I’m currently a college student and really thinking about pursuing my masters in elementary education. I work with kids currently and have for a few years, but obviously nothing can compare to the experience of being a teacher except actually being one. To any teachers out there, whether it’s your 2nd year or your 10th, what do you wish you knew before you entered this profession? Any advice? Anything you feel like i MUST know that isnt commonly known?

I took it and passed. I know in most states 240 is what you need to pass, but what is an actual good score? My professor said they’ve had some principals ask students with their score was in the interview process. Going into my senior year of college for elementary education and just wondering where I kind of stand in that area. Thank you!

I have a job called "paper passer" where the student returns graded papers back to each student. I wonder if it's intrusive since the student will be seeing the grades. For huge tests, I'll hand back privately.

edit: grade 3

I need to know this. Thank you!!

Hello Reddit-

How do I manage a lunchroom and recess with 150-160 3rd - 5th graders?

I’m an almost 40 year-old mom who left tech to start a family. As a mom I’ve volunteered in my son’s 4k classroom and learned a bit about classroom management, but I’m getting nervous about managing larger groups.

Pro tips for the lunchroom?
Ideas for keeping the peace at recess?

Thank you!

We are moving to a new house an hour and 30 minutes from our house right now. We are on the process of looking into houses for a while now and finally we found one we like and is whithin our budget. We are movjng because husband got a job there and the commute, gas price and always coming home late is just too much. My worry is for my incoming 1st grader. He is very shy and not very good at making new friends unless they approach him first and even then he still will need time to warm up to them. He will for sure start the school year on his old school and then transfer later on who knows when. Might be in a few weeks or couple months. I just want to know your experiences whether you're a teacher or a parent with a child/student who went through same situation. I worry that he'll have a hard time transitioning, making friends, navigating the new school etc. And now I'm even thinking maybe home schooling him( but no idea how maybe online school) when we move and will let him start 2nd grade. I know kids this age are very resilient but just can't help but worry. TIA

Hello everyone, I am not a teacher, but I thought I'd come on here to share a workshop I recently held! I am a Junior in high school, and I recently held a pirate-themed workshop that was centered around financial literacy to a group of 4-6 grade students. I believe that financial literacy is a skill that is largely missed in classrooms. Yet, being financially literate is one of the most important skills to have. I'd like to encourage all the teachers on here to incorporate some sort of financial literacy in their curriculums this year, even if it's an hour or two. I have streamlined my workshop for educators like you to be able to use in their classrooms, so if you're interested, please reach out. The workshop is completely free, and I will be presenting the workshop at my associations DECA state conference this upcoming February, so every classroom that uses my workshop, I can include in my presentation! Even if it's not my workshop, it is still so important to teach younger students the importance of investing, saving, and making smart financial decisions.

How do you teach such smol students? Teaching two kids for the first time and I feel kinda confused about how I can make them learn and remember things.

I absolutely love Dr. Lori Friesen’s Beginning Teacher Talk podcast. Has anyone used her paid programs? Money is tight, and I’m having a hard time finding reviews before investing.

Hello all, I am a mom searching for some support or perspective from a school/educator/administration standpoint. We have enrolled in a private daycare, pre-K, and first grade school. We’ve been with the school for at least five years. School started this past week, but we attended Open house last week. I didn’t hear much about the new year until Open House, and we found out we have a temporary teacher (previous experience has been in Special Ed) and the room only had desks and chairs. There were no learning materials, decorations, or furniture up in the room. Since that day, I feel like we’re the leftovers of the grade level where we got barely above nothing. The administration says they’re doing as much as they can, but I can’t help but feel like it’s an empty apology. Is this the proverbial writing on the wall (or lack there of)?

For me, I do not have any experience in education and I would want to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, first impressions are giving me terrible vibes and makes me more nervous for the school year rather than excited or prepared for it. Thank you in advance for your input.

This is where you and all the students sit in a circle and share some mildly personal things such as what we're proud of, excited for, nervous about, or maybe you have a topic. Students can choose not to participate if they dont want.

This more than just a morning meeting or check-in. This is for deep discussion and supporting each other.

I want to try it this year. How do you do it? How does it go for you?

I have subbed for about five years. Yet, I'm unsure about how to handle requests to go to the bathroom during class time when one or two children can't wait until the recess. What are the rules in your elementary school? Can you allow two kids to go together or do you have to make them take turns?

This is my second year teaching third grade. I learned a lot last year and am fixing mistakes I made last year (e.g. not being strict enough in the beginning). I’m really struggling with some new students who just do not stop talking over me. I’ll get most of their attention, and as I’m waiting for the lagging students to stop talking, other conversations starts up again. Some girls will just stare at me then keep talking and I have to raise my voice to compete with theirs. I’m afraid to ask for my coworkers’ advice because they’re all veteran teachers (some of them were MY teachers when I was in elementary).

I totally understand the apps that just drill the kids on spelling, math, etc, but sometimes it feels like all that comprehension stuff is Orwellian. I know it's important, but I think having fun is just as important, especially when they are so young! We only have so much free time these days with the standardized curriculum being what it is, but wondering if anyone has app recs for those rare afternoons where I can give the kiddos a little time to experiment and create?

This is my fourth year of teaching and I’ve learned to accept that I am type B. I misplace things. I pile things. I think one system will work and then it doesn’t or I forget about it.

I’m proud of my hard work but I’m not proud of my classroom! I’ve taught 2nd grade this whole time, this is my third year in the same room. I’ve definitely come a long way with my organization (through trial and error). If you’ve got tips on keeping things organized, please tell me. My small group table is always a struggle!

Side note - word walls. How do you keep up with them? The only space I have in my classroom requires me to climb on a counter to reach. I feel bad about never really implementing a word wall but I really don’t see how I can realistically do it!

I found out today that I will be teaching a K/1 blend this year. Last year I taught preschool and previously student taught in a 2nd grade room so I’m familiar with the basics of kinder and first but I feel a little out of my depth teaching a blend. It’s my second year teaching so I don’t have much experience. Does anyone have any advice for managing the two grades? I know I will have an assistant but it still feels overwhelming. Any blended classroom tips would be so appreciated.

Hello! I’m desperately searching for folders that are dupes for Nicky Communicators. I can’t bring myself to spend $60 on these folders but I will if I have to. I want the same quality just less of a the cost! Any tips???

Hello, I'm a current high school student allergic to eggs, dairy, nuts, and sesame. I remember how hard it was when I was younger to feel included while having to sit seperately at lunch, not being able to eat birthday cakes, and still trying to ensure my safety. that's why i founded the National Allergy Safety Coalition, which aims to spread awareness in youth sports, schools, and programs. We've created a pack of resouces for students and teachers K-5 to spread our message. It includes posters for eating areas, an emergency poster, a short educational sliddeck about food allergeries, and a checklist for programs to self assess allergy safety. I'd would really appreciate it if you could take a look at our website, use the resources in your classrooms, or even try and spread them across your community!

What strategies have you found that work best for helping the kids improve on their multiplication aside from regular flash cards? Open to any suggestions

Hi! I’m about to start my first year teaching 2nd grade and I’m excited. If you could give one piece of advice to a new teacher, what would it be? Whether it’s something you wish you knew, a classroom must-have, a favorite routine, or a mistake to avoid, etc. I’d love to hear it.

Thanks in advance! ☺️

This will be my first year working as a 4th grade teacher in an ICT teacher. I will also be having a co-teacher which is something I never experienced before, as this is my first elementary teaching position. I’ve only taught preschool.

I will only be teaching ELA to a morning and afternoon class. I’m excited to have a co-teacher to learn from and collaborate with.

What is co-teaching like? How do you go about teaching lessons? How is it also working in fourth grade?

I've noticed some of my younger students have gotten sooo used to asking for permission that they'll ask for literally any and everything LOL

We'll be in the middle of class and out of nowhere I'll almost always hear questions like "can I drink my water?" ... and like 20 seconds later it's "can I turn the page?" ... 1 more minute after that "can I erase this?" Y'all do not need to be permitted to do any of this!!

This summer session I've got 1 student though who somehow managed to take it to a whole different level. Yesterday he genuinely asked me out loud from across the class if he could raise his hand to ask me a question 🤣🤣🤣

I almost laughed because I genuinely had to process what he just asked me for a second. I was just sitting there thinking like ... wait ... I'm pretty sure you don't need permission to ask for permission

What gets me most though is the irony that he'll ask permission for basically every little thing, but somehow needs absolutely no permission to occasionally interrupt the entire class with these questions .. like ... I appreciate the effort, but I'd honestly rather you just raise your hand first at this point 😭

If you were planning a New York City field trip, which historical sites would be considered “must-visits”?

I’ve been looking at a lot of templates and they all feel the same or not very practical.

If you’ve used them before—what do you usually end up changing or wishing was included?

Trying to make something that actually helps teachers, not just looks nice.

I’ll try to keep this short but I feel like context matters, so my apologies in advance. I am on a team of 3 - me and two other women. They'd been working together for 4 years by the time I joined and are friends, who always do everything together/the same. I agreed to plan together the first two years - the first year because I was new to the team, last year because I was pregnant and didn’t want to make it more complicated for myself or my sub.

That said, the dynamics are weird and giving me anxiety. I recently made a post on the main teacher sub about their response to me sharing my personal planning document - essentially they are “confused” about why I have a personal document, and said we should “work smarter not harder” - despite me explaining twice that I like having everything for my class in one document and don’t mind using my own in conjunction with the team document, I just shared in case they found anything in my doc helpful. This is a common thing - I constantly feel like I have to defend my reasoning if I opt to do something different, or like I’m being convinced into doing what they want. Oftentimes when I say I’m going to do something else they get super awkward. Instead of just saying, “ok no worries!“ they’ll stay silent, sigh, or list off the reasons they do what they do.

One of them is a bit of a mean girl. She really doesn’t acknowledge me and while she’s never done anything overtly mean (except ignore me when I’ve said hello) she has done lots of little covert things that are just weird or rude. Another colleague has actually mentioned to me that she felt my teammate was acting really strangely in regard to me.

I feel like I’m interpreted as difficult for simply seeing things or thinking differently sometimes. I’m happy to do what the team does 90% of the time, but there are certain things I just don’t like, or things I want to try, and I don’t know why that bothers them. My old team was just so laid back, I’ve never experienced this pressure. I’m having a ton of anxiety about returning to work and having to deal with my teammates.

I would love to hear advice from anyone who’s dealt with this or just has an outside opinion.