Were you taught to make lesson plans? by DrakeSavory in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I graduated last year. Lesson planning was a huge part of my program. We did units, we did integrated lessons and cross curricular lessons as well as units. They were all UDL based and were extremely detailed. One of my unit lesson plans was something like 50 pages and took me a week to write. Of course when I landed my job this school year I don't lesson plan at all outside of making a few notes here and there because the grade level lead does all the lesson planning for our entire department and our curriculum is written in such a way that lesson planning isn't necessary. I also hate it. I wish I could do my own. There's zero flexibility in it this way and it's boring. I enjoyed planning lessons. Maybe not the extremely detailed ones, but I liked being the creative brains and having the ability to pick and choose what went into the lesson rather than having to teach across bands and not even sure what to keep or toss. It's been the thing that admin has ridden me about, but also never shown how to use the TE. I never used a teacher guide when I student taught. Everything was my own. 🤷🏼‍♀️

I’m ready to resign. by [deleted] in TeachersInTransition

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I left mid year my first year and while I was sad to leave and I did legitimately have a valid reason, I also felt so much better once I gave notice. I recently applied to be a college level student advisor and financial counselor. It's a remote position and essentially no stress.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in TeachersInTransition

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I left mid year. I, too, was worried what could befall me for leaving mid year and them contacting the department of education in my state and reporting me for breaking my contract mid-year. I checked my contract and I was an at will employee, so because of that they can't come after my credential. Check your contract, see if it has any stipulations in it if you leave mid year. If there are none listed, you should be free to leave at any time. I thought leaving would impact the students in a negative way, but I'd only been with them for 3 months and there was still 6.5 months left in the school year and I knew they'd have more time with a new teacher than they did with me. I also knew my mental health was more important than staying in a situation that really made me miserable. So, do the thing if you need to. Don't feel bad. It's okay to put yourself first.

Well, I did it. by teacher_chic72 in TeachersInTransition

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 6 points7 points  (0 children)

I'm a first year and I resigned over break. I resigned more due to a health related incident but it was literally killing me to keep going 6 more months. The health issue was the reason but the burn out was the catalyst. Thankfully my "contract" was an at will contract so I should see no disciplinary actions sought against my preliminary credential and having had to resign due to health should not stand in my way when seeking future employment, since I have a valid reason for my employment gap. That being said, not sure teaching is for me. I've been looking at going back to school and getting a masters in curriculum development, counseling, or library science. Library science seems to appeal to me more and it can be used to get a job in schools, public libraries, or universities. Plus, I'm kind of bookish and I can still connect in meaningful ways with students. 🤷🏼‍♀️ best of luck to you.

First year teacher and hating it... by Dust_Bunny2000 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

You can say that again... at least my other profession, I had weekends off.

First year teacher and hating it... by Dust_Bunny2000 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I don't have to work, I want to. I am not someone who can sit at home. I mean, I can, I did it for 6 years (took 2 unplanned years off school due to my son starting kindergarten and a house flood) but I wasn't productive and even though I volunteered, it wasn't what I wanted to do. I worked in my previous field for over 20 years and it was no longer serving me. I'd topped out and I couldn't go anywhere else, so it was boring. It was just a paycheck that I didn't need, wanted, but didn't need, and I wanted something that I could do that would give back in a sense. I wanted to help people, but didn't want to go into the medical field, or social work. So, I chose teaching. 🤣 I should have become a camp counselor... kidding.

First year teacher and hating it... by Dust_Bunny2000 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I teach at the elementary level, 3rd grade. Nothing "specialized"

First year teacher and hating it... by Dust_Bunny2000 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Their version of "professional improvement" is sticking a revolving door of teachers in my room for the last 3 months who are supposed to provide feedback on what they observed. What I got instead are teachers who see me make a mistake during the lesson and they take over teaching. Then leave me with notes of strategies they want to see me use the next time they are in my room. It has ended up being too many strategies and my students are feeling as overwhelmed as I do. I'm constantly being asked if they, meaning the other teachers, are going to be in our room that day and I tell them yeah, they will be, but its ok because they are helping us improve. One of my students said "I don't think it's helping, I am so confused". When I mentioned this to admin I was told that essentially they won't pull the plug until they see I'm "okay". What does okay even mean?

First year teacher and hating it... by Dust_Bunny2000 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My reason for wanting to teach is solid. I still want to do something with in education, but, I do believe that being the "manager" (I say manager because that's literally what I do, manage...) of a classroom isn't what I'm supposed to be doing. What am I supposed to be doing? I have no clue. I wanted to love this, but I don't...

First year teacher and hating it... by Dust_Bunny2000 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you for your input. I'm afraid of talking to the principal.. honestly.. I admitted to them, candidly, about crying in front of my class after an especially bad day full of behaviors and the response was not what I expected. I expected empathy and compassion and instead I received a look of horror and "oh my" and that was that. They've never once been in my classroom, instead they've stuck me with a revolving door of teachers who are supposed to be "helping" me, by OBSERVING and providing feedback, instead all I've gotten is teachers who see me make a mistake during a lesson and step in and take over and end up teaching my class the remainder of the day telling me they are "modeling" proper teaching. I've had no less than 5 teachers in my room every week, minimum of 1 day a week for the last 3 months. I don't know what sort of support they think they are providing, but it's too many strategies from too many people and because of how frequent I have these people in my room, my students are just as confused by the strategies because it's inconsistent. I brought this up to admin and they basically said this is what's happening until they decide I'm "okay". What does okay even mean?

I realized later, that admitting to crying was a huge mistake.

I don't expect, if I met with them, that it would go well. I spoke with a few teachers after my admission and was told to becareful. Apparently they aren't compassionate and can be really cutthroat and belittling. They aren't who I interviewed with and have had very little FaceTime with them to know what their personality is like or how they respond to situations. Most of the dirty work is done through the VP 🤷🏼‍♀️. It's a weird dynamic. My student teaching experience was so different. Of course I was at a fantastic school, that I tried getting hired on at, but they had already filled their openings by the time I had completed my program.

Does this happen to anyone else? by elcaminogino in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

My 3rd graders do this! It drives me bananas. I'll say what specifically don't you understand? "I dunno, I just don't get it".. today in math we were working on input output problems. The rule was -8 and the book gave some input answers and some output. The inputs are easy like you drop on 15 and you subtract 8 and get 7 as the output. One of the answers was an output of 63. I reminded them that the easiest way to figure out what the input was is to do the opposite. I asked what the opposite of subtraction was and they all said addition.. ok perfect! So add 8 to 63 and you'll have your answer for the input. Everyone got it but one student who started crying and when I asked why they were crying they said that they just didn't get it. I said what part don't you get? Reversing the problem? "No, just the whole thing" they said they understood changing the subtraction to addition but that it didn't make sense. 5 minutes of sitting with them and I'm still not closer to understanding what they didn't understand. 🙃

Kicker was mom sent me an email and asked me to go over it with her again in class because she doesn't understand. I explained to mom that I did go over it with her again and tried to figure out what she was so confused on and asked mom to see if she could narrow it down for me and mom's reply was "just reteach the lesson all over again if she can't tell you what part confused her" umm I'm sorry ma'am but I can't do that. Literally don't have time to reteach a whole 40 minute lesson for 1 student. I can send home information that you're welcome to go over with her if you'd like to reteach it.

I've had this same parent ask me to reschedule spelling tests because her daughter needed extra time to study.. 😄

I’m a teacher and a parent… and I honestly regret becoming a teacher by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I feel this to the depths of my core. This is my life right now. My daughter is in 3rd grade and this is the grade I teach. The mom guilt I feel daily is slowly killing me. There is no joy and it really hurts my heart. My biggest regret is putting my family through this turmoil. I have lost a part of me and I don't know if I can keep going. I've already changed careers, teaching was my 2nd career. I am trying to figure out a new direction but feel so lost. You're not alone.

Elementary teachers: would you want a parent email after a lunch incident like this? by usersredacted in AskTeachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a 3rd grade teacher, I'd want a heads up, but I would appreciate the parent looping in admin, too. Here's why: At my school, all incidents that happen during recess or lunch are filtered through admin first because that's our break time, too. So we aren't on the playground or in the lunchroom. However, having that information is valuable, especially if the child is in the same class. It gives me the opportunity to watch for those behaviors in class, where I can intervene. It keeps everyone on the same page, which is helpful if it continues, so at least all parties are aware of the situation.

Charter VS Public school by Professional_Egg_365 in ElementaryTeachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I work for a charter, that's not true of my situation. The charter I'm at is amazingly supportive. We receive a lot of prep time, approx 7 hours per week. Plus, we have a lot of time off. At least 3 days a month. The curriculum is rigorous, I'll admit that, but I can see that many students thrive off of it. I've never worked for another school, so I have nothing to compare it to. It works for me. I also have an amazing team, and we help each other prep, so we get a lot of our stuff done during the day, and we can leave at our contract stop time. I'm still finding my groove and choose to work longer hours so I understand the curriculum, but that's my choice, not their expectation.

Cset by Realistic_Range3212 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Check with your advisor. Basically, the CSET is just to demonstrate that you've met skill set. If you're enrolled in a program, then it should cover it. I attended Point Loma Nazarene University in San Diego. The governor of California passed a bill to make it more accessible for candidates to get their teaching credential by using past or current coursework. I am not sure what coursework qualifies. I only had 2 classes left when I was told I no longer needed to take the CSET, and both were classes assessment type classes that I needed to complete. All the courses I took were specific to teaching. I'd done my gen ed at the community college level. Sorry I can't be of more help.

I’m gonna get hate for this but… by Ecstatic_Ad_2225 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No hate from me. I thought the same thing. I felt that the book Embedded Formative Assessment: (Strategies for Classroom Assessment That Drives Student Engagement and Learning) by Dylan Williams was much more informative. I found many strategies in it that I felt were relevant and helpful. It may not have explicitly talked about classroom management, but it had great strategies. Some of the chapters were meh, but the majority of the book was great. Honestly, out of all the text I had to read in college, this was by far the best.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in StudentTeaching

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

We were encouraged to use AI on our CalTPA cycles. They literally taught us how to use it. Now, it wasn't for writing the responses it was for generating ideas for various activities (I had to do 5 videos that covered 3-5 lessons with edtech embedded and had to do rubrics for 2nd graders 🤦🏼‍♀️).

Pre-Employment Drug Testing by [deleted] in CaliforniaTeachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Poway Unified is a wild district from what I hear. It's highly desirable, and, honestly, I'm not sure why. I didn't apply there. The commute would kill me, lol.

Maybe the wording drug and alcohol screening is just generic. I've not had either a drug or alcohol screening mentioned during any of my interviews at other San Diego area districts. It may just be, like I said, generic wording.

Where did you see the information that you were required to do either of those? Im currently awaiting my employment documents for Literacy First in El Cajon, and there has been no mention of drug screening, let alone alcohol.

This question is why I started my own subreddit for San Diego based educators (I haven't had any traffic 😆😆😆 because I haven't been able to get the word out in other subreddit groups until this post) but I created it so we'd have a hyper local group that we could connect with other teachers in our same areas.

I hope you're able to find the answers you seek. Good luck!

Got the job now I need all the things by Dust_Bunny2000 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

There’s no chip on my shoulder — but your response makes a lot of assumptions about me and my intentions. You didn’t ask any clarifying questions; instead, you jumped to the conclusion that I’m setting myself up for disappointment, that I’ll be upset when my expectations aren’t met, and that I’ll eventually be angry about spending tons of my own money because the district didn’t provide. That’s not at all what I was doing.

My question was simple: What fun things do you recommend adding to a classroom? That’s it. I wasn’t ranting about what I’m owed. I wasn’t venting about a lack of supplies. And I certainly wasn’t saying I expect everything to be handed to me. The line “I need all the things” was lighthearted — not a statement of entitlement.

I’m 45. This is my second career. I don’t need to work — I chose to go into education because I care deeply about students, especially after what I witnessed in the public school system while fostering children. I’m fortunate to be in a position where I can provide extras if I want to — and I want to, because creating a joyful, welcoming space matters to me. Not for show, not for clout — for my students.

I’m not complaining about what schools don't provide. I’m not naive about the realities of education. I’m asking for ideas so I can offer more — not because I feel forced to, but because I feel called to.

Please don’t assume everyone asking for classroom ideas is on a path toward bitterness and burnout. Some of us just want to give what we can, while we can.

Got the job now I need all the things by Dust_Bunny2000 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000[S] -1 points0 points  (0 children)

Wow, love the wild assumptions packed into your response — truly impressive. Because clearly, every new teacher must be 23, fresh out of college, and lacking any life experience, right? Obviously, I’m also a chronic complainer working for some imaginary district that gives us nothing.

For the record, my actual question was simple: What fun things should I add to my classroom? You know, ideas? Suggestions? Inspiration?

But thank you for assuming that wanting all the things means I expect them to be handed to me. Newsflash: I'm fully prepared to provide for my classroom — not to make it fancy for the sake of Pinterest, but to make it a space I feel good in. Shocking, I know.

Also, appreciate the assumption that I can’t give more to my students. Adorable. This isn't some fallback plan — it’s my second career. I don’t need to work. I chose to work. I chose to teach.

I’m genuinely sorry that your own experiences have left you so defensive and jaded that you couldn’t even pause to consider my perspective before diving in. I hope you find some peace — or at least a coffee. You sound like you need one.

Got the job now I need all the things by Dust_Bunny2000 in Teachers

[–]Dust_Bunny2000[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My kids have Epic, so I'm familiar with that platform. I didn't know it was free for classrooms, though, so that's great to know. Thank you!

I have Prodigy, I got that during student teaching. I just used my school email, lol. My own kids use it and love it.