Via Wikipedia I’m sure every district requires its teachers to attend some sort of training over the summer.  However, my district requires that training in July.  July!  Good thing I am broke and not spending my summer traveling through Iceland or wherever.  (Makes me think I need to plan my summer a little late next spring to make sure I don’t ...

Via Wikipedia Well technically, the end of the school year for us is next week, but since I am visiting my family, I said good-bye to the kids early. I was full of mixed emotions about sending them off.  I’m sad to see them go.  I’m excited to prepare for a new school year.  I imagine that is the usual reaction of teachers. How are you feeling ...

I live in a very rural area, and everyone knows everything about everyone.  Recently, a very private matter of one of the teachers became public knowledge quite quickly (through no fault of the teacher’s).  I mean, within days of the issue, other staff members were discussing the matter. So, here is my question: in a very close-knit staff, should ...

In the morning, a small group of students arrives to class about thirty minutes earlier than the rest.  Usually, the kids tell me about their mornings or homework problems and whatnot.  One girl likes to tell me about what’s happening in her life. This was our conversation a few weeks ago: Student: Didn’t you used to hate it when your parents ...

At my school, the sixth grade team has recently begun separating students into leveled math groups.  All the students take a pretest on the same math test, and then are sent to whichever class matched their test scores.  So if a student did very poorly on the pretest, he or she was sent to a class with all the other students who did poorly, ...

Via Wikipedia Well, apparently my state has mandated that we teach nutrition on a more regular basis.  We’ve been given all new nutrition curricular materials.  I think that’s a great idea, but I’m wondering why nutrition is taught every day when many schools don’t have regular recess, p.e., or even science or social studies?  Even my school only ...

So I was happily watching a science video for the third time in a row this week (I was subbing for the science teacher), when I noticed a fourth grader sobbing and clutching his hand in the back of the room.  Somehow, another student “accidently” stabbed him with a pencil.  The skin was broken in a perfect circle and lead was mixed up in the ...

Hooray!  I was offered a job teaching the same grade level (6th-elementary) at the same school I student taught in!  I’m super-excited! Now what? Well, for starters, I feel like I have a TON of things to do.  I need to get an in-state teaching license, read the district-mandated teacher evaluation program books, research books on first-year ...

Well, I had my first teaching job interview this week.  I’ve never been so nervous for a job interview in my life.  (Usually my jobs are not things I actually want to do, just need to do.  In this case, I both want and need the job.  A dire and nerve-racking position to be in.) Anyway, the interview. In addition to staring at the interviewer ...

Because of AYP and NCLB, many schools want to hire experienced teachers—teachers who have proven their mettle and can get their students past the state standardized test.  Maybe Obama’s new system of allowing some states to bypass NCLB will mean the districts might consider hiring newcomers?  It’s hard to be a new teacher in this day and ...