I’m in my 10th year of teaching and I’m just over it. These kids are so goddamn low, it’s genuinely frustrating. They can’t retain anything, they refuse to try whatsoever, they give the most minimal effort imaginable and we’re supposed to just pass them through.

Freshmen had to research an interesting person in history and do a presentation on them yesterday. It was simply embarrassing. These kids can barely speak let alone read or spell. The spelling is absolutely horrendous. When they clearly copy and pasted an AI response, they couldn’t even read what they copied on the slide. This isn’t just one or two students. This is every kid. Then, they laugh about it like it’s something to be proud of. 9th graders having 3rd grade reading levels. What the hell are you supposed to do?

Never mind, their parents are fucking idiots and can’t read themselves. Yet, we’re supposed to be open to them 24/7 and cater to their every whim or complaint. All they care about is if they can throw a ball or run really fast. Admin doesn’t do anything and our task list to appease all of these people is getting longer and longer. I just don’t want to live like this anymore. I’m miserable and my body is exhausted. I’m sick constantly because they’re always sick.

This is our future. Actually, this is our present and it’s terrifying. How the fuck am I going to make it to June? Please tell me, those that have left teaching, what are you doing now? Is there anything else that I can do?

While I have seen a decline in recent years (likely because the parents just can't afford it) the amount of time kids miss for a traveling sports team is insane. I've had kids gone for multiple days per week and they expect you to bend over backwards to accommodate. Forget the fact that you can't learn through osmosis and you need to be in school. I've also noticed that many of the kids in the sport seem to be convinced not only of their impending scholarship to a D1 school but their eventual professional career. Therefore they see school as beneath them. This starts when kids are in 2nd and 3rd grade now. Insanity!

No, I'm not against sports in general and don't come at me with the martyr parent attitude if your kid is in travel sports. I'm sure I'll deeply offend some people with this.

I feel like I need a *despair* tag.

Today, one of the students I also taught 3 years ago, who is now a HS senior, informed me that he has never read a book. I, attempting clarify, asked if he had never read a picture book as a kid. He said no, and six of the kids around him (10th-11th grade) nodded their heads in agreement. I am pretty good at identifying BS 24 years I to my career. This... wasn't it.

So I now plan to read subject matter picture books to my 15-18 year olds, while sitting on my front lab bench and holding the pictures out for all to see like it's freaking library story time, b/c maybe they'll remember and read to their own kids sometime in the future

WTF

I've been teaching for only two years so perhaps this has already been a thing for a while, but I'm just now starting to notice it. It's as if nowadays everybody and their mom seems to believe their child is academically extraordinary and intellectually gifted in one way or another. The child in question is typically average to above average in terms of learning and overall abilities, so not a weak student by any means, but realistically they are still far, FAR from the gifted prodigy their parent seems to view them as.

And it's usually the very basic things that earn them immense praise or admiration from their parents. Child plays make believe or writes a story? What an astonishing imagination they have, far superior to that of their peers! Child gives a few correct answers in class? Clearly the next Einstein in the making! Child knows all the names of various characters from a favorite cartoon? What an absolutely incredible memory, better sign them up for MENSA!

Honestly now, lol. This is getting a little ridiculous. I do acknowledge that children absolutely need praise and encouragement to grow and develop and offer my students plenty of it myself, but the premise that every average to above average child is actually a little genius prodigy in the making is harmful to students, teachers and parents alike.

Marking it as humor because it’s absurd.

I teach at a private Christian school. I teach Bible, and the Bible teachers are typically expected to be “faith leaders” as well as having ethics be taught by our department.
I recently caught a staff member breaking the schools (very weak) AI policy for a devotion&prayer to students. I reported this person in accordance with the staff handbook and ended up having a meeting with the 3rd in command at the school who heavily favors this person and has previously attempted to get rid of me. It went super well and they even texted my principal to commend me and say the same. At this meeting I was told I’d be looped in on follow up but I never was (Worth noting that this exact devotion was given to students again 1.5 weeks later).

Well at the end of last week my department needed to refresh a bulletin board and I (half joking) suggested we just put “AI IS BAD FOR KIDS” and “suggested readings” on the board. One of the ethics teachers has been reading the pope’s spring encyclical with their class and said “hell yeah, I’m in.” A third teacher ended up putting it up, and the 4th in the department knew about it but wasn’t involved. The aim was at all the ai “art” in the hallways and not about my previous meeting, though it was in my head. We were about to include the MIT study as well.

Today we all got in email from the head of the school that it was removed and offering us a meeting to “discuss concerns.” I was the first (and so far only) to respond to the email and say I’d meet, so was told that a) we will meet next week and b) because of my previous meeting this seemed “deliberate and disrespectful and will not be tolerated.” My whole department now plans to attend the meeting to say it was a group effort and not just me, but I know I’ll get heat (I’m a known troublemaker).

I’m sure my principal will be pissed tomorrow upon return from vacation.

Looking for advice how to handle the mean girls in my class? They don’t care about most consequences and only one of the fours mothers even responds to my messages. One of them when I messaged dad about her upcoming parent teacher conference he straight up replied “we don’t go to those but thanks for the offer.” So clearly I can’t use moms and dads to get them sorted out. It’s not just mean towards other students and super disrespectful during lessons and class time but also rude and belligerent to myself and other staff, but if it’s teachers with more seniority they never do it and are more respectful but it’s like they know I have no real pull since I’m new. I need advice. Grade 6. I’m not opposed to humbling them.

High School.

Most classes at my school follow the same system. 1 test, 1 midterm, a 2nd test, a project and then the final. It's a semester long class so we are currently a few weeks post midterm approaching where test 2 would normally go. Lately the admin wants the CTE classes to have the students doing more hands-on work so they suggested we exchange 1 of our tests for a 2nd project. I love that idea.

In class today, I outlined the 1st project to the students. Some jokingly complain and I laugh it off. I get them going on the 1st part letting them work in small groups to think about their projects focuses. A student comes to me and tells me he doesn't want to do the project. I tell him I acknowledge that, but this is what's assigned. He tells me he's "too busy for this mess" and would rather just take the test. I tell him that's not an option and ask if he needs help brainstorming. He rolls his eyes. I move on. Done? Of course not.

I later get an email telling me he's going to have his mom email me because he shouldn't have to do this. I say okay. Mom emails me and my admin saying it's not fair he didn't get a choice between the project and a test. I'm so confused. In what world would you expect to get that choice? I show the project expectations to the admin and we all agree that the project can actually be completed (as I've intended all along) within class time. The parent the complains that this would require the child to come to class each day. Ohhh no, consistent attendance, we can't have that! /s

I'm so sick of entitled parents and students. It's my class. Do the work I assign... Or don't. But complaining to me about not getting to dictate your assignments is crazy.

As I sit in a lockdown drill with my elementary school kids and I hear someone rattling the door handle to our classroom I am reminded of just how dumb we are for a nation who thinks we are the best.

We’ve failed this generation of kids 🤦‍♂️

A sad dad and 5th grade teacher

Edit: lockdown drill

TLDR: elementary school destroyed overnight. 600 students displaced. 75 educators lost everything. As teachers what matters most to you and your classroom… the little things. The things that made the difference in your classroom and impacted students the most.

One of the two elementary schools in my local town caught fire this weekend and will need to be torn down.

I am contracted through a different school district and my organization has over 20 high schools they work with.

Over 600 students have lost their school. The district has already implemented plans for these students to be back in a local school setting eight days after the total loss.

I am looking for suggestions on how to support these students and teachers, utilizing the outside organization I work for.

Obviously the school has insurance and the state will help with funds to build a new school. My organization has teachers in schools throughout the state and I’d like to capitalize on that.

I think it makes the most sense to raise funds or collect resources for the teachers who lost everything (assuming the building and school supplies will be funded by the state).

Just curious how teachers would feel if their school was destroyed and what they feel is most important. Would you prefer funds to restock your room? Would you like certain items to be donated?

Any ideas or suggestions are welcome. Ideally I’d like to come up with a fundraiser of some sort that my organization can back and implement in over 20 schools. I think this is an opportunity to resource A LOT of resources and I want to make sure I do it right.

Thank you in advance!

DMs OPEN

I work with Sped and ED students some tend to meltdown in odd places, and my biggest irk is people (I assume are good intentioned) trying to intervene and help even after being asked to step
Away and or ignore.
I don’t say it to be rude or difficult it’s just a lot of times you don’t know the situation or child and could make it worse. Also some feed off the crowd. While I’m at it If a student of mine is walking up the hall with a hood up or something else that may or may not be against the rules and I am right there please don’t use this time to try and enforce the rules there is likely a reason they’re being allowed to do so!

Rant over

Recently, I had dinner with some old friends who aren’t in education. One, in particular, is pretty successful in marketing/PR. I was telling a story about a disagreement I recently got into with a coworker and the absurd, passive aggressive text she sent me after. My friend looked at it, didn’t even bother to read the entire thing, and said, “I wouldn’t even respond. Or if I did, I would say, “This is not my problem.”

I said, well, I have to work with these people every day. And some of them treat it like we are the ones in school. She shook her head and was like, “No, a job is a job. I don’t need everyone to like me.” I explained the whole grade level team dynamics and she was so off put by it. This led to a conversation in which she could not BELIEVE the following aspects of my job:

- that I’m required to respond to parent emails within 24 hours. “Even if it’s dumb or they could find the answer themselves?”

- that I have to actually make myself look presentable every day and can’t just work from home if I’m under the weather “Make up and an outfit EVERY DAY?”

- that I have to strategically plan my bathroom usage because I can’t leave my kids unsupervised

- that I have to give back to school night presentations to parents

- that I get 10 sick days a year “But what if you get sick not in the summer?”

- that it’s my responsibility to create sub plans if I wake up sick “Then what’s the point of using one of your days?”

And so on and so forth. Do you ever think your job isn’t that bad until someone comes along and shows you the light? There are people out there who have MUCH easier lives than we do. Sometimes I feel like we have been brainwashed to think we have it so good (especially in higher paying, pro-union areas), but the realities of our day-to-day are unfathomable to people on the outside.

So much is asked of us. For many of us teachers, teaching is our life passion. We love it. Yet we hardly get to do it.

Instead we go to meetings. We go to PD. We manage behaviors. We collect data. We do all the administrative bs. We cover our asses. We document. We “contact home” to no response. We provide resources. We provide opportunities. We provide many chances. We provide empathy. We provide new experiences. We provide, we provide, we provide.

It is exhausting. Yet, it’s all worth it, because we are so passionate about the work we are doing. Right?

Well, when what we provide is not appreciated, or even noticed, it is beyond exhausting. When I am required to provide makeup opportunities, endless resources, time, patience, and help, and it isn’t even taken advantage of, it is painful to continue having to do it all.

It is even more painful when, after all of that, students still expect my help, when it is finally convenient for them. They do not understand that my world and the world in general does not revolve around them as an individual.

Why should I provide my students with a study guide when they won’t fill it out? Why should I put together a presentation/lesson for them when they won’t pay attention to it? Why should I reach out to their parents when I have concerns if they never reply back? Why should I give a student another opportunity to do an assignment when they sat around and didn’t do it the first time and won’t do it this time either? Etc etc

Because it’s my job. Because I am considered a bad teacher if I don’t.

I don’t need my students bowing down to me, endlessly thanking me for the work I do. I don’t expect most teenagers to even really notice just how much we give. But instead of using all the things we provide and just not having the perspective to see how much work we do for them, they actively resist, often unintentionally.

They are helpless, they are almost delusional. When they experience a consequence, no self reflection follows. They don’t understand or accept that the consequences they face are a result of their actions. Therefore, they learn nothing from their mistakes. They don’t even see them as their mistakes.

It makes me feel crazy.

There are students who are awesome. There are entire classes who are awesome. They bring me joy each day. It uplifts and rejuvenates me some. My bucket fills a bit each time I have these positive moments. But the general student attitudes beyond those awesome kids, drains me so much, empties my bucket and then some. I am left with nothing more I can give, but it still isn’t enough, there is endlessly more expected of me.

And when you keep demanding more from someone who has nothing more to give, you break them.

I’m only on year 3 of teaching, 24 years old. I haven’t been broken yet. It’s fine for now. I even like it a lot of the time. But I know deep in my heart that this job, despite my love and passion for teaching and education, is not a sustainable lifelong career. I will do it for as long as I can/ want to. I just can’t imagine doing it, without major societal and systemic improvement in education, for the rest of my adult life. And that kind of breaks my heart.

1. Put up tenets of other ideologies right next to it, ex. Ten Planks of the Communist Manifesto, Ten Point Program of the Black Panthers 
2. Print out large excerpts from an article discussing the legality of it, and put it around the poster of the Ten Commandments
3. Write: "Examples of the government not separating church and state" in big letters, with a giant arrow pointing to the Ten Commandments
4. The law says "include only the text of the Ten Commandments" but one could argue that pictures are acceptable, as it does not specifically state that pictures are prohibited. So you could find a picture of, oh I don't know, two roommates holding hands or something 
5. Write the letters in rainbow colors 
6. Put a rainbow background behind the text
7. Explain the significance of the law in a way your students will understand. Then ask students to write about their opinion on the law, and hang up their opinions around the commandments. This could show multiple perspectives and is a good practice in critical thinking.

edit:

Some of these suggestions are merely meant to emphasize the ridiculousness of the law and are not things I would actually do.

But I think it is important to draw attention to the law. I do not think it should go unnoticed.

I don't live in Texas and just found about this law yesterday.

However, I used to teach in Texas and if I still did I would create an open discussion with students about it.

I would use it as an example of the powers state governments have, and provide arguments for and against the law. I would also encourage students to examine the law within a broader historical context of the separation of church and state, and of the role politics plays in education.

Kids should learn about what is going on in the world around them.

Does anyone else get this stupid line whenever you talk about the challenges in teaching? I’m not in the classroom for now, and a coworker said this to me when asking about the teaching profession and why I left.

Other teacher moms- does it get better? I have been teaching SPED/Early Childhood for 10+ years in public schools and never have felt so OVER IT as I do now. Had my first baby last winter and I literally hate my job now. I do the bare minimum. Yes I do the IEPs, data, goals, accommodations etc. I don't do extra stuff anymore like parent activities, more than minimum required field trips, contacting parents etc.

Today my son is sick and we have conferences so I am at work 12 hours. I am seriously considering quitting. Even though I am close to having my student loans paid off (can switch jobs and still get this done). The pay is GOOD and benefits are GREAT but my mental health and emotional well being is horrible.

All day all I think about is my baby. I an sick of hearing 19+ little kids say TEACHER nonstop all day.

Should I ask for another assignment or just quit (in a year or two once I figure out my next move) or is this a new mom thing?

I am in my mid-30s. For the last decade or so I’ve worked in corporate and have done fine for myself, but always felt sad that I had never pursued teaching. It had always been my dream in my early 20s and in undergrad, but life got in the way and I never pursued it. Until now. I’ve made the leap of faith, I’m currently in school and for the first time in awhile, I’m excited for my future.

But then I joined this sub, hoping for sage advice and funny stories, but it turns out 75% of the posts are people who actively trying to exit the profession I dreamt of joining. I am not naive, I fully understand the job is riddled with problems. The low pay, the stress. But do people truly think the grass is greener on the other side? I am on the other side, like any job, there is good and bad. Granted I firmly believe that some people are simply not cut out to be teachers, I look at some of my peers in class and I can’t imagine how they will manage a class room. Some people would absolutely do better or be happier in other professions, but is everyone here truly that miserable?

Because if so, I guess I’ll just stop now. Last thing I want is to become as jaded and miserable as some of yall.

Hi! I’m an after school teacher. I’m having an issue where a first grade child (6yo) will constantly throw himself to the floor and say that “so and so pushed me”. I’ll tap his shoulder to get his attention, BAM he’s on the floor asking why I shoved him. A student will bump into him in line, he is kissin the ground. I have pulled him aside and told him that it isn’t safe, and explained that if he keeps pretending to be hurt I won’t know when he actually is hurt, and have spoken to parents, etc. Nothing works. I cant keep watching this kid chuck himself to the ground, we’ve had some VERY narrow accident misses, and I’m so over it. No IEP/504, he has other behavior issues, but its clear its all “attention based” and he is s t a r v i n g for attention. I give him all the positive attention and reinforcement I can! It’s not reducing the negative behaviors.

I knew this would happen eventually in my career because I've heard of it happening to virtually every male preschool teacher I've encountered. But it still hurts.

Me and my team dedicated the first two months of school simply to helping the kids get comfortable in the school environment and help them learn to trust us. Like we do every year. I'd actually built up an excellent rapport and bond with the particular child and had great chats with both the parents at our get-to-know-you-evening (an event the school throws). I woke up this morning to an email saying they'd prefer I not take them to the potty anymore and that they've already explained it to the child in question.

And just like that, all that work getting them comfortable is out the window. They told their child not to go to the potty with me. In the kid's eyes, I am no longer a safe grownup. They won't play with me. They won't let me help open their snacks during snacktime. At one point, they told me, "Don't look at me," when they were washing their hands in our in-classroom sink. Their experience in our class is going to be irreparably damaged because they've been told by their parents not to trust me. It will take SO long to build up trust with them again, to get them comfortable, so they can actually have fun and start LEARNING in meaningful ways again.

And all because I'm a man who dedicated his life to early childhood education. I'm honestly so upset.

I’m a first year special ed teacher for 5th graders. I’m doing progress reports, so I gave my students a creative writing prompt “Tell me about a time you had to overcome your fears. Write your answer in 5-8 complete sentences.”

One of my precious kids handed it in with the opening sentence: “I get fears that my kitten going to kill me.”

Let me tell you, keeping a straight face when I saw that on her paper took all my self-control I had.

What are your most unhinged things student has written?

(I want this thread to be fun, positive stuff, so please no answers like “my dad gets drunk and beats me”)

Just venting. I was out at happy hour after school talking to someone who was a parent in my district years before. He said, “I hate to say this, but you guys are seen as glorified babysitters.” I’ve been in education for around a decade, a teacher for 3 years. When did this shift from educator to babysitter start? When did parents forget that their education is what built the foundation of their lives!? I would understand if it came from snobby professionals without children, but this is from a parent. Why is school just an inconvenience for families rather than a foundational institution that prepares their children for the rest of their lives!? I’ve heard it more than once, but this time it really stuck with me because I was out with my team. It’s hard enough to deal with the behaviors, but now that parents are siding with their children over siding with the institution designed by the government to support their children, I’m becoming disillusioned. I could move past it if it wasn’t a common sentiment, buts I’ve heard it so much more recently. Convince me I’m not wasting my life and career.

At my school we have our own set of critical days as in do not dare take them off or have a really good reason. I swear I used to work in retail and I had less blackout days or critical days and Retail than I do now is a teacher. I wish I could post the photo of our calendar here most of it's blacked out

Hi, so we just had Family Night, and I had a situation with a parent of one of my homeroom students. The student is currently failing all his subjects, and I was the one who handed his mom his new schedule. She was frustrated and wanted to know why his schedule had been changed. I explained that it was based on his behavior and the environment in which he could work better.

She then asked who made that decision, and I told her that it was we, his teachers. After that, she started asking a lot of follow-up questions, like whether his behavior alone was the reason for the schedule change and other things along those lines. Honestly, I didn't know how to answer all her questions because I'm still a new teacher, and I'm not entirely familiar with all the details behind the decision.

So, I told her that we could speak with the assistant principal, who would be able to explain the situation more thoroughly. She then told me that she wanted me removed from her son's class because I couldn't even explain such a simple question. I just said, “Sure, ma'am. We can discuss that as well. Let me walk you to the assistant principal's office.”

To be honest, I don't really want to deal with either her or her son anymore, anyway. But the whole situation is stressing me out, and I'm worried. Could this incident put my job at risk or even get me fired?

In year 6 of the same school I started my career at. Good school overall. This year has been a blessing to be honest. Student behaviors are pretty minimal compared to other years. However...

We have one freshman who is extremely entitled. I happened to catch him and another student in the teacher's lounge on my way to make copies. I asked what they were doing. One of them stayed to explain, the other just began walking away like nothing happened. I said "I am still talking to you". No response. I stated again "Excuse me but I am trying to speak with you". Student responds with "I heard ya". And sat down at the student commons he was working at before. I walked down and raised my voice for the first real time in probably three years. I just haven't had to until now. I'm never a fan of yelling if I can help it, but certain situations do require it. He said he was sorry and should not have been so disrespectful.

He's done this to several other staff and it's getting really old. Not really looking for advice, but I needed to vent. Like how do you just not even give someone the time of day?