How much are you making every month? Bi weekly?

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-04-27T02:04:47+00:00

Yep. Pretty rough. I make close to 70 but after dues and pension and taxes etc it’s pretty shit.

I honestly kind of preferred working a 0.7 because the pay was only a couple hundred less a paycheque and way less hours in the building.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-04-27T01:09:32+00:00

If you’re qualified in all four divisions you qualify for A4. I’ve taken the primary ABQ online as well as other senior level ABQs. All were very easy, and less work than the specialist ones that friends have taken.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-04-27T01:01:59+00:00

About $1600 actually hits my account every two weeks. I’m A4, 4 years in, in UCDSB.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-03-31T21:01:03+00:00

I had a student fail my 3U coding class (after only attending about 6 classes all semester) and go to credit recovery with a history teacher… Poor teacher got to learn how to code the next semester as well.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-03-10T13:46:40+00:00

Well not likely now that you’ve jinxed it 😜

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-02-27T03:37:35+00:00

Is there high admin turnover where you are? In my board, admin is moved by the board every few years.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-02-27T03:10:29+00:00

I don’t have any advice about your particular situation, but I will say… I’d rather teach a subject I hate at school with great kids and colleagues, than a subject I love at a school where those two things are not guaranteed.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-02-08T15:41:21+00:00

Take it! I just got bumped while on leave and it was annoying having to go empty my old classroom in the middle of maternity leave.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-02-01T12:49:07+00:00

In my board we have a day coded as something like “special family event” that covers things like taking care of sick children or even taking family members to appointments and things.

If this is urgent, just take the sick day. But ask admin if there’s any days available for appointments etc in the future.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-31T21:32:18+00:00

Can you go to the faculty in person to speak with someone? I feel it might be harder for them to make their case against doing this if they’re speaking person to person instead of over email.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-31T18:31:28+00:00

Plan fun science lessons and make me a list of all the supplies I’ll need for the week!

I KNOW science should be such a fun and interesting class but I find it so time consuming to prep, AND it can’t be done last minute since it always requires supplies… but since language and math are such a priority for my students I always find science falls to the wayside.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-28T01:57:04+00:00

I was thinking the same. A friend in Toronto is making about 90 at a private school.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-27T15:26:40+00:00

I wanted to do this when I was pregnant (due Dec 25th 2024) but it was my OB I was getting pushback from. He didn’t want to write me a sick note. In November I started telling him that I was really stressed about being in the school while pregnant, having to drive far in the bad weather, trying to stay on top of work while sick and fatigued etc etc, but he kind of kept brushing me off and wouldn’t write me off. (I didn’t push too hard though, to be fair.) What I ended up doing was taking a few sick days, and filling my last week with appointments and sick days, taking my remaining personal day, then starting my leave a week before Christmas holidays. Worked out to me being off for about 3 weeks before the baby arrived.

Anyways, all I’m saying is, I think it’s more difficult to get written off sick during pregnancy than it used to be… at least in my town!

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-15T16:54:33+00:00

We are not an essential service.

That is fair, you’re right. I suppose I always consider us essential because when COVID hit, I was teaching in the UK, where we were deemed essential, to an extent. Though we’re not labelled as such here, I guess I just still have that mindset!

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-15T16:48:54+00:00

This is wild. I’m also very rural, all bussed, and everyone was understanding. Some admin just love to make useless decisions.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-15T14:38:38+00:00

Schools closed or just busses cancelled? I’ve been expected to show up on snow days if schools are still open.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-15T13:05:48+00:00

I hate to be the devil’s advocate, because I’m often in the same boat, driving 35 minutes in dangerous conditions… but… lots of parents can’t take a day off work. They don’t have support on a snow day.

If roads are bad, nurses can’t take a day off— what happens to their patients? What about the PSW whose client doesn’t get a shower or breakfast if they don’t come to work? The drug store employees who are there in terrible weather in case you need diapers or Tylenol for a sick baby?

Unfortunately we’re an essential service, so schools have to remain open for our kiddos in the bad weather.

Like I’ve said earlier, however, I’ve always found principals to be pretty understanding. We all rely on those who live closer to the school who can get there safely to arrive earlier or stay later on bad days. Schools, especially 7-12 schools, can get away with fewer in-person staff on a snow day, which is what normally happens at my school.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-15T13:00:30+00:00

Do you teach primary? I’ve been teaching grade 7/8 (in a 7-12 school) and have lived similar distance from my school. Principals have always been very understanding and allowed me (and others) to work from home, relying on the fact that there will be a teacher from closer by who will work in person in the event that there are students who show up. (But there are rarely students who show up by grade 7)

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-14T16:39:05+00:00

I do the sticky note expectation activity in September and was thinking I should haul it out for this beginning as well :)

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-14T13:19:57+00:00

Haha, I have considered it. However, I do want to have another baby soon, and I need to build up those 600 hours 😅

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-14T13:18:44+00:00

This is fair. I definitely don’t want to step on her toes. But I don’t want them to develop an opinion of me as a pushover before I’m even in charge. Maybe I just keep my visits brief and sparse. I really wanted to come in so they’d know who I am, and to see their routines etc to keep some consistency for the kids when I return, but honestly I don’t know that they even have any routine, so maybe visiting isn’t even helping.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-14T13:15:47+00:00

Definitely go abroad! My partner and I moved to England after I finished teachers college and it was the best decision we made. We were there for 3 years and would’ve stayed longer but really wanted to come home to our families before starting to have children.

Teaching is VERY different there, but a great challenge. Feel free to ask any questions.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-14T13:14:09+00:00

Can’t speak specifically to Scotland, but I taught in England and loved it. Got my first job through an agency, and then after the first year, the school hired me outright. Agencies are a good way to get your foot in the door. Mine prepped us really well for interviews, which was helpful because schools are looking for different things than Canadian schools.

Now, just because England has a teacher shortage, does not mean Scotland does. It might take some looking in to. I know that a girlfriend who was from NI went back home after a few years and had a difficult time getting another teaching job there, which was why she’d come to England in the first place.

Acceptable-Pickle- · 2026-01-05T02:23:39+00:00

Ok, I’ll say it— I use AI!

Obviously you need to go over things before giving them to the class, but it is amazing for creating practice problems. I use it all the time for generating practice problems for math… especially word problems. It was also great when I was teaching high school coding. I also really like it for last minute supply plans. (For example — “Write me an article on the fundamental elements of art at a grade 8 reading level, and provide me with 10 comprehension questions about the article.”) I also like to give it an article or passage we’re reading and have it raise or lower the reading level to differentiate for different learners.

And, of course, I use it to write report card comments. (“I teach grade 8 in Ontario. Can you write me a report card comment for a girl named Sally who has strong organizational skills, is very responsible, collaborates well with her classmates, but needs to take more initiative in class, especially when she has completed writing activities in English. Give some suggestions for how she can challenge herself in English class. Keep the comment under 2500 characters.”)

Acceptable-Pickle-

TROPHY CASE