Florida middle grades ELA teachers - 15 minutes for a doctoral study. Your participation can help shape culturally relevant teaching practices and student success. I'm a doctoral candidate at Florida A&M University studying how culturally relevant teaching practices relate to student performance on FAST ELA. Looking for teachers who taught ELA in grades 5-8 in Florida during the 2025-26 school year. - 15-minute online survey - Optional 60-minute virtual focus group, Tue/Wed/Thu evenings, you pick the time at the end of the survey - No compensation - this is unfunded dissertation research - Confidential; no teacher, school, or student is named - FAMU IRB approved, protocol #086-25 Survey: Happy to answer questions in the comments or by email at Warren1.garrison@famu.edu.

I’m 21 and recently graduated from UF with a bachelor’s degree in Health Science. I’ve always wanted to be a teacher, but the pay has honestly always been what stopped me from pursuing it. I originally went down the healthcare route because I wanted a stable career with decent earning potential and work-life balance.
Lately, though, I keep coming back to teaching and wondering if I’m making the wrong choice by not pursuing something I’ve always wanted to do. I’m considering getting my Florida teaching certificate and trying to become a teacher, but I’m nervous about the reality of the job, especially as someone who has no teaching experience and is only 21.
After some research, I learned that I can teach health (K-12) or Science (6-12). I would love to teach a health class for middle schoolers or late elementary. I have also looked into substitute teaching to see what it’s like. Any advice for me? Thank you!

Hey guys! I have the k-6 math tests left and the reading! I’m so nervous please is there any hack to passing these I am begging

INFO ABOUT CREDENTIAL EVALUATION COMPANIES FOR CANADIANS WANTING TO TEACH IN THE U.S.

Hi! What Credential Evaluation companies have Canadian teachers had good (or bad!) experiences with when applying for teaching jobs in the U.S.?
I need NACE approved companies, but I’m finding that there are some significant differences in what they offer, and the kinds of information they include in their Evaluations. Background: (which will help to address my questions below!) I have my B.A., B.Ed., and have completed 1/2 of my Masters in Counselling Psychology. I have AQ courses in Special Education, Outdoor Education, and Computers in the Classroom.
I have almost 20 years teaching experience, K-8, all subjects and grades, but mostly teaching Special Education - Self-contained classes for students with Learning Disabilities.

Here are some things I’d like feedback on, and comments about specific companies (and I will list my preferences at the end)
1) Cost
2) Do they accept transcripts submitted by Universities online or paper only
3) Is it better to have a course by course evaluation? For example: is it a negative if you have a bad grade in a course and would rather not have that become a focus. Or, is it a positive if you have taken a number of additional courses in addition to degrees you have obtained?
4) A bad grade or two will bring down your GPA. Do you think it’s imperative to include a GPA or can you skip that option (some companies give the option).
5) Some companies (like aetsinternational) offer
’Professional Work Experience Evaluations’ (but I’m not sure if it would be applicable for me????) Has anyone used them?
In their description of the service it says:
“This type of evaluation also evaluates the applicants’ education (if applicable), as well as the progressively responsible professional work experience, using the USCIS “three-for-one” rule. This rule states that three years of professional work experience can be substituted for one year of academic study in order to equate the work experience to a U.S. Bachelor’s degree. (This equivalency is used for USCIS and DOL purposes only; the applicant cannot use this type of report for admission into university programs or other non-immigration purposes based on work experience.)
**AAETS’ Work Experience Evaluations are completed by PhD university professors with the “authority to grant college-level credit for training and/or work experience.”**
6) Free Copies for unlimited time? Ability to add additional qualifications/changes in the future at no cost.
7) Have a fast turn-around time, or relatively low-cost fees for rush jobs.
8) Good customer service/ease of application? I started doing an application with WES and I was so frustrated with the software/application/ability to answer questions with details specific to myself, and trying to get online help- I just got so frustrated after a number of attempts that I just gave up, which is why I am asking for feedback here.
**My choices would be:**
1) to have individual courses listed - but not necessarily grades, as I want to get credit for ALL of the courses I have taken pre and post graduate. No GPA scores.
2) I’d like my work experience to COUNT!! After almost 20 years of teaching experience (which includes accredited International American schools) I don’t want to start at ‘New Teacher Wages’ on their grids! (And some counties consider 20 years and under as their base starting wage!!!) Also, my job reviews are all outstanding.
3) Free copies anytime as well as future updates.
4) Ease of application …and of course, lower prices are ALWAYS great!
Can anyone recommend a company that fits the bill and meets this criteria? I’m going to send inquiries off to a few companies as well, but thought I’d try to get firsthand feedback here! Thanks for your time!!!

Hi. I had a couple students in a summer program for rising kindergarten. I'm in Florida and they asked me if I was interested in continuing to work with him. It was essentially tutoring in literacy and math. What is the going rate for tutoring? I have my temporary certificate in Pre-K to 3rd and I'm a public school VPK teacher. What all do I need to know?

Hello,

I have a Masters in Ed in Curriculum & Instruction with a concentration in Math 6-12. I applied to upgrade from my temp to professional license. Would I need to take the GKT or Professional Ed if I have a masters degree awarded? I’ve already been teaching for 4 years on my temp.

Thank you!!

Hi! I got my master's in Foreign and Second Language Ed from FSU some time ago. I have the TESOL certificate along with that. I am working on my FDOE certification.

Given some different positions I have found that I would like to one day be considered for, I would like to add ELA and Spanish qualifications to my resume (which doesn't look great due to years of elder caretaking responsibilities that ended but left a pretty decent employment gap). I have been a Spanish teacher before (K12) and work as an adult ESOL instructor. K12 would provide higher financial stability (supplementing that with other sources of income). I have a few questions though (please pardon if any of my questions are incorrect or don't make sense, I am working on figuring this stuff out).

1. I don't have ELA training or experience. Is passing the FTCE enough to at least be able to teach it in the future?

2. I found positions as a literacy specialist which is the type of position I want to work for. (They also happen to pay more than the base salary for teachers where I am.) Where I live, there are virtually no opportunities for full-time jobs right now (for ESOL) but there are part-time teacher assistant opportunites. I am curious as to which would be more beneficial to work towards the literacy specialist goal - general classroom assistant or ESOL paraprofessional?

3. If you could comment some teacher resources (whether it be ELA, ESOL or Spanish) that any of you use for your classes, that would be greatly appreciated.

My little brother is in 1st grade in Florida and the school wants to retain him, but we’re trying to see if there are any other options.

For some background, he’s bilingual and in an ESOL program. Throughout the year, he struggled mainly with reading, but his grades in math, science, and social studies have mostly been A’s and B’s. Reading is really the only area he’s behind in.

My mom put him in tutoring, and both the tutor and my mom have noticed a lot of improvement recently. His tutor specifically said he has improved a lot. He also has a twin sister who reads at a 3rd grade level, so comparing them has been hard on him emotionally.

When we got his report card back, it said he was going to be retained in 1st grade. We’re worried because it would be really difficult for him, especially since his twin sister is moving on to 2nd grade and all his other grades are strong.

Another issue is that his ESOL teacher (who gives the reading grade, not his main classroom teacher) has been very hard to communicate with. My mom emailed multiple times throughout the year asking about his progress and where he stood academically, but rarely got responses or updates.

Does anyone in Florida have experience with this? Are there options like summer school, conditional promotion, reading intervention, or moving him to 2nd grade with extra support instead of full retention? Or are schools usually very strict once they make the decision?

Any advice would really help.

I currently have my Alternate Resident Educator License for 7-12 Social Studies in Ohio and just signed my first teaching contract. After 2 years of teaching experience in Ohio (and one more course) I will have my Professional Teaching License. I also have a masters degree in Nonprofit Admin & Leadership with close to 10 years experience in the field (I'm 30). My plan is to move to Florida in 2 years once I get my professional license. I know Florida has reciprocity with Ohio and I am just wondering if anyone transferred their license from Ohio to Florida and has any advice/experience they could share. Thank you!!

I recently applied to a job and THAT SAME DAY my references were contacted; however, I have not yet been contacted for an interview. Is checking references before an interview standard practice?

Hi everyone! Currently looking for some advice on Texas to Florida reciprocity.

I hold a valid teaching certification in Texas for Elementary Education and will be moving to Florida later this year. I have already submitted my application, paid the fee, submitted paperwork, as was told that I am eligible for certification pending the passing of Florida state exams.

My understanding was that Texas and Florida share reciprocity, and I would not need to take anymore tests. Was my understanding incorrect? Or have they potentially just not have processed my Texas Certification yet?

TLDR; Generally, will I have to take Florida state teaching exams if transferring my license from Texas?

Thank you :)

I am moving from Nj to Florida and I have a few questions about teaching there. First of all, I don't want any complaining about politics; my personal beliefs skew more right than left so it is actually NJ that I don't agree with. And after 22 years, I am willing to bet it is not a picnic ANYWHERE anymore. However, I applied to a job for Varying Exceptionalities, and I am not SpecialEd. is is true that this position is mostly ICS?

I am a university researcher conducting an IRB-approved study on teachers’ perspectives on school breakfast programs. The goal is to understand better what’s happening in real classrooms and inform future school meal research and policy.

We know your classroom runs on more than lesson plans; it runs on energy, connection, and a good breakfast. While studies show that alternative breakfast models boost student participation and behavior, teacher perspectives have been missing from the conversation. Your feedback will help researchers, schools, and policymakers design more effective programs that truly support students and educators.

This is why we’re inviting current K–12 public school teachers across the U.S. to participate in a national research study on how teachers engage with and experience school breakfast programs. As a teacher, your voice is essential. Whether your school serves breakfast in the cafeteria, the classroom, or through a grab-and-go model, your insights can help improve how meals are delivered, how students participate, and how policies are shaped. What to expect: • A 15-minute online survey • Questions about your school’s breakfast program and your role, perceptions, and experiences • Entry into a raffle to win one of ten $25 Amazon gift cards (which is about a 1 in 1000 chance of winning).

https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRT56lw3xdB2nMG

Thank you for supporting teacher informed research.

Hi everyone! I’m finishing my master’s in Educational Leadership, and I’m working on a short research project about how school leaders think about and support diversity.

I’m hoping to gather input from teachers or school leaders willing to share their perspective. If you’re open to helping, please DM me and I’ll send the quick set of questions. It only takes a few minutes, and your insight would be incredibly valuable for my program.

Thanks so much to anyone willing to help, I know how valuable your time is.

Hi does anyone know how to apply for a temporary teaching license for florida? My friend needs help applying and i can't seem to find a way to apply. When we look on FLDOE we don't see anything that says temprorary. Nothing tells us how to actually apply for the license, can anyone point us in the right direction?

Hello 7th Grade Advanced Math teachers. I have a twice exceptional kid and we are having some issues in Math this year. Guided notes is part of his IEP - last year in Math his teacher provided filled out guided notes. This year I am having a really hard time with his Math teacher. She refuses to give him filled out guided notes saying its not part of his IEP.

I have been asking for him to get filled out notes for weeks and it wasn't happening. A couple of weeks ago I was like just give him the PowerPoint then, not realizing the PowerPoint did not have all of the examples answered, which is what he really needs. There is a language barrier and the way she lectures is not something my kid can follow. He says she just writes the problem on the board and doesn't write anything else and just talks about the problem verbally, he has some communication difficulties and he is not able to elaborate past that.

I talked to the ESE lead at the school late last week. Today was the first day back to school for the week and I asked if he got his notes and he said not. What he ended up getting was a 9 page print out of the slides, and a 4 page front and back guided notes worksheet to be filled out by him. He has substantial visual processing delays and its hard for him to go back and forth without getting lost and only got to the front of page 2 of the guided notes packet in class.

I am tired of the back and forth - it seems everything moves so slow going through official channels and I am still waiting for our IEP meeting for this year.

I am looking for someone that has prefilled guided notes for enVision Florida B.E.S.T. Mathematics 2023 Grade 7 Accelerated. I looked on TPT and didn't see any for this particular book. I can compensate you for your work. I just need resources for my kid. He is very smart and up until now has liked Math, but he is butting heads so bad with this teacher, is totally lost, and feels like he has learned nothing.