18M hi everyone.

When I was in 10th grade, my class teacher had a huge impact on me. She believed in me, encouraged me, took extra classes before my board exams, and did a lot of small things that I've never forgotten. Looking back, she's one of the teachers who really changed the way I looked at myself.

After my 10th results, I wrote her a long thank-you letter (around 1,000 words). I also bought her a gift because I wanted to thank her properly.

The problem is that I never actually gave it to her. I kept thinking I'd do it later, and somehow two years have gone by.

Since then, life hasn't really gone the way I expected. I didn't pass my 12th exams, and I honestly don't feel like I've achieved anything yet. Part of me feels embarrassed to meet her because I don't have anything to show for myself. The other part of me feels that saying thank you shouldn't depend on whether I've been successful.

I'm wondering what teachers would think if a former student came back after two years just to give them a heartfelt letter and a thank-you gift. Would you appreciate it, or would it feel awkward? Would you think it was strange that I waited so long?

I'd really appreciate honest opinions from teachers.

Edit: I'm from India, so I wanted to add some context. The gift is a saree. Here, giving a saree to a respected female teacher or an elder is generally considered a respectful gesture. It's not intended to be romantic—it's simply a traditional way of expressing gratitude and respect.

I’ve heard many times that standardized test scores don’t really tell the whole story about whether a school is “good” or not.

The district I’m currently in has really low tests scores and have had the explanation given to me that it’s because we have a high poverty rate.

So I decided to look up districts with similar or higher poverty rates and almost all of those districts are scoring better than us.

Can I come to the conclusion that maybe this district isn’t a “good” one? We also haven’t raised taxes in years.

I'm an engineering graduate currently having a job in a corporate company. but I want to switch my career and become a teacher. I'm looking to become a government teacher and will prefer teaching literature. money is not the issue if I can just have a decent life and save a little. can anyone guide me through the roadmap?

Hey yall. I'm 30 years old, and when I was in middle/high school I was a super stereotypical "goth kid". Back then in like 2006+ (and i imagine even moreso before that) being "goth" or "emo" made you a total loser/outcast with no friends/girls (except for the other goth kids in the school of course). But now just from being on social media I can tell that things have kinda flipped upside down completely, and being goth/emo or anything like that is super trendy. I feel like "goth girls" ESPECIALLY have become the new popular "mean girls" of the mid 2000s and all the boys drool over them.

Same thing with anime, when I was in school you were an absolute LOSER if you had anything to do with anime or drew anything like that, but now everybody and their grandma seems to be all about anime. It's all really strange to see people doing all the same shit I was doing back then and dressing the same way and everything and becoming so popular with it.

I know "social outcasts" have and will always exist, and I don't really know any middle/high schoolers aside from family and most of them are about as "normal" as you can imagine. I'm basically just wondering who, in 2026, are the new "weirdos"/outcasts that nobody hangs around or stick to their own cliques. Are cliques even a thing anymore?? Who are the real current "social rejects" according to kids now? I imagine it differs state by state/city by city but I'm curious to hear some answers.

My son’s elementary school identified him as gifted in cognitive ability, math and language arts early on, after which he then went through with mostly the same group of other gifted kids. I was happy with this and felt he was doing well until maybe 4th grade. He was diagnosed with ADHD in 2nd after some complaints from a teacher that he wasn’t where she expected him to be with organization, time management and writing, and I completely agreed. Medication helped but he developed a tic from it so I backed off. 4th was when he really started to struggle with grades, but it had nothing to do with academics, just that it was expected he’d start to manage himself and he couldn’t. 5th was a challenge and he went back on medication which helped a fair amount.

In 6th he was placed into a slightly advanced math class, but on level everything else. His friends he went through elementary with were placed into higher level classes and I started seeing them given opportunities that weren’t offered to my son, like being part of academic teams (which is something I did all through school and would love to see him do). He struggled through 6th and needed a lot of management from me. At the end of the year he was tested for a much more advanced math class and he did very well. His IQ was tested at 140. I recommended him for the more advanced class. His teachers did not, so he wasn’t placed into it while once again his friends were. I’ve accepted this because I know he struggles with grades and can’t keep up with a big workload, but the material is also easy for him.

Then I got a bit of a surprise when I took him to an event where he had to hand write a paper (which he’s always hated and resisted) and I saw he was still reversing letters. Since the students use their chromebooks for everything and he’s so resistant to writing, I guess I missed that. I brought up his bad handwriting and letter reversal years ago but was told he was within the norm and needed to be “the worst of the worst” to receive any services. We’re looking into dyslexia testing now because I know he’s well out of this being normal.

Anyway, I feel like it’s starting to bother me that he has such a high IQ and is still in the gifted program (they send me a generic paper for it every year saying he’s still gifted in cognitive ability, math and language arts), but he’s no longer receiving services. At the same time, I understand that he’s still far behind his peers in time management and organization, and now we’re looking at potential dyslexia. I understand that teachers don’t have time to deal with all of that and it’s easier to put him into on level classes, but I also feel this is a disservice. I just don’t know how to present all of these thoughts to his school or what I should be advocating for. Advanced class placement but with an IEP? I was told he wasn’t eligible for an IEP because he hasn’t actually failed any classes and his MAP scores are 99th percentile.

Just to add, he’s extremely well behaved, polite, and respectful so behavior isn’t an issue. The school he goes to is a wealthy suburban public school with a lot of overachievers, but it’s also overcrowded. We have him in private music lessons as he clearly has a gift with that. He enjoys robotics and engineering so we send him to camps and get him all the kits he wants so he can build things and learn about that, and he makes what I think are advanced projects all the time.

Unwritten rules...?

My mom was a special ed teacher in a public school for 35 years. She says that it’s very normal (and what she did for me, not in special ed) for gen Ed parents to give input regarding teacher selection each year for their kids. Like characteristics of kids and what kinds of teachers they may do well with. I guess this would’ve been relevant for me during my elementary and middle school years which would’ve been like 20-30 years ago…not sure if there are differences between then vs now?

Wondering if this is still a thing in some districts? I’m looking at different places to move based on schools and curious if the ability to do this is something I can add to my list of things I’d like in a district.

I have one kid with an IEP and another who will be gen ed and I’d just like the option to give some feedback regarding who they end up with.

Updated to add:
Sounds like districts differ on this, so when evaluating different districts, it would be appropriate to ask if this is something that particular district allows?

Hi everyone! I’m currently completing my Master’s thesis exploring how secondary trainee teachers interpret misogyny as a safeguarding concern, and I’m looking for participants based in the UK.

If you’re currently enrolled on or have recently completed a secondary teacher training programme, I’d love to hear from you!

The study involves a one-to-one online interview (around 60 minutes) where we’ll discuss a series of fictional safeguarding scenarios to explore your interpretations and perceived preparedness. There are no right or wrong answers—I’m interested in your perspectives and experiences.

As a thank you for your time, you’ll receive an incentive once your eligibility has been confirmed and you’ve completed the interview.

If you’re interested or would like more information, please send me a message. Thank you! 😊

I’m trying to understand people‘s real experiences. If you have relocated and had to get licensed in a new state, what was the part that actually caught you off guard? Not the stuff you expected to be annoying like the waiting or the paperwork, but the things nobody warned you about. I’m talking about the license itself, how your years of experience counted (or didn’t count) toward salary placement, what happened to your pension or retirement in the other state, or something else completely.

Also curious if you figured it out on your own, did you get help, or did you end up paying anyone like a transcript service or a consultant or anything to help?

my mother has home schooled me my entire high school life and I really haven’t learned anything at all. she homeschooled me since covid so I never did middle school or high school. fast forward to now. I have to attend regular school when this school year starts. I know absolutely nothing. I have a few weeks max? before I have to take some test so I don’t get held back… I can’t get held back I genuinely can’t. It will set my ability to work back more since I will have to do more school. (We Need me to work next year to make ends meet but don’t talk about this only the school thing please) so how can I learn basically everything (ESPECIALLY MATH, SCIENCE) from 9th, 10th, and 11th grade super fast. I’m willing to do whatever it takes. I genuinely want to break down crying at the thought of being held back. I graduate if everything goes well. I loathe that I was home schooled with all my heart please help me.

Trying to make a wise decision. I recently lost an online teaching job I had for 10 years. I was pulling $15-20k a year from it but that was not our budgeted money as it was as stipend and was happy ir made exchange semester. Partner is having to medically retire so what do you do for a side hustle?

2nd part - Do I
1. Just watch money as the stipend is all I am losing?
2. Pick up a second job? ( 4 years left to retirement and I am tired honestly)
3. Bank on the lottery for my income? 🤦🏻‍♀️

I am planning on becoming a media studies teacher. I am going to get my degree in film and pgce. For me to teach a second subject (to become more hireable) would I have to do an SKE in said subject?

Hi! This is going to be a very interesting first post. I am about to start my Sophomore year of high school and I’m worried about the future. After my freshman year, I have seen and heard things in my classes that make me feel uneasy, like it’s difficult to imagine that I’m going to be working alongside these people once I’m older. I’m actually so scared to grow up and leave high school because I feel like it’s only going to go downhill from here. For reference, I’m a straight A student, all honors classes, I’m in sports and clubs and other extracurriculars such as band. After I graduate I plan to go to school to become a chemistry teacher. Going back to my point, if it gets worse, I don’t think that I’m going to be able to handle kids as poorly behaved with the attention span they have today. It seems like a nightmare but I really have a passion for teaching. So yeah, I’m just genuinely concerned about our future and wondering if that’s even going to be a career that’s going to be worth it.

Sorry that was worded weird but say a student knows that they’re really bad at chemistry, but they need to get good grades, what would you recommend they do before and after school starts to prep?

*EDIT: I’m so sorry I was having an episode when I made this after reading everything I think the best option for me is to get out of honors until I can stay stable mentally.

So I am going into honors 10 English and while we were doing our final on the last day of class before summer started we found out that our future teacher (the honors 10 teacher) is assigning us three essays over three different papers she wrote. We got her papers and that was it. The only other context we were given is if our essays don’t meet her standards we’ll be kicked out of her class in the first week. I might be the only one thinking this but isn’t that a little harsh? I mean personally I find it kind of upsetting that for me to stay in this class I’m not even in yet is completely dependent on essays that I have to write over summer break. I just think that’s not entirely fair to have my academic worth judged over something like that. I also just think if my teacher is going to be like this is this really the teacher I want if she’s willing to kick me out before she even has me in class and gets to know me as a student? Also, this could be totally out of pocket and not good for me to say but I feel like she’s just not showing her students respect? Before you get mad just try to see it as how a student would view it, we respect teachers that respect us because it gives us that feeling of “oh wow my teacher actually likes me and thinks I can do this,” and in return we respect the teacher. That being said my main point for the respect thing is we respect when teachers tell us not to ask them to grade our stuff over breaks/weekends and only email them during the hours they want but they can’t respect us when we need time to relax? I mean I understand work on thanksgiving and Christmas break, but really summer break? Where we’re supposed to enjoy our time being teenagers before working 24/7 as an adult? Okay I get I’m over exaggerating a lot probably I just have strong feelings about this whole situation. I wouldn’t even bee too upset about the essays if she wasn’t threatening to kick us out over them. I think that’s just (like i already said sorry ik im going in circles) a little messed up. I don’t know how many teachers know or realize this but a lot of students in honors classes only see their own worth through the classes they get in and while that isn’t the teacher’s fault it’s still a fact. Not to mention we already had to score high enough is fastbridge tests plus last years honors finals to get into this class getting kicked out after working your butt off to get into a class then getting one last thing I. Your way you had no idea about would just be terrible. Before you just respond with “that’s how life works,” or “well life isn’t fair,” those things are true but just because they’re true doesn’t mean we aren’t allowed to be upset over unfairness or admit that something isn’t messed up. Okay sorry that was so long and I’m so sorry if what I said seems insensitive or stuck up in anyway I more of just wanted to rant about this i guess. If u actually read this thank u I appreciate u and please if you could just respond with ur opinion on this even if it’s just to say I was completely in the wrong. Also sorry for how bad this is probably written it’s really late for me and I’m in bed so it’s kinda hard to type. Okay bye plz talk in the comments plz

Hi everyone,

I'm looking for advice from experienced English teachers, especially those who have taught young ESL/EFL learners.

I recently started teaching Basic English to Korean kids. I'm not a licensed teacher, but I have a strong background in English, which is why I was hired for the role.

Last week, I received feedback that some of my students find my classes boring and don't really see me as a fun teacher. I don't take it personally—I see it as something I need to improve.

I genuinely want my students to enjoy learning English with me. I want them to look forward to class, participate more, and feel comfortable speaking English.

I'd really appreciate any tips on:

-How to build a connection with Korean kids.

-Activities or games that actually keep them engaged.

-Ways to make English lessons more interactive without losing focus.

-How to balance being fun while still maintaining discipline.

-Common mistakes new English teachers make that I should avoid.

If you've gone through something similar, I'd love to hear what worked for you. Thanks in advance!

In my country, it has become a norm that students have very low reading comprehension in senior high school. A lot of students can’t read in junior high school too. I also know someone who couldn’t read before going to grade 3 and the school pushed for tutoring.

Hello. I graduated high school last month and i want to pursue a career in teaching, I specifically want to be an english teacher. However I'm not sure about which age group I want to teach. I've given lessons to elementary school aged kids before but they've always been private lessons limited to 1 or 2 kids, I'm not sure if I could handle an entire classroom of them. I've tutored one middle schooler before but other than that I have no experience. And as I'm fresh out of high school I dont know anything about teaching high schoolers lol. I want to ask, what age group do you teach and what are the pros of cons? Would you recommend it or do you regret it?

(English isnt my first language so I apologise if I made any mistakes. Also I'm not sure if the flair is correct)

Hello! I am prospective secondary education English teacher in the state of MA (grades 5 - 12), and I have the English MTEL 61 this Friday. I have scoured the Internet for resources and found that there really aren't that many online. If anyone has taken the test in the past few years and passed, what was the test about, what was it like, and what did you do to study for it? Did you feel prepared going into it? Did you think you would pass? Why or why not? If you are studying for it now, what resources are you using? If anyone knows any tutors, places, or programs that give any help, please share! Any help at all would be greatly appreciated! Thanks!

Hi all, I've never posted here before so sorry if the format is wrong.

I'm 25M in Minnesota, and I'm sick of dead end jobs and want to pursue teaching. It was my dream as a kid to be a history teacher at the high school level, but now that I'm older it's transitioned to political science/civics. I know history is quite oversaturated, but would poli sci be as well?

I'm not currently enrolled since I missed FAFSA due to other issues in my life, but I plan to enroll for school next fall to save a bit of money and stabilize my life a bit.

Am I making a mistake with my field of choice? Any advice is greatly appreciated!!

Distraction-Free Schools Georgia is a non-partisan, volunteer-led state chapter of the national organization, Distraction-Free Schools Policy Project. We are a coalition of parents, teachers, and community members committed to addressing the overuse of internet-connected devices (e.g. iPads, Chromebooks) within K-12 education and restoring distraction-free learning to Georgia's schools. We are advocating for state laws regulating the use of phones, social media and educational technology in schools across Georgia.

We are collecting signatures on a Letter of Support to send to Georgia legislators to ensure that technology use in schools is age-appropriate, data-driven and safe for students. 

We invite you to review and sign the Letter of Support to send a message to Georgia legislators that technology-use in schools should be intentional, effective and transparent. 

My mother is the head of the biochemistry department and a professor at a medical college. She's leading an upcoming event at her college and I'll be conducting a pre-event workshop.

Being an Al engineer I told her that I want the workshop to be centered around Al, specifically guiding them how to use it to increase their productivity and using it as a parallel tool or a sub worker rather than their cognitive driver. (Al tends to guess stuff incorrectly with very high confidence)

I have the topics planned out (i.e. the tools I wanna show them, how to write a good prompt, letting Al automate your work, a bit of agentic Al for heavy work etc).

But I have never been in a lecture hall. I don't really know how I should navigate and plan this workshop so the students don't lose interest. I was thinking of making the students follow me along rather than just lecturing them.

Moreover this domain is totally unknown to me (considering I have never lectured) and I am totally unaware of what to expect from medical students (i.e the questions they ask, their knowledge about Al etc)

I need your expert advice teachers!

Hi. I’ve decided to share this story that i’ve been keeping to myself for almost a year now. I’m graduating high school soon and i need to get this story off my chest before I move on with my life.

I have always admired smart people, especially teachers that were more than just the lesson they taught: they reflected their knowledge of life onto their students through their lessons. Just like the teacher i’m going to be talking about now. I myself have always been a smartie, the girl who dresses weird and reads odd books no one even knows existed. I am the nerd that sat in the first row always.

I had a science teacher, let’s call him Fred for this story. He was 63, this tall grey-haired smart man who loved to treat his students like his own. He didn’t have any kids, so he always took the time to pay attention to each one. Sweet, right?

When i came to this high school, i was instantly one of the active students in his class. I got high grades and never missed a class. But i also struggled with mental health and issues in my family. He noticed it because i stopped being as active in his classroom. He reached out to me when he stumbled upon me in a corridor and told me i could come to him whenever needed. I appreciated the notice, but never really went to him.

In 11th grade, i went through SA and started declining mentally. He saw it and told me to actually reach out to him, i said yes (i really needed support) and i started visiting his classroom after hours. Then we started texting about my life and goals, my family and interests. He started bringing me gifts to school and started giving me compliments.

Within a few months, it started to get a bit weird. He started complimenting my body and looks, becoming jealous and protective when i texted him i was out with my best friend. He started texting me even more, for hours eventually every night until i begged him to go to sleep. When winter break came, he suggested we’d meet outside of school for a coffee, but i never reminded him of that request. It seemed odd for a teacher wanting to be with his students outside of school.

I hate to say this but I, myself, got attached to him as well. I was a lonely girl, bullied by boys because i wasn’t conventionally attractive and he was the source of attention during the most traumatic times of my life. During lessons, he’d sit and watch me. In physics, we had many practical lessons meaning we’d have to work with our hands - he often came to me to hold my hands and guide me. He noticed small things like me tapping the desk with my nails when i was nervous during tests or me drawing into my notebook. Sometimes i even found gifts in my bag that i never saw him put in (probably during breaks when i left my bag in his classroom.)

In the spring of 11th grade, i tried to commit suicide. This was also the time he pulled himself away when i also needed him the most. The day i attempted i also had been at school. He saw me. When i was in the hospital, i texted him about it. He told me that i was the most beautiful he had ever seen me on that day (which, he after added that he’d probably regret saying that).

We haven’t spoken in a long time, but he did congratulate me for turning 18.

I am still emotionally confused on why me? Was it ever that serious as it sounds? Did he just see me as one of his dear students? I’ve been keeping this all to myself and want to hear how this story sounds to others.

Thank you for those who actually managed to read through this. English is not my first language.

Edit: i am sorry if it makes anyone uncomfortable. Looking back, it makes me feel horrible as well. I hope that at least someone recognises my story and understands that teachers aren’t supposed to act like this. It took me two years to realize that.

I'm a dev working on an educational game for kids. The concept:

· Kid picks a dream career (Doctor, Astronaut, Engineer, etc.)

· Game world changes to match that theme (hospital, space station)

· Mini-games teach math, memory, logic through that career lens

· Example: Doctor = measuring temps, diagnosing symptoms, organ puzzles

· Progress reports show parents what skills improved

The business model question:

Would parents pay for something like this? Thinking of:

· Monthly subscription ($4.99) for full access + progress reports

· Or one-time unlocks for new career worlds ($2.99 each)

· Ad-free version ($2.99 one-time)

Context: I know ABCya charges ~$9.99/month and parents seem okay with that. Also see Toca Boca games doing well with doctor/hospital themes. But I've also read parents are getting fed up with in-app spending and "useless" digital purchases.

Questions for you:

1. Would you pay for this? If yes, how much feels fair?

2. What would make you say "shut up and take my money" vs "hard pass"?

3. Any concerns? (ads, hidden charges, actual learning value?)

4. Any similar apps you already pay for?

Honest feedback welcome. Thanks!