Teachers

Do students just forget every rule after weekends or is it just my class?

Every Monday feels like Im meeting completely different kids again. Nobody remembers the seating rules homework or even how to stay quiet f… more

What do you find more stressful, the beginning of the school year or the end of the school year?

Are you doing anything fun as a staff to close out the year? I've worked in other schools where relationships are cordial but not any deeper. I'm lucky to have found a school where I have real… more

At our K-8 school during graduation the 8th graders are asked to thank an adult and write a letter. The strictest teacher who handed out failing grades went home with roses from kids who were cursin… more

I just had a 6th grader come ask me to sign their year book. They haven't been in speech since last year, but I did have them in speech for four years prior to that! It makes me so happy when they… more

I'm showing a movie this week. I gave the class a "trailer" last week and they seemed into it. I hit play today and about 1/3 of them checked out.

I'm at a total loss. When did kids s… more

I saw a district introduce a program where they help students in teacher preparation programs get teaching jobs. I love that but I hope they realize the problem isn’t qualified teachers but retaining … more

I normally try to steer clear of politics and I try not to judge students or their parents based on political conversations I might overhear, but today was different. On their way out to recess, I hea… more

when I need to provide small group instruction to my intervention or EL students, the rest of the class often gets busywork. Is it work that is related to what we are doing? Yes. Will completing it be… more

My principal is trying to assign me with extra tasks on the last week of school. I'm honestly super busy with closing everything out for the year but I have a hard time saying no. What's a goo… more

If only some students cared as much about their education as they do about some of their obsessions, I think we'd see a lot more learning. Which student obsessions make no sense to you? For exampl… more

Why is it so frowned upon when you hold IEP students accountable?
My campus seems to love to enable lazy IEP kids. There’s always an excuse as to why they can’t or don’t need to do things. So of course, when… more

Thankful for all of you and those that gave me clarity when I was trying too get information to obtain my PEL First year teaching P.E. very great for CPS and your help

Been talking with several other teachers about the merits of holding back summer birthday students (especially boys). Almost unanimously, everyone agrees that its best for them to start kindergarten a… more

Do students feel more emotionally exhausted now than they did a few years ago?
Maybe I’m imagining it, but a lot of students lately seem mentally drained even during normal school days. Attention spans feel … more

Why hasn’t the classroom model changed? There should be two teachers in the classroom.
I’m shocked at the expectations put on one person. With 20+ kids in the classroom, why aren’t two qualified adults in th… more

It should not take snaps, claps, music, phrases, and tunes to get students to pay attention. The attention span of these kids is a -0.

“Please get out your books and turn to page 12” has now turned to
Clap, once, c… more

Students are getting laptops in class at a very young age. It's ruining them, no textbooks, just laptops. They're constantly hiding things in other tabs, playing music loudly, and just doing e… more

I didn't hear much about Teacher's Appreciation Week, did your admin do anything for your team?

I’m looking for a decent printer for home use and I feel like every option has mixed reviews.

I mostly need it for basic documents, shipping labels, forms, and the occasional school or work stuff. I don’t really c… more

Two weeks left and summer weather on the way here in Utah! I don't know why but it seems like this year I am limping into summer much more than I have in the past - can't wait to utilize the b… more

All of my class's work, notes, and tests are on Canvas. Yesterday was a nightmare, and I don't know what the plan is today. Is this Canvas hack ruining anyone else's life?

A student said something to me today that i'll probably think about for the rest of my career.

Was having a genuinely rough week. One of those weeks where you question everything and wonder if any of it actually mat… more

Middle school STEM activities that don’t completely lose students halfway through?
I’ve been struggling with lately is keeping middle school students fully engaged once the “fun part” of a STEM activit… more

Looks like lots of states are banning cell phones in schools now which I am so happy to see. Here in Utah we have them banned. Are you in a state with a cell phone ban? Do you support it?

Kind of random but I have pretty severe pet allergies and I can usually keep them under control but I have a few students who must really be cuddling their pets a lot lately or something because I'… more

If you know, is it easier on a school's budget to assign substitutes vs. Regular certified teachers?

My admin and central office decided to rebrand Teacher Appreciation Week as Staff Appreciation Week. We spent the last month recognizing Para Appreciation Day, Secretary Day, Lunch Hero Day, Principal… more

Who are some top voices in our educational field?
I'm trying to do some research and find some experts in a wide range of K-8 subject matter. I've found it's challenging to find people in j… more

The countdown is on! When is your last day of school? Ours is the 22nd.

We did it! We reached May everyone! Just out of curiosity, is this anyone's last year of teaching? If not, do you want it to be? 😂

What's the biggest chance you've seen in students over the years?
For me, the biggest shift is attention and follow-through. I don't think students are "worse" in some simple old-man-yells-at… more

Got to the end of my day and realized that for the first time in awhile, it was completely and utterly ordinary. Nothing unusual, no students said anything weird. I dont feel tired but I also dont hav… more

Yesterday was the standardized test, and I was so stressed I got a headache. I'm all but sure the kids scores will once again show their success. All I want to do is be a successful teacher, a good teacher, a… more

I’m a teacher at the end of the school year, and I bought small gifts for my students using my own money. The problem is that some students have shown repeated behavior issues this year, including bullying, abusi… more

What's the most "obvious" teaching advice that actually took you years to internalize?
Mine was stop talking so much.

12 years in and i still catch myself over-explaining. The instinct to … more

After 12+ years of teaching, the routines that hold up are usually the boring ones. The one I still swear by is a very fixed start-of-class routine. I have the bell ringer, agenda, and materials on the boar… more

Have you noticed kids are struggling more than ever to learn basic reading and math skills? I have kindergartners who have been struggling to learn their alphabet all year. I'm not looking forward… more

I miss physical textbooks. I know the inventory thing was a pain, but these digital sources and worksheets aren't good enough. I feel like we're hurting our students' ability to learn effe… more