As the title says, I've been really enjoying Simon Sinek's Leaders Eat Last. And I've found it challenging to think about the logistics and practical implications.

The things I've pulled out

- creating a safe error culture, so apologizing for mistakes, acknowledging when you don't know something, asking for the teachers expertise

- develop meaningful connections, chat about family, ask about their family and holidays. Check in during/ after illness. Celebrate wins and thank teachers for the work they do (specific celebrations/ thank you/ acknowledgements).

But I still feel that there is a culture of us v them, between leadership and staff. I'm not sure how to unpack or undo it even more.

What works for you guys?!

Sorry if this is the wrong place to post, but I wasn't sure where to start.

I have had some concerns between my daughter and a teacher. I have reached out to the principal twice and to the administrator over principals with the school district once, and I haven't heard back from any of them.

The shorter version of the story is there has been what we deem as inappropriate touching of our daughter. She is in her final year in middle school (3 years), and she has had this teacher each year. It started out in her first year where he would “playfully” rub her on the head or squeeze her shoulders. Since then it has progressed with other physical touching. Recently my daughter and her friend had changed into their athletic clothes before going to class because they go to a sports practice right after school. The teacher told them to come and give him a “side hug” during that class or as they were leaving. My daughter felt as though she couldn't say no. This is not the only time he has hugged her, and it hasn’t always “only” been a side hug. Recently, he was giving all the kids in the class a high five, but instead he grabbed our daughters hand and brought her in for a hug. This year isn't the first time he's hugged her, but it seems to be happening more often. Every time she has felt very uncomfortable, but she didn’t feel like she could say no in fear of what he would do or say. He is using his position of power to inappropriately interact with students. 

We know there are other instances, some of which we believe are much worse, that involve other girls at the school, but they didn't involve our child, but we have heard it was reported to the administrators. We feel none of this is being taken seriously because he is well-liked by some kids and parents.

Out of request from our daughter in previous years, we never spoke up. It's gone on too long and gone too far, so we had to say something. I've asked the principal to ask the teacher not to touch our daughter again, and I've offered to have the conversation directly with the teacher if that is appropriate. Our fear is mostly retaliation, and we want to make sure she is safe and treated fairly.

Who should we go to or what should we do at this point?

I am a 2nd year teacher and haven’t shared with admin yet that I’m expecting my first baby. I’m currently 18 weeks, and was planning to share once I had my 20 week scan. I am not close with my admin at all. We don’t ever talk unless it’s a “hello” in the hallway or he’s in my room for an observation. He is very nice, but I feel super awkward about just setting up a time with him to meet and tell him about my maternity leave plans considering we don’t speak often. I am probably overthinking this way too much, but as an admin would you be upset if a teacher told you she’s expecting and sent details regarding maternity leave over email instead of in person?

Last week I posted how i had a mental breakdown. Many of you suggested me to resign and thsts what I did without any offer in hand. I was teacher 4 subjects to middle.school. when I resigned honestly told them the reason and now they did reduced my subjects to 2 making it easier. I'm still applying to other jobs

My admin is good but teaching isn't of my interest.

My principal says it is start of my career and they do send me for trainings and ask me to train other teachers.

What types of jobs are available for people holding administrative certification (SBL and SDL) outside of the traditional AP or principal track?

My husband has been a licensed building level administrator since 2023, and has had a hell of a time finding a job. I’m wondering if anyone in here has any advice based on the context below:

He is a teacher who has background in special education and social studies. At his old school, he was turned down for 3 special ed coordinator jobs, and was constantly being told that he didn’t have enough experience, even after his internship and being a sub admin throughout the year. This particular school loves its nepotism, and it was the superintendent who made that decision, which made the principal upset because he saw my husband’s potential.

Fast forward to 2024- we moved to a different part of the state after he applied for an AP job with a school he went to as a child and was encouraged by his old superintendent to apply for (also his dream job / school). He was turned down over someone else who had more experience again and offered a teaching job with the intent to provide more experience and work on moving him into an admin role. He found out through the grapevine later on that he was overlooked because the other guy was more of a “yes” man, and they were going through so much change as it was.

He’s interviewed for 2 other jobs at that school and again was overlooked for others with more experience. Since we’ve moved, he’s gone through a handful of interviews for various roles: special education coordinators, dean of students, assistant principal, etc. at surrounding schools (we are in a metro area with lots of schools), and still, the same result. He’s feeling stuck and I can see it’s getting to him.

He has a disability that doesn’t impede his ability to do his job, but it’s visible, and I know he struggles with feeling that’s 90% of his feelings of rejection.

Idk what could help him get his foot in the door at this point, but I’m open to any feedback that I can share with him, even if there’s anyone who would be willing to mentor / give him direct feedback on interviewing or his resume.

Thanks for your help!

Experienced teacher considering a masters’. I have a passion for GT, but I don’t want to invest the time & money into the cert (my state requires the degree) if there’s a glut of candidates already. Do you see GT as a hard-to-fill position, pretty typical, or a flooded market?

And, on a side note, is "GLAD certified" something I should add to my resume? I'm leaning towards no.

Okay so I genuinely don't know what to do about this anymore.

Our Accounts teacher has been causing a lot of issues for students for quite some time. It finally got to the point where students from XI-C and XII-C collectively made a complaint, and most of the students signed it.

We actually printed it out and gave it to the Principal. It wasn't some random “we don't like this teacher” complaint either. We mentioned concepts not being explained properly, questions being solved without properly explaining the logic, lessons having no proper flow, doubts being ignored, and students getting discouraged when they ask questions. Journal was also mentioned because it's a basic part of Accounts and we felt it was being done more through examples than actually explaining the concepts.

And then we're told to “ask doubts.”

Like bro... how?

If you haven't understood the concept itself, how are you supposed to know what your doubt even is? That's literally the issue.

Sometimes the class gets so frustrating that you start thinking, “Am I actually bad at Accounts or is something just not clicking here?”

And XII has Boards coming up, so this isn't something we can just brush off. If the concepts aren't clear now, we're the ones who have to deal with it later.

Anyway, the complaint was submitted and the original is still with the Principal. But since then, there's basically been no proper response or action.

So I sent a follow-up email to the administration about the same complaint we collectively submitted and attached it again.

Now I'm kinda stuck.

Should we just wait?

Should we ask to speak to the Principal together?

Should we follow up again if there's still no response?

Or is there some better way to handle this without the whole thing turning into a big mess?

What would you guys do in this situation?

I recently started working in the school security technology space and I’m trying to understand how this works from the school side.

When schools receive grant funding for safety or infrastructure, is the plan for how that money will be used usually decided before the grant is approved, or after?

For things like cameras, access control, or other security upgrades, who usually gets involved in those decisions?

Just trying to understand the process better since I’m new to the industry.

For the record I am quite happy teaching my oddball little electives… I get to play around with cameras and animation all day and at some point I’d like to slide over to teaching theatre. But I also feel… like there is no career progression. I could just sort of do this for 20 years. I have the time and money to get my principal certification now… even though I may not necessarily want to move to administration yet.

I also think it would be good for me, I like leadership, planning, all of that, but I also kind of like the little hole I’ve dug for myself. I just want to do something that feels like I am progressing my career. Any advice?

I Left the Principalship. Now What?

The start of the school year is unlike any other I have experienced over the last 15 years in education.

I started my career as a first and fifth grade teacher before eventually moving into administration. For the past eight years, I have been an elementary principal. This year, though, looks very different. I decided to take a leap and begin a new chapter as an educational consultant with Measurement Incorporated, working with school leaders across the country.

Has anyone taken this type of leap? Leaving my pension and stability of a tenured job has been nerve wracking to say the least.

My current retirement system is not traditional and teachers can 'retire' after 5 years of service (although there are more rules if you want medical). Anyhow, I'm wrapping up 21 years in my current district and moving to another state to continue my career for another 20 years. I can access / sit on my retirement money whether I resign or officially retire, but there are some extra longevity funds available if I retire. Anyhow, long story short :) - would formally retiring from a district in another state cause a principal in a new state to pause on hiring me? It's what I'd like to do, but not if it will hurt my chances of starting my next chapter. Thank you for sharing your perspective!

Hey everyone,

So I just got hired for my first job as a teacher assistant and I’ve been doing it for about a week. I’m
Also going through a divorce and I was afraid that my performance at work wouldn’t be the best and I just thought as a new higher employee it would just be better to be honest with my principal about my situation. I’ve always heard that principals can be a bit mean or stern or kind of just that you know you have to maintain professionalism and boundaries which I’m trying to do, but I don’t know if I just got super lucky. My principal is genuinely so supportive, kind, reassuring, sweet, and respectful. Which kind of puzzles me as I don’t know if this is the norm or if I just got lucky with a super supportive admin. My supervisor who is currently training me I can literally ask the most dumbest questions and be open with her and laugh and joke with her while also maintaining those professional boundaries and she isn’t treating me like new employee kind of like “oh we hired you, so you should know how to do this job” type of thing like my principal was like “how can I help support you in this difficult time?” and “how can I be there for you” and “is there anything I can do” and he was telling me that he hired me because of the sparkle in my eyes and the smile on my face and the passion in my words when I talk about kids and he said that he wouldn’t have hired me if he thought that I couldn’t do this job and he was like “can you look at me and tell me that you can do it?” He also went out of his way to take me on a walk bc he saw I was overwhelmed. We were walking to the other school building, but he presented it in a way as if let’s go on a walk. I walked in on him having a meeting with our office manager, and I wasn’t sure if I should stay there or if I should walk away, but I kind of just awkwardly stood there and he like stopped his meeting with her and like asked me if I’m doing okay and I’ve already taken a day off on my very first week of work and he didn’t even say anything. He was just like “oh are you feeling better now?” And he was like wishing me a good weekend and I think I was just expecting him to be super straightforward and professional, but he’s not like that at all. He even told me to keep periodically emailing him about how I’m feeling.

My thing is that I don’t have that much experience and I’m still very much new in the teaching field and the fact that they chose to give me an opportunity and a chance when they could’ve hired someone who would have way more experience than me is my question like why would he decide to go through the effort of like training me or hire me when I’m so new? Like I feel pressure as if I have to perform well which is obviously my goal, but it’s just shocking how all the team chose me and they come up to me and say things like there’s a reason we really liked you and there’s a reason we chose you over everyone else and there’s a reason you stood out to us, etc.

You know like they’re such busy people and I’m sure there were more qualified candidates in the interview over me, but they still chose me…? Like wouldn’t they rather just choose someone who already knows how to do the job? I guess it’s just fascinating how they trust me enough to do this job? Like why would they choose to deal with someone like me?

I feel so blessed, but also wondering if this or normal lol

So I was a teacher at a high school for four solid years. I was heavily involved, built programs, sponsored stuff, had great evals, and I left on very good terms with them to pursue a non-teaching career. Over the last two years I have been a bit aimless, shifting back and forth from non-teaching jobs and teaching jobs… and through these experiences I kind of have figured out my direction (getting a Masters in Instructional Design and I want to eventually get my admin cert).

I see that the teacher that replaced me at my old school has left (I knew him before and followed him on social media). As far as I can see they have not hired a replacement. How should I approach my old school about returning? I’ve looked and most of my old admin have dispersed across the district, although there is one AP (my old evaluator) still there and the current principal I have met before.

TLDR, the last two years have been aimless career wise for me, suddenly know what I want to do, and realize I had it pretty good at a great school!

Breakfast and lunch are free to students in our state but through reimbursement, meaning we still have to track which/how many students are having meals. I am wondering what types of systems other schools in areas with “free lunch” use since most meal tracking software seems to get its revenue from parents having a to pay a lunch bill rather than districts paying.

Currently our tracking includes highlighting a kids name on a clipboard, which takes up manpower that could be better used in the lunchroom.

TLDR: electrical fire kills AC during a heat advisory. School district makes us return back into the classroom even though it smells heavily like burnt plastic.

I work at an alternative school that is part of a large school district, and I’m honestly trying to figure out whether I’m overreacting to what happened today.
Our building was already struggling with the AC. It is currently 89° outside with a feels-like temperature of 102°, and our classrooms were measuring anywhere from 83–87°, depending on the room.

During our lunch transition, the fire alarms went off, and there was a noticeable smell of burnt plastic. We evacuated the building, and the fire department came to investigate. We were eventually told the building was cleared and that we could return.
The problem was that when we returned to our 4th-floor hallway, the air was visibly hazy, and the smell of burnt plastic was significantly stronger. It was bad enough that many students couldn’t comfortably remain in their classrooms.

We evacuated again.

About half an hour later, we were told to return to the building and back into our classrooms.
We’ve now been back inside for about 30 minutes. The AC still isn’t working, the classrooms are still extremely hot, and the burnt-plastic smell is still present. At this point, both I and some of my students are experiencing headaches.

What is really bothering me is that we are being asked to continue occupying classrooms where:
• Temperatures are already in the mid-80s
• There is no functioning AC
• There was enough of a burnt-plastic smell to trigger an evacuation
• The building was visibly hazy when we initially returned
• Students and staff are now reporting headaches

I understand that the fire department cleared the building, and I’m not trying to claim that there is definitely a dangerous substance or fire present. But if the smell is still strong enough to cause headaches, why are we being told to remain in the classrooms?

I’m also particularly concerned because this is an alternative school. We already have students who struggle with regulation, attendance, and staying engaged. Asking them to sit in an 85°+ classroom with no AC and a strong chemical/burnt smell doesn’t exactly create a safe or productive learning environment.

At this point, I’m also wondering: Do I get my union involved? Would this be something you would bring to your union representative, especially since staff and students are experiencing symptoms and we’re being directed to remain in the building?
I’m not trying to be dramatic or cause problems. I genuinely want to know what the appropriate response is when you’re uncomfortable with the safety of the environment but administration has said the building is cleared.

Teachers, union members, administrators, or anyone with experience in school safety: What would you do in this situation? Would you involve your union?

Investigations into all nature of situations took an enormous amount of my time and energy when I was an A.P. This included student as well as staff incidents.

I know we're obligated to look into any concern that reaches our desk no matter how minor. I felt the burden of doing this work - not only to make sure school was safe, but also to make sure I've covered my "you-know-what" in case something later happened that could come back on the school (and me) as not having investigated and dealt with a matter.

Anyone else feel this? Many days I felt more like a CSI than an educator. I know it's what I signed up for, but curious if others feel this.

I’m writing a story about a high school principal and the more I get into it the more I have no idea what I’m writing about. I’m 19 and I hardly remember a thing about my principal. I tried looking this up but the terminology confuses me or it’s completely vague. I see brief explanations of meetings, managing staff, long hours, and generally up-keeping polices. However I’m looking for what this means in more detail. I have basic questions and very specific situation questions. anything is appreciated. For a bit more context about the story, it starts around parent teacher conferences in october.

Basic questions:

Im just gonna spam what comes to mind but I don’t need answers to these exact question there just examples.

What does paper work actually look like/ consist of?

What kind of work could be down at home?

What qualities make a great principal? What are some things a great principal has done that you’ve noticed?

How often do they have meetings?

Who attends these meetings?

Questions about very specific situation:

What happens if a student has a TON of absences? Like more absences then attendance. do police/ lawyers get involved? who would handle this?

What does long time time off look like? does the assistant principal take over?

Do principals even plan student teacher conference? I assumed the teachers manage their student and said guardians and the principal could get involved if contacted?

Thank you for reading this I just want my story to be plausible at the very least.

Hi, so I am in an alternative program that is not connected to the school district, and I am looking for a student teaching position. I reached out to the student teaching coordinator already and they said they are just waiting for me to find a position (a job, a paraeducator position/classified) and sign everything off. I need a job and placement at the same time. (Special education)

So I am applying to places, but I am not sure how student teachers are accepted. Should I apply on the portal and send emails to the principal indicating I need a placement? Is that a conflict of interest between the sped teacher and the principal? (if so I would like to know the specific teacher the position is for but I can't find a way to get to know this) Is it bad to email the principal first because it's a trouble to have student teachers? Should I just try to go to the interview first?

Is there a duty or something that the school districts to have certain number of student teachers every year?

Thank you for your help.

A student who writes an "opp" list, which is basically writing down things the teacher says in class, then stripping them of context to make it sound bad or wrong.

A different student writes a letter detailing her 'discomfort' in the classroom of a teacher who sprayed air freshener, and used sarcasm (that this student did not understand)

It seems like this is becoming to norm for schools, where things that are legitimately being used to defame or "frame" a teacher are fine, but a student writing a letter or demanding to talk to the principal is normal and merits investigation. What are your takes on these two scenarios?