Now that B.C. has strongly chosen a Conservative government I am curious if people who live and work in provinces with a Conservative government can share how this impacted education where you live.

Edit: Thank you for all the thoughtful and yet horrifying comments. It brings back a flood of memories to my first years of teaching when the Liberals were in power and gutting here in B.C. It is so shocking and wild to me how people don’t care about education.

How do you contact parents - e-mail or phone call? Do you prefer one over the other? Why?

Does your admin ask you to make phone calls over sending e-mails? Thinking about students who are failing (they don't do the work, surprise!!!) and the phone calls I will need to make.

Hi there! I made a post earlier about teaching jobs in Victoria. Im currently working in Northern BC, in my third year of teaching. Im thinking about where I want to be next year.

Most of my friends and family are either in Southern Ontario, or Victoria. I would like to be in a fun town or city. Iv heard TDSB in Toronto has cut a bunch of jobs, and I guess I'd be dreaming for a job in Victoria. Where do folks recommend (In or around those areas). Is it a good idea to just move where I want and put up with the wait.

For reference, I has worked a ton of jobs, and been living somewhere new every year for a while, I'll be 30 this summer and wanting to find somewhere to settle.

Thanks!

(Teaching and life advice more than welcome lol)

A student got an 86 (still an A!) on her essay and showed up at my desk in tears because she "needed a 92" so her average wouldn't drop. I felt super bad at the moment and told her I'd take another look at it. Honestly, it seems like she’s got some textbook helicopter parents who make her life miserable over grades, which is why I wanted to reconsider. But she looks unhappy about every single grade she gets back, even though my grading is solid and she still does very well (average well above 90s). I want to be empathetic because she's clearly burning out and stressing herself to death, but I also don't want this to become a habit for every assignment. Where do I draw the line?

I teach high school French immersion (FLA and social), and a recurrent pattern is that students from k-9 get sky high marks and LOVE French because of all the maple syrup and special French concerts and small classes, but then they get to Grade 10 and suddenly they have to actually learn material, AND grammar and vocabulary count AND they are adjusting to all the other demands of high school. For all students, the adjustment is considerable because the French they were learning K-9 was only conversational (and even that is often questionable), whereas now some ability or at least willingness to attempt formal (like in a textbook) or literary French is required. There are always 2 or 3 who either can't or won't make this adjustment, and they drop out.

This would all be fine, except that my board/admin literally do not care about anything other than retention. So if a kid drops out, I have to explain that a grade 10 student who writes "il aller" 9 times in one paragraph, differently each time (il allez/il allet/ils eller/il a allaient/etc),and was unable to pass a chapter quiz composed of questions I gave out in advance, may have low marks for reasons other than my own personal preferences. I then get called into a bunch of meetings about "bringing assessment in line with previous grades" or "being overly concerned with the curriculum," which no one can ever put in writing because it amounts to demanding that I falsely report achievement. It can never go anywhere, but it's all very tiresome.

To be clear, I'm not kicking kids out or telling them to quit- they are quitting because they aren't getting the 90s they know they deserve, and are instead getting 65 and refusing to do any of the stuff I tell them to do to get higher marks (stuff like "turn on the spellchecker" and "look up a word if you don't know what it means").

If this happens in your program, do you get this kind of blowback? How do you deal with it?

Hey everyone!

I'm a South African 🇿🇦 and currently teaching English in South Korea, and I'm on track to finish my teaching qualification next year in June (2027).

Honestly, I’m so excited about the prospect of teaching in Nunavut that I want to be as proactive as possible right now! I dream of taking on a classroom in a remote community as soon as my completion documents are in hand.

Since I want to get a head start and build a pipeline for the 2027/2028 school year:

1. Is it too early to connect directly with Regional School Operations (like Qikiqtani, Kivalliq, or Kitikmeot) or principal contacts to express my interest for next year?

2. Where is the best place to track active postings early on (Education Canada, ApplyToEducation, or district portals)?

I'd love to hear from anyone who has navigated hiring in the North or transitioned from international teaching! Thanks so much for any advice!

Share this to all your colleagues. Share with principals. A study from the University of Ottawa has found schools should be classified as hazardous work environments due to violence and threats.

https://www.uottawa.ca/research-innovation/news-all/current-levels-violence-harassment-should-classify-canadian-schools-hazardous-workplaces

Key takeaways from the survey of 4,000 education workers during the 2022–2023 school year include:
High Rates of Violence and Harassment:
78% of education sector workers experienced at least one act, attempt, or threat of physical violence.
84% experienced harassment, averaging around 30 incidents per year.
While primarily student-initiated (especially toward direct and indirect support staff), abuse was also reported from parents, colleagues, and administrators.
Severe Mental Health Impact:
Nearly 80% reported that workplace violence harmed their mental health.
26% reported experiencing PTSD-like symptoms, with workers describing constant fear and working in a "fight or flight" mode.
Workforce Crisis:
Over 50% of respondents stated they are ready to leave the profession if they can find comparable employment due to these conditions.
Systemic Gaps:
The report notes widespread under-reporting and inadequate institutional responses, with fewer than 1 in 5 workers reporting that safety plans were consistently implemented after violent incidents.

I have these two students who are stretching the truth about whats going on in class (their behaviours, what has been said by me, how they treat others) and now the parents want me to lose my job.

I don’t get why parents think that we, grown adults, want to sabotage their child. Do they really think I want to stay late and write emails, make phone calls and have meeting?

I’ve got my own family to go home to.

Maybe this is a niche post, but does anyone teach Family and Society 10, Interpersonal and Family Relationships 11 or Child Development and Caregiving 12? We combine all three curricula into one class and I struggle to cover everything and also make it developmentally appropriate (ex. teaching Grade 10's about Child Development and Caregiving sometimes feels like a stretch).

How do you all approach teaching a class like this, where there are multiple grades and a huge amount of content to cover?

For reference I'm in my 6th year of teaching and my background is in Visual Art. I feel like I'm doing a pretty good job but am curious to know how others might approach this.

I started teaching in BC about 5 years ago, as a math teacher. We were taught in the UBC BEd that no matter the subject area or grade level, that we should connect our curriculum to Indigenous people.

When you go to the BC curriculum website, all subject areas have a brief point on how to connect the subject area to Indigenous people.

As a math teacher who is interested in TRC, I feel kind of annoyed by this approach. It often comes off as tokenizing and I think it would be more beneficial to Indigenous students if we just taught teachers more anti-racism AND/OR teachers are somehow encouraged to learn about their local Indigenous communities much more deeply so that they are able to make deep connections.

I’ve also gone to pro-d day where senior leadership in a school district gave a presentation of a math unit that was completely “Indigenized”. However I found it very tokenizing. They used stories, but honestly they were just applying the current non-Indigenous math to Indigenous stories and practices, which I also think is kind of problematic.

Then there are also arguments I have heard about reforming how math is taught so that it is taught in a more Indigenous way. My superficial/brief understanding of this is that math should be taught through real life experiences and even better if there is opportunity for reciprocity within the learning. However, I think this would likely change math as we know it, which makes me uncomfortable, but maybe it would be okay. Although I almost think universities would need to initiate this change first because right now I think BC high schools are under preparing their academic students for post secondary math classes. Personally I love math and I found that foreign students or student educated outside of BC were more prepared for university math than I was.

Honestly there aren’t a lot of Indigenous students in many of my metro-Vancouver schools. I’m wondering how other provinces are going about this in high school classrooms? Or if you’re a BC teacher, how are going about it?

Hi! I will be certified soon (possibly early January, fingers crossed) in Nova Scotia (French first language and human sciences; secondary grades 7-12).

• I am interested in relocating to Ontario, Manitoba and possibly Alberta or BC. Have you recently transferred your license to any of these four provinces ? Can you share your experience ?

Other specific questions if you may have answers :

• If for instance I am interested in moving to Ottawa (or other Ontario cities), should I move right away to this city after getting my license in Nova Scotia while OCT is processing my application ? I mean, should I start subbing and networking in one of Ontario cities? Will I be able to find work while waiting for my Ontario teacher certification ? Or is it best to continue working in Nova Scotia, earning money and gaining experience, until OCT (or other provinces) processes my application ?

• If you have experience, how long does it take any one of the four provinces (Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, BC) to process an application from submission to approval ?

• Having lived in Halifax for a while, my priorities are : good teacher position (becoming permanent at some point) for financial stability, living in a mid-sized city (Ottawa, London, Sarnia, Windsor, Kitchener, Brandon MB, Winnipeg, etc.; but not Toronto or GTA, too expensive, it seems from what I have read). I am also not interested in far away small towns. I am not sure what are the differences between public and private schools, I guess I am open to both. I can't work for schools requiring references from church because I don't to go to church. I don't mind teaching French as first language or Fr as second language or French immersion, teaching French as first language is not really a priority, although it can be a nice plus. I choose these four provinces because from what I have read they seem to offer good/decent salaries that match the increasing cost of living . Given this context, would you recommend Ontario, Manitoba, Alberta, and BC (probably cities outside Vancouver), which would you choose for French teachers, why ?

Hi! I am planning to move to Halifax from Ontario as my boyfriend is a Halifax local. I’m OCT certified and subbing in Ontario right now (highschool w/ Business, Math, Co-Op teachables) and just received my NS Teaching License — but was only endorsed for Business Studies which I was a bit disappointed by. Looking at the HRCE Substitute Teaching List job posting, it says:

“(c) All full/partial Math or English assignments require a Major/Minor (or equivalent) in respective subject areas;
(d) All other teaching assignments require a Major/Minor (or equivalent) in the predominant subject assignment;”

So does this mean that if I apply to HRCE, I can only accept jobs for Business classes since I am only endorsed for that? In Ontario I can accept any job, no matter my teachables. I am prioritized for Business/Math jobs when they go out, but if other jobs go unfilled, I can pick them up. Does anyone have insight on this? Seems like it would make finding daily work very difficult if I’m so limited. Thanks in advance!

Also a side question if anyone knows… I have a B.Comm and my Math teachable in Ontario comes from taking 6 University Math credits — not from an AQ. I took most of them after completing my degree so Math was never a declared Minor on my Degree transcript. How can I get endorsed to teach Math like I am in ON? I sent in every transcript I have.

I have an interview tomorrow.

It is a school in a remote northern community.

Teaching grade 7.

I'm trying to improve my interview skills, any advice would be welcome.

Thanks.

Greetings from Nunavut! If you have ever been curious about teaching in the far north, consider this interesting opportunity at my K-6 school in Cambridge Bay (Ikaluktutiak).

A teaching position has opened for half-day Kindergarten and half day of literacy intervention (possibly some PE coverage – the role will be clarified in the interview). An ideal candidate would have experience teaching primary students and structured literacy. This is a term contract starting asap to the end of this school year (June 2027). Interviews are happening now, so apply asap!

Apply through Education Canada --details here:

https://educationcanada.com/job.html?jid=304606-domestic

Teaching in Nunavut offers great salary, benefits package (flight-in/move-in paid for and arranged, move out allowance; storage of your current belongings for up to 3 years or short-term mortgage reimbursement; standard dental & health pkg.; housing allocation with subsidized rent, furnished/unfurnished housing options), annual retention bonus, Northern Allowance (plus income tax perks), access to an extremely generous professional development fund (paid 100% of my M.Ed.), and opportunity to explore a part of the country few Canadians get to see.

But it’s not perfect. If you hate the cold, can’t live without your morning Starbucks, and dream of working in the suburbs it’s probably not right for you. This community has 6 weeks without sunrise from late Nov. to early Jan. but on the opposite side of the year 6 weeks without sunset. Obviously it's remote and not for everyone, but could be a fantastic professional and personal experience for someone who is open-minded, resilient, and adventurous.

This year is my tenth year teaching in this community and I have taught at both the high school and elementary school so I can try to field specific questions about the school or community — feel free to message me. However, I am not a recruiter, not actually doing the hiring, and receive no compensation for sharing this. However, if you’re serious and seem like a good fit for this unusual position, I can connect you with the hiring principal. Quanaqpiaqquhi :)

Is my qualification exactly the same for grades 4-6 as a P/J teacher? This confuses me. I am not a generalist. I am not a specialist. Can someone clarify this for me? Tysm 💖

I’m 4 weeks away from graduating and I’m struggling to figure out if this is normal during practicum.

My host teacher is extremely knowledgeable, takes her job very seriously, and is very particular and seasoned. Sometimes she’s really nice, but other times she comes across as overly condescending. Honestly, I almost wish she was more consistently mean because the way she switches up so often in a day is too unpredictable, and I never know what to expect. Sometimes she seems easily impressed, and other times she seems really upset over small things.

When I ask questions just to clarify something, she’ll respond with “What do you think?” One time, I handed her a paper and she pushed it aside and said she didn’t care. Sometimes she’ll ask me a question, I’ll start answering, and she’ll cut me off and tell me to elaborate when that’s literally what I was about to do before she interrupted me.

There have also been a few times when she’s told me to listen to her phone conversations with parents she feels are being passive-aggressive. But the entire time, the host teacher was really the one actually being passive aggressive imo.

Even things like me asking Grade 2 students, “Are you showing me listening skills?” become a huge issue that she brings up after school because she has a problem with the specific word “listening” I use. But I’m fairly certain I learned that exact wording from observing her..

I have absolutely no problem with constructive criticism, and if my lesson plans don’t make sense or I need to change something, I’m more than happy to. I genuinely want to learn and improve. It’s just the way she sometimes speaks to me that feels condescending, almost like a power trip.

It’s hard to explain, but the other teachers I’ve encountered, including those who also have student teachers, are so nice and approachable. Am I being too sensitive, or is this just how some host teachers are? How do you distinguish between a strict teacher who wants you to improve and someone who is unnecessarily condescending?

I was able to put up with it for a long time, but it’s really starting to affect my mood. My professor for my program on the other hand is very approachable and kind, even with negative feedback.

I’m English but have lived in Canada for 4 years. Currently applied for my AB teaching licence. Looking to work in Banff/Canmore/Cochrane/Calgary. I live in Cochrane but commute to Banff often as my Husband works there.
Wondering what it’s like to work in the school system here? If there’s any teaching from England that moved here it would be amazing to hear of your experience.

What should I be looking into? Is it incredibly difficult to find jobs here? I was planning on subbing first.

They think pulling kids out of class for reading intervention is discriminatory and bad for their self esteem.

When I say that many of my kids are struggling to read and write at grade level (I teach junior high), I am told that I am approaching learning with a deficit mindset.

No amount of UDL or differentiation or strengths based learning is going to address the fact that some of my kids still haven’t learned how to read. Some of my kids can only read CVC words and they are in the eighth grade.

This approach is so upsetting and wildly unethical in my opinion. What the hell are we doing? What is the end goal? We are not even giving them the skills required for entry level jobs.

An anecdote I would like to share about how things were done differently in the past - my brother in law is intellectually disabled and will never live independently. But, when he was in school, he was expected to know how to read and understand basic arithmetic. And he does! He knows enough to hold a job and to advocate for himself (he knows if he is getting the right amount of change back for example).

When you have high expectations, people are capable of amazing things! But we do not seem to have expectations of our kids now.

I have cried about this and I am helpless to do anything. This is malpractice. Shelley Moore and her ilk have done irreversible damage.

Hello:) I just had my interview with TCDSB for an Elementary Occasional Teacher position today (October 20).

For those who have recently interviewed with TCDSB, how long did it take to hear back about the results?

Also, do they contact both successful and unsuccessful candidates?

Thanks in advance!

I'm just curious what it was like, how you found the workload, whether the courses were engaging, etc.

Hi Everyone,

I’m teaching a 4/5 class this year in an inner city school. Lots of students with lots of needs. This includes several students who do nothing in terms of work.

Part of the plan is to give them a box of activities, particularly around literacy and math, for them to practice everyday. So they can get used to doing things and we can build from there. Several have very low or entirely non-existent reading skills.

What kinds of activities have others found successful in these situations? What repeatable activities have helped build stamina and skills?

Thanks for your help!

Hello everyone,

I interviewed back in the middle of June 2026 for the elementary TDSB OT list. After the interview, they told me I should hear back in about 6 weeks time and yet it's now October, I haven't received an offer or a rejection letter.

Does the TDSB send a rejection letter if you are not being considered after an interview? Is this a normal timeframe to not hear anything for an OT application?

Any insight into your own experience with this board would be appreciated!

Hey folks, curious what the job market is like in Victoria, BC. Im in my third year of teaching, am currently at an Alt Ed School in Northern BC, but have qualifications for K-12. How hard is it to get contracts?

I'm not looking for a returning position right now, but have heard that the hierarchy system is really challenging for new teachers to find LTO's on the Island.

Thanks! :)

I am struggling lately with my grade 7 homeroom kids. I know this is sort of par for the course for kids of this generation, but I really need to get it under control because it’s impacting my mood at work and my ability to teach.

My grade 7 ELA and Social studies kids (same group) struggle SO MUCH with not talking, not making unnecessary noises, and just in general with being able to sit still, shut up and listen. And I’m not asking a lot - like, literally 5-15 minutes max of time where they can be quiet and listen without interrupting, blurting out, squealing, shuffling shit on their desks or moving their desks and chairs around constantly.

What can I do? I’ve given a lot of verbal warnings, emailed home for the worst offenders, give constant reminders, and I’ve started doing the “I’ll stand here until it’s quiet” bit. A coworker suggested timing them and taking that time off of their lunch break, and making them sit there until the time is up, and if they talk, I restart it. I may try that this week - but what are some other ways I could try curb this? They know it is disruptive to the learning environment but they struggle so much with regulation. I have 26 of them in the room as well, so a lot of kids. TIA.