Being a parent is NOT equivalent to having a degree in education, and we seriously need to stop pretending like it does. Teaching and parenting are two completely different jobs.
#Teachers
#Professionals
We (especially admin) need to quit being afraid of pissed off parents. This is public service, not customer service. You want a school where you control all the rules? Homeschool or pay someone to homeschool. Your kids are not so special that they get preferential treatment.
At a school I've never been at before today. Some things I LOVE:
PE class has roller skates.
Instead of "specials", art, music, pe, and library are called "essentials". Big fan. The arts, movement, and humanities are indeed essential.
Take teachers seriously. We are not whining and we are not lying about how intensely strenuous this job is. We’re giving it everything we have, and we are so burnt out we are burning down, physically and mentally.
The sub shortage is not the burden of teachers.
The sub shortage is absolutely the burden of district administration to pay/treat subs well enough that they'll apply.
Don't let your school admin manipulate you. Your days off are YOURS. You don't have to justify a damn thing.
I often wonder what our schools would be if we gave them the military budget. Here's some of what I would do.
1. Increase teacher salaries by 15k across the board.
2. Give every teacher 1k/semester for classroom supplies.
3. Fund arts integration and programs.
What about you?
Teachers should not have to be medicated in order to do their job. Take stuff off their god damn plates.
(I'm not shaming medication whatsoever I'm just saying most teachers I know are on anti-anxiety meds and/or antidepressants)
Remember, everything you allow from parents and administration is something they'll try with another teacher. We are employees, not martyrs and we need solidarity. Education is NOT customer service, it's a public service.
The hill I will die on is please STOP using food as a reward. Yes, even candy. It's not trauma-informed. Food should never be tied to behavior or success of any kind. Food is morally nuetral.
I don't understand how having to be removed from class daily doesn't automatically trigger an emergency IEP meeting to revise the IEP. It pisses me off that the educational rights of all students don't matter equally.
Teacher evaluations are pointless. We all know who is not pulling their weight in our buildings, individuals well skilled at weaponized incompetence that goes on just because we need a warm body. Let's not play pretend. We're grown here.
Students don't need their phones in school, even for emergencies. Contacting emergency services is the adult's job. Every single classroom has a classroom phone. Parents rushing to the school slows the response time of emergency personnel. There are protocols for reunification.
It is not my job as a teacher to make parents happy. It is my job as a teacher to cultivate productive, kind global citizens who have respect for themselves and others.
The teacher lounge hill I'll die on: There should be at LEAST four microwaves in every teacher's lounge. There are too many teachers to spend half your lunch waiting in line to microwave a meal. What's your big teacher lounge
#EduPinion
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#EduChat
#Discussion
#JustNoTunaPlease
Something that is neglected in teacher prep programs is practicing non-verbal body language as a class management tactic. Confident posture, slightly lower voice, and eye contact go a LONG way. I wish there was some sort of consultant position just for this bc my background /1
I'm not the first person to say this, nor will I be the last, but school choice is just white flight rebranded. If you don't want your kids to go to school with kids who are poor, or Black/Brown, or disabled, etc. consider doing society a favor and don't become a parent.
Veteran teachers (15+ years or more) what's kept you in education and classroom teaching? It's okay if your answer is "Spite", I'd honestly respect that.
Refusing services for your child just because you don't want them to be labelled is educational neglect. It's not about you, it's about what is best for your child. Why would any parent want their kid to suffer when they need support? I don't get it.
Can we maybe not automatically assume that teachers drink and that they need alcohol for Teacher Appreciation Day? Some of us are sober. Some of us drink rarely. All of us should be using healthier coping mechanism for stress than alcohol. Just saying.
Sometimes removing disruptive students (temporarily and giving them coping skills to return) is the only way other students will be able to learn. Psychological distress from witnessing trauma everyday takes it's toll and puts the other students in fight or flight as well.
I wish I was teaching. I don't mean I regret quitting my really toxic school, I mean that I wish I was teaching. I wish it had worked out. I wish that I didn't have to quit to save my life (a later realization). I miss teaching. I miss having purpose. I hope this makes since.
Nobody ever discussed how isolating teacher burn out is. Especially when you were super excited about a teaching job and/or a career in education and then it turned into a nightmare. It's lonely.
Ok but like calling parents is pointless because 95% of the time nothing productive happens and the only info you gain is why their kids are the way they are. Email > Phone calls because we as teachers need a paper trail.
Let me rephrase:
Teachers should spend more time on instruction than they do on behavior management. Admin, counselors, the community and parents/guardians should support this as a norm.
I would really like all the parents who think educators are indoctrinating their kids to explain to us exactly how we go about this supposed indoctrination process, step by step. Be as specific as possible.
Do they come home talking about human rights? Compassion?Empathy? Love?
I wish parents could understand that as much as we try to make our classroom a safe place, we can't control the fact that other parents let their kids raise themselves and are just fine with them acting like complete fools. We can only do so much as teachers. We're trying.
At the school I sub at, students who disrupt the ability of others to learn due to choices within their control are removed from the classroom. This practice is unfortunately quite controversial. Accountability is powerful.
Controversial opinion today:
"All parents want their child to learn and succeed" is a myth. Some do not care, openly say so, and there's not much you can do to change their mind. If you haven't dealt with parents like this, thank your lucky stars.
"You don't need a degree to be a teacher" contributes to the notion that teachers aren't professional and anyone can do our job. People without a degree can be great teachers, but foundational knowledge sure freaking helps.
#EduChat
#Teachers
#Professionals
It's difficult to like people who constantly physically and verbally abuse you, even if they happen to be under the age of 18. Idk why the fuck we're expected to grin and bear it just because we're teachers. Sometimes, it's absolutely the kids.
#teacherresignation
I know the goal is to never stay past contract hours and never take any work home but what we're NOT going to do is shame new teachers for doing so while they are discovering what systems work best for them. Help them, don't shame them!
#NewTeacher
#ContractHours
#Support
Part of the reason that I believe teachers spend their own money on their classrooms is because districts make the process to spend what little (if any) funds teachers get unnecessarily difficult and convoluted.
I've realized lately I have a few classroom catchphrases:
"Questions, Concern, Confusion?"
"Don't stress, do your best, you are blessed."
What's your classroom catchphrase?
What about teaching do you wish the public could understand?
For me, it's how much we care versus how much we are up against. It's demoralizing sometimes, but we make our classroom a joyful place anyway.
#RealTalk
#EduChat
#Teaching
#Education
I swear some people forget that there are a TON of teachers who don't teach English or Math like y'all are the minority, not us lol. Just because it's not a "tested" subject doesn't mean it's not important.
If full inclusion in Gen Ed despite ongoing additional support isn't working for a student, it doesn't automatically mean there's something wrong w the Gen Ed teacher or they're not providing support correctly. Some kids need SPED class the majority of the time to succeed. 🤷��♀️
I don't allow homophobic remarks in my classroom. I don't allow transphobic remarks in my classroom. I don't allow racist, anti-Semitic or Islamaphobic remarks either. Be pissed off. Freedom of speech is not freedom from consequence.
Every single school in America should have this policy. My district is by no means perfect, but they don't put up with the bullshit I see all over social media of teachers being attacked.
Here's a secret: You DO NOT have to be the teacher that every student learns the lessons they need to learn from. You are one person giving your best effort. Don't lose sleep trying to move mountains when you are given a plastic spoon as your shovel to do so with.
#EduReal
@FixingEducation
My district hired a retired Navy Seal as a substitute teacher for a middle school teacher. He made it to lunch on his first day, left and never came back.
I'm a bad teacher for saying this, but I miss school. I miss my students and the structure of the school day. I'm probably the only one but sometimes I feel like I'm the only teacher on EduTwitter that actually likes their job. 🤷♀️
#EduThoughts
I really hate that I've become a part of that statistic that half of new teachers quit in their first 5 years but A) I'm much happier now and B) I'd have to be a little nuts to stay at my old school a day longer than I did.
If that means I'm weak & can't "take it", so be it.
@oldandrewuk
I don’t do phone calls to parents for that reason. Once I spent 20 mn arguing with a parent because their kid had used a computer to copy and paste a scriptorium task. I explained why it was pointless. They did not get it
Elementary teachers what do y'all do about tattling because good grief haha 😂 first grade had a lot to say and very little of it was their own business.
Ever had a kid refuse to do their final and think it's hilarious? Gave a zero and was onto the next. I don't get paid enough to have my time wasted. Cue the begging for extra credit and me not giving them jack shit.
The only person who should evaluate a teacher is another teacher who teaches their same content area & (bc apparently this isn't a given) I believe teachers doing the evaluating should be compensated approximately with time & money. Period.
#whyteachersquit
#nepotism
@Callie0721
I gasped oh my gosh I hope the teacher is going to press charges. That might sound extreme but if admin aren't going to give consequences, someone has to..
Tw: suicide
I had to call 911 today for a client bc they attempted. Got sent home for the day & have access to mental health services bc I'm outside of education. I know if I was still in it, I would just be expected to keep on teaching like nothing happened.
#whyteachersquit
Tweet 1: "Don't spend your own money on your classroom."
Tweet 2: "If you don't give your students endless free pencils you're a crappy teacher!"
^ My timeline, currently.
#EduTwitter
#HillsToDieOn
#TakeYourPick
The parents that need a conference never come and the parents that definitely don't need a conference ask us how they can get that 99 to an 100... Waste of time for everyone.
That one kid who almost hit me in the face yesterday choked another kid today, leaving a visible mark on her neck, and was back with us at lunch within 5 minutes. I've been crying for 45 minutes literally out of anger.
I just got fired.
They said I wasn't a good fit for my current role but I am welcome to apply for other roles within the organization.
I did not see this coming and was completely blindsided. I'm genuinely so confused. Just wishing for good vibes at this time.
Talking with veteran teachers (20+ years in the game) feels like speaking with a historical figure. Like dang you have more gusto than I will ever have.
Today's controversial opinion:
Mainstreaming more often than not does way more harm than good.
Children who need additional support don't get their support needs met by proximity to children with less support needs via magical osmosis. LRE should be least restrictive for all.
Teachers who are
#childfreebychoice
, how does your life as a
#teacher
benefit because you do not have children? For me, it meant greater work-life
#balance
. I love children. BUT, I realized, I did NOT want to come home to them after work.
Pro Tip if you're new:
Create materials on your own drive and share them with your school account. Always retain complete ownership of anything you create. It's your property, not the district's, even after you quit if that ends up being the case.
All single-stall faculty restrooms should be gender neutral. There is no reason for a heavily dominated female profession to not have gender neutral restrooms.
#LetTeachersPee
I understand the decision to take your child off their medication is a difficult one but watching students struggle because they're off their meds is like witnessing what I would only describe as Jekyll and Hyde for lack of a better analogy.
#MutingThis
#DestigmitizeMeds