Edu. M.A. Teach Plus Fellow-Alum. Peace Corps šøš³. I talk about education, running, nature, baked goods, parenting, and health. My views are mine alone.
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Baby girl (aka Little One) has arrived! What started with a routine appointment led us to rush to the hospital for me to be induced and eventually deliver, but sheās here and is perfect. My friends and family were asked to send prayers for her, Iād love that from you too.
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A guy in our neighborhood went to the community pool, took a picture of a woman who changed her baby on one of the picnic table benches, posted it to the HOA FB group and shamed her for changing her baby in public. Heās getting eviscerated in the comments.
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Most people are likeā¦ tell me you donāt have kids without telling me you donāt have kids. The pool is probably far grosser.
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Last year I was 3 minutes late to an OB/GYN appointment because my husband was in a coma and it took a while for me to get out of the ICU ward. I was actually at the clinic on time, but there was a line to check in. The doctor refused to see me. I found a new doctor.
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My boyfriend woke up from a coma on the 4th of July 3 years ago, and the first thing he did was ask me to marry him. We got married as soon as he got out of the hospital.
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Iāve come to the conclusion that being a classroom teacher right now isnāt about actually teaching kids. Instead, itās been about their behavior and mental health. Whichā¦is not my actual degree or profession. Still wondering when the promised mental health cavalry will arrive.
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Teacher retirement systems should be like military pensions: make it to 20 years, and youāre set.
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Hereās an idea: compensate teachers for when they have to make sub plans. I canāt think of any other profession where you have to put in extra labor on top of sick leave.
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As of today, 2/3 of the teaching staff at my school, including myself, have resigned. We are all leaving for teaching jobs and staying in the profession, just not at that site. What would you do if you were the administrator?
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SAHM here, and I too spent a few months in the south of France, doing the same thing minus the Brie and the writing- I lived in a villa and took an art history course that met in a castle. So glad I had that experience, now over 20 years later as I sit at my home in the suburbs.
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Hereās one of the biggest things I wish schools would change: stop punishing teachers when students misbehave.
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My principal subbed for me today after I woke up sick. That's the true mark of someone trying to support a school.
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My mom dropped by the day after we got home from the hospital. She showed up in a mask and said she had a āslight sore throat and gets them all the time because of allergies.ā Iāve been asking her every day to test for Covid but she was reluctant. Turns out.. she has Covid. š¤Æ
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My boyfriend asked me what the pinnacle of success in education is. The best I could come up with is Teacher of the Year. Today an old friend won an Emmy. Iām looking at it in amazement, but also wondering.. what do I have to show for my career? How are we teachers celebrated?
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We also drink beer. Farm. Fish. Go to church. We need to move the conversation about political parties beyond culture and identity and bring it back to governance, and political philosophy.
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Iāve been thinking about yesterdayās posts about teacher mental health days and the assumption that some are taking advantage of them. It points to a lack of respect and empathy for teachers. Hereās what that leads to: a toxic environment. This is what leads teachers to quit.
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Today they couldnāt find a substitute behavioral aide for my student with Autism who needs one-on-one help (yet again), so my actual SUPERINTENDENT covered for him for half the day. Now she knows viscerally what it is like.
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Am I wrong for setting the boundary that I donāt want to do extra (grade level, beyond my classroom) work on my own time, even for a stipend?
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I quit. I quit because Iām asked to do too much with too little. I quit because negative treatment I received caused my heart to race. I quit because I havenāt been given time to do my job. I am finishing out this year. Convince me that teaching is still worth it.
In this Opinion Video, first published in November, six educators explain why they, and the American education system, are at breaking point.
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Teacher Retention Idea: Since teachers are not paid over the summer, it would be great if schools would pay for the days needed to set up classrooms for the new school year- and provide extra time for those new to the school.
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What are we going to about the kids who have thrived with distance learning and donāt want to come back to in-person learning, Covid or no Covid? Weāre estimating this has actually been a good thing for 20% of our students.
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Iām mad & jealous of educators who are supported/sent to educational conferences. What I see is administrators and coordinators are sent, they get to network, take pics, & eat, & then they force teachers to sit through PDās where they regurgitate information but without the fun.
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Why does Abbott Elementary come on at 9, donāt they know teachers canāt stay up that late??
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Every school Iāve worked at has had students provide free labor by essentially being paraprofessionals for students who should have a paid aide. Instead, itās called āprovide support by a strong peerā as an intervention. Anyone else notice the wrongness in this?
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I wish Abbott Elementary came on earlier than 9 o clock so that more teachers would be awake to watch it.
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Do you ever justā¦ have tough years of teaching? My class gives me a run for all of my skills and strength as a teacher, every day, and every day it just isnāt enough.
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Iām here to remind everyone that I have a Masterās degree in Education, and studied Philosophy and English. Iām highly qualified to be doing this.
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Teaching is pretty crazy in that teachers find in March if they will be laid off the following school year, but have to work for 3 more months knowing they wonāt have job after June. Are there other professions like this? Talk about a motivation killer.
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A school reached out to me and urged me to apply. Iām not looking to teach this year. Theyāre offering 2 PTO days a year. Two. Pair this with all of the other āThey just donāt want to work anymoreā posts.
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I was not prepared to see so many teachers who are so overwhelmed, already, that they need to resign and break their contracts when the school year has just gotten started. Something needs to change. Also, many are in need of help because they may face financial repercussions.
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All I want to do is sleep. Anyone else having the most tiring school year of their career?
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A local middle school announced that they have canceled their 8th grade class trip to the water park because of the entire classās poor behavior, then detailed a specific lunchtime incident where the majority of students in the class were disrespectful to staff. š³
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I want to start a support thread for any teachers who were given less than Mastery evaluations this year. We should all have gotten the equivalent of gold stars for what we went through.
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Dear school administrators: During the week before Christmas, please donāt make informal observations, document student behavior, and then make teachers create an action plan in response. Speaking from experience, today.
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I was teaching today about take/taking/took, and had to clarify that Takis are not a verb.
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My husband was deployed repeatedly in Afghanistan and Iraq and cannot believe what Iāve been put through as a teacher in California.
Read one veteranās account of trying to teach (in this case in Nevada).
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I discovered thanks to my Apple Watch (and by almost passing out) that Iāve been getting rapid elevated heart rates induced by the high pressure environment I face in my workday. Teaching has become literally harmful to my health. I am not sure about my next steps.
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Itās that time of year that folks start getting awarded with Teacher of the Year. Itās time education had more options for recognition that the top test scores or this award. You can be an incredible teacher and never get Teacher of the Year.
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Due to the needs of my student with behaviors, I havenāt done carpet time this year. Iāve started sneaking it in when he is out of the room and the class really enjoyed having picture books and closeness. It saddens me at how Iāve had to modify things because of one kid.
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Iām pretty sure my mom delayed testing because she knew this was my fear and would be mad if she were positiveā¦ which brings upā¦ why come to my house sick?
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Teachers should have a full (40-45 minute at least) duty-free lunch period AND substantial prep period (NOT PLC AND MEETINGS) every day.
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Today I have to crawl under my desk in the āprofessional dressā that Iām required to teach young kids in during our lockdown drill, then pivot to an observation by the superintendent on a Halloween week afternoon.
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My latest hot take on teacher retention: Make it easier for teachers who like a certain grade or subject to teach it, and donāt move teachers in retaliation. So many jobs are āK-5 hiring pool, must be flexible!ā.
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Question: Why are NWEA/ MAP test results available within a day, but state test results generally take half a year?
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For every school wondering about how to increase teacher morale: Stop planning activities that teachers are encouraged to attend that are celebratory/morale boosting and then requiring the teachers to fund them. Ie please find pockets of funding for Sunshine Committees.
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My dad had a terrible joke.
Whatās the difference between a teacher and a pizza?
A pizza can feed a family of four.
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It's Sunday night before conferences, and I was just told via email that
A) I will be required to do asynchronous trainings in between conferences
B) I will have to tape myself teaching THIS WEEK and submit it to our "consultants" & my principal.
Did I mention I'm resigning?
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Itās not just teacher turnover that affect schools, itās all staff. We just had an emergency meeting; our secretary is quitting at the end of the year. I am distraught, she is the glue for the school, and the principal is already leaving too.
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Cool. I have a before school parent meeting, and just found out that our music teacher is on quarantine without a sub, so I lose prep for the next two weeks. Admins, when we talk about stressors, this is it.
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Do any of my fellow educators who are also the parents of babies/young children look at the conditions in schools and teacher shortages and wonder what it will be like for our own kids to go through the educational system?
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Life update: I am taking some time off from teaching, as we await our little one later this year. It was too complicated needing care, staying safe at school, and not getting maternity leave as a new employee. I canāt wait to shower her with love after what we have gone through.
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Teacher here. Hate to say it, but if I were a parent I would sacrifice everything I could to homeschool, for the distant future.
My school only sends kids home if they have a temperature of over 100.4. My one student and I are the only two people to mask at school.
ā¦
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Question: Do other professions pay their employees to complete yearly training modules? Education generally does not - or at least, Iāve never been paid in my career, and have hours of them to complete every summer.
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And thatās just average. I taught in the Bay Area for over 7 years. I had roommates the whole time, generally lived in substandard housing (ācrittersā, leaking roofs, mold, slugs, roaches, broken appliances, the list goes on) and still spent an average of 1/2 my pay on rent.
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Can we please normalize Zoom school board meetings and union meetings when this is all over? I canāt imagine being stuck at school until late again.
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I finally went to the doctor. My principal covered end of day for me. My blood pressure was high after leaving school & not having a real lunch or drink much water. I had to sit so they could re-test & make sure I got back to normal. This is how teaching affects our health.
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How many more times am I going to hear āGive public school teachers a raiseā but without any action?
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The company my dad works at has a tiny 6 person plane. The first time he was testing it out, they flew over my hometown. He texted my mom, āIām over you.ā ššš
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Thatās great if you are able bodied and are privileged enough to live relatively near where you work.
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The Mr might have to travel a month after my due date. I asked my mom if she could help..turns out she has another trip to Mexico planned. Her initial reaction: āI canāt not go to Mexico.ā Iām disliking the āIt takes a village to raise a childā phrase; not everyone has a village.
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Yesterday MrOffgridteacher moved out of the ICU! Heās now stuck in hospital purgatory, waiting to get better. One of the two specialist teams working on him came by, and the attending pointed out how much recovery heās made considering he was on the verge of death this weekend.
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My biggest pet peeve with schools and curriculum is that most only offer full training for teachers in the 1st year adoption. There should be built-in PAID training days for any incoming teachers to be fully trained on all of the curriculum that they are new to.
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The cardiology appointment Iāve been waiting for since December was today, and Iām very sad to say Iām now a cardiac patient, and having babies in your 40ās IS risky, itās not just ageism.
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Our after school director is pregnant. We were talking about health insurance, and she was talking about wanting to have the baby covered by her boyfriendās work because it is so much better than our school plan. He works at Costco.
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There should be at least one work day per grading period to work on report cards and all of the other documentation.
Our grading period ends Friday and grades are due by 3:00 PM on Monday. This is the kind of thing thatās driving teachers from the classroom. A complete disregard for our lives outside the classroom.
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Itās been 7 years since I was brain injured while teaching. My life is changed & memory lapses are worsening. This is your periodic reminder that teaching can be traumatic & to take our concerns seriously. We are entrusted with the care of children, someone needs to care for us.
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Iām still trying to understand the logic of having to be on campus for a full day of Zoom PD. Still.
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Itās moments like the Olympic opening ceremonies that Iām thankful that I had a diverse education and spent a summer studying art history in France, which gave me the ability to understand how the show was rooted in French culture & history. Background knowledge matters.
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I šmy house. Evacuations are a mile away, so Iām packing and taking my last photos and videos of the house. Smoke and sirens fill the air. The foothills have been good to me, I hope we make it through this.
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Iām Facebook friends with my high school biology teacher. He has taken to debunking scientific misinformation for everyone. His current cause: Majorie Taylor Greenās theory that the mRNA vaccine could change your DNA.
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I get two 40 minute prep periods a week. Now, one of them has been taken away, and I have to meet with our enrichment teacher to lesson plan; have to record our work in a PLC Google Sheet. That leaves me with 40 minutes of prep. Amin, this is what we mean by too much busy work.
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I had the best teaching day in weeks and weeks. Know why? It was a half day, we had the afternoon for report card prep. The kids were happy and focused, and they went home. Half days, just think about it.
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Why are there no more part-time/ job share teaching jobs? Iād be happy to just do mornings.
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So, Iāve learned now from my Sister In Law and my husband that in most families, people donāt eat their corn the way my family does:
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If I canāt trust my own mom, who can I trust? Definitely makes me even more nervous about going anywhere.
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For those of you wondering.. what happened to the teacher part of my account, right now I just canāt. I thought I would be resting and recovering over summer, but also rebuilding my plan for next year, and I just donāt have the capacity to think about school.
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At this point it just makes me angry when politicians say we should give teachers a raise because it never happens and itās just them trying to make themselves look good.
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I used to teach at a tiny mountain school, and a lot of our students lived in non-traditional environments. One day I got a new student who lived in a shipping container mostly by himself. He saw my Boxcar Children bin, shouted how much he loved them, and started reading.
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