to the last 2 digital cameras that I inherited from the last advisor 3 years ago. I know I'd be able to get some fundraising opportunities from my principal some time later in the year, but until then, I am in the market for affordable, simple, yet workable cameras that I can entrust to 11-14 year olds to gather photos around the school and at school events. If you have any recommendations, I'd love to hear them!

Edit: I'm appreciating your thoughts and ideas! Some important things to note:

• I only have $150, and my hope is to use this to buy multiple cameras. I am looking for *basic* nothing fancy
• My school has a no-phones policy for students and many of the middle schoolers don't have phones
• I'm not looking for cameras for sports or action shots. Most of the photos we take are classroom activities, spirit days, lunch/recess, etc.
• We have 11 year olds in the club. Like, recently-turned-11 year olds. I need something incredibly user friendly and something I won't lose sleep over if a kid accidentally breaks

I currently teach 5th graders and am starting classroom currency.

Students have classroom jobs and every month, it’s changed. At the end of the month, if they were able to complete their job successfully throughout the month, they will get paid classroom bucks.

Need some more ideas for what they can purchase with those classroom bucks.

AI was trained off of organized, intelligent, human writing: logically outlining ideas, categorizing concepts, etc.

As a teacher, and as a working human, people are much more afraid of being falsely accused of AI usage than of actually using it. Thus, they - intentionally or not - make their writing WORSE.

“Don’t use bullets in that email, they’ll think it’s AI”

“Don’t use dashes to break up that sentence, they’ll think it’s AI.”

So now we avoid sounding like the intelligent writing that AI is meant to capture. So, ultimately, AI is making writing worse. But not because of the lack of writing, but because of people being afraid of being accused of AI.

nice guys always finish last.

I have a young 1:1 aide who has been with the same student for 2 years, supposed to be just for safety as student has orthopedic impairment and needs support walking. She completely enabled her. she does everything for the child, not even giving a chance to have the child try independence (log into Chromebook as a 4th grader).

im new to the school, the other teacher basically trashed her IEPs when she found out she wasn’t coming back, and didn’t give a lot of direction to the aide.

I protected this aide as i felt she had potential and i wanted her with me.

we had a tough few weeks of another child having intense behaviors where people could get hurt, she told the principal I’ve been rude to her (asking her to move her student now because this boy is trying to injure her)

anyways I don’t want to be revengeful but Im done protecting this aide. she can’t give me grace, so why was I giving her grace. she doesn’t take direction well and is still enabling the child but I let it go far too long

what would you say or do moving forward?

Idk what to do. I hate this job. I legitimately feel like I can’t do it. I have a migraine every day I’m so exhausted. I teach 2nd grade. The behaviors are awful I can’t get control of half these kids. There’s a million things I constantly have to do and a million people asking me to do a million things. I’m winging it pretty much every day. I stay late every day. But I can’t quit because I am scared to lose my license if I break my contract. I also just got an apartment and there’s no way I’ll be able to afford it if I quit. I feel like I’m stuck. I’m all alone too so it can get pretty lonely. My bf is long distance I see him every few weeks. My friends all wanna hang out but on the weekends I either need to be alone and sleep or see my bf. I am too exhausted to talk to anyone. What am I supposed to do. Does it get better after winter break? Should I care less?

Not sure who this may help but it is a bloodbath around me in LA for new grads in Multiple Subjects (elementary). Schools closing, budget cuts, etc - huge contractions and there’s so many with Elementary credentials - way more than needed.

If immediate employment upon graduation is important to you DO NOT GO INTO A MS PROGRAM IN SOCAL RIGHT NOW.

I can’t speak for other parts of the country but for anyone, reach out to local districts and do your research before committing to a program you’re paying for.