Teachers/Educators Thread • Page 5

I start teaching summer school in Brooklyn this week. Still trying to find a position in NYC. Very very scared and nervous.

 

I don't miss the hours I had to put in with teaching and coaching (or the pay), but I do miss my kids every day.

 

It is disturbing. It's a sad reality in a lot of districts. The school district I work for has state minimum busing (no high school busing at all & mileage restrictions for elementary/middle school) had to cut dozens of programs (elementary students only have gym, art and music 12 times each per year) and pay to participate is through the roof. And I work for a school district where the community is considered 'wealthy.' The sad reality: The community didn't pass levies for 14 years so children had to suffer due to limited funding and significant budget cuts. The district just passed a levy two months ago to bring back busing, programs and decrease pay to participate. But the point of my post earlier is people don't understand all the behind the scenes in how a school district is ran. And your initial point was sometimes administrators value policy over children and I'm here to tell you - in my district - they do have their best interest, but sometimes things happen out of their control and districts are forced to make tough decisions due to policies they don't have any control over or limited to no funding.

Our BOE literally tried to close a school last year - despite strong, pleading recommendations from our superintendent and administrators not to. Teachers/Admin had nothing to do with the decisions that would affect hundreds of students. The BOE announced they were going to close it, but changed their mind after they hosted a community meeting and 200 people showed up to pretty much curse the superintendent and board out. They left our superintendent up in front of that meeting to talk about something he didn't even believe in doing and the BOE sat there quietly even though it was them who wanted to close the school.

 

I know man, it's a nightmare. We just can't keep passing down the responsibility down the chain, the higher people get up the more of their responsibility it is to speak up but the people who advance, even the good people, are the one's that keep their mouths shut. It should not be forgotten or forgiven how fucked up this whole system is just because it's "not xyz's fault."

I use to work at a pretty large public school, now I'm at a small private with really kind administrators, makes all the difference. It can be a business, and still give a shit about kids.

 

I've been teaching at the same school for 11 years, and I just accepted a position at a new school today. Feels really weird knowing I won't be going back there.

 

I'M SO EXCITED. Basically my classroom layout and what I can do with it is super limited cause people who design classrooms aren't always the people who know how to best use the space + I have strict regulations about things being certain feet apart and heights and blah. Anyway. I'm gonna try and build a bomb diy lil chill out area and I'm legit so excited I can't sleep. I can't wait to call my dad and see if he wants to go to home depot with me!

Edit: 38 minute update I STILL CAN'T SLEEP. I wanna do it nooooow.

 

Officially certified to teach as of today! Now just have to find a job haha

 

Congrats!

 

My friends that have "normal" 9-5 jobs don't seem to understand that I have no time during the school year to do shit, especially in my current job where I'm a "first year teacher" as far as lesson planning goes AND I have to manage a caseload of 25 IEPs.

It sure would be nice to go home after work and actually be done with the job for the day, but that's not how it works in teaching guys, sorry.

I'm transitioning over to a complete Spec-Ed job tho where I don't have to teach my own classes so that'll free up some time.

 

Dead @ my naivety this year. Nothing is exciting. Everything is terrible lol.

 

/teaching

hahaha

 

Yeeeeah it might be my last year. I've never felt this burnt out before this early in the year. I'd enjoy working one on one with kids who live in trauma and need some help like children's day treatment, but I think I'd need to go back to school for that so I might go more into the social service side of things idk idk.

 

Don't give up! It does get easier the longer you go in the same grade/subject and don't have to re-do lesson plans every single day.

If you wanna go that direction you should look into working at local juvinile detention centers or hospitals. They need teachers and I'm sure even if there are extra certs you'd need to get that they'd be willing to train you and such.

 

I don't work for the school district but I've taught the same age for a few years now and I just don't think it's my calling. I sort of fell into the job in the first place and I do enjoy it and I think I have grown to be a decent teacher, but there are a few factors involved where I just don't think it's for me. I work with kids who are high risk for trauma and I love them all, but I think I'd be better suited to working one on one or with smaller class sizes, or in the social service sector. I'm also not just a teacher. I do social service work with the families too so I'm expected to do lesson planning and goals and everything a teacher does + go on home visits and follow up on their medical appts and other things working closely with the families. I don't think I'd stray too far from what I'm doing now, but idk Im thinking of other options after the school year ends.

 

Okay so I was leaning social service but idk. I think a transition towards the direction of a counselor would be better, but kinda not because I never took to psychology much. But like rn there's a kid in another class who I interacted with. These are kids who have mainly been in trauma. His reaction to something in particular was so massive I wasn't able to help him. For me that's like a puzzle. This isn't even my kid and my brain is is like spinning trying to figure it out. I love problem solving and thinking about what I did that worked and what didn't, and how I should approach it next time. I need to find out this trigger and to know his story to unlock how to help him. I think part of that is why I'm a decentish teacher, but I'd love to work with smaller numbers so I can actually do this effectively. But the thought of doing more schooling and psychology coursework sounds soooo daunting. I have not stopped taking courses since I graduated college and I'm so tired lol.

 

Today sucked. Petulant,entitled, whiny brats. Lol

 

When parents are more frustrating than the kids smh

 

Oh nice, was wondering if a thread like this existed. Over the summer I finally managed to land a position as a guitar teacher at a local music centre, I'll for sure be following along here.

 

That’s awesome! Is that a FT gig?

 

It will be eventually, at the moment I work two days in schools and a couple of afternoons/evenings at the centre itself. The aim is to get me up to about 40 hours in the long run though.

 

My district does a full week off for Thanksgiving, so I am officially on break. I survived! It's my first year at this school after 11 years at my last one, so I am ready. It's been a positive change for me, but a big change.

 

They usually make us have class the mon-wed before Thanksgiving but this year it's just the Monday and Tuesday. I still work wed but it's a chill prep day and we're gonna play games and bring food so I'm looking forward to it!

 

I had my first classroom brawl (5 girls!) yesterday. We were doing a worksheet, and all of a sudden one of the girls jumped out of her seat and attacked another girl out of nowhere. Apparently there was beef and fights outside of school.

Rough day, trying to shake it off and be motivated today but I feel like I could have prevented it somehow.

 

Tbh if it was out of nowhere, there isn't really anyway u could've. It's still a hard thing to grapple with tho, I know. How old are they?

I feel like every day is a classroom brawl and I'm having a tough time dealing with it like mentally. And it's just escalating and getting worse all the time.

 

15-16. It's an ICT class with 33 students and very very strong personalities. I feel so bad for the students who really want to learn because I can barely make it through a lesson.

How old are your students?