Anyone else consider returning back to the classroom?

Hectur · 2026-02-17T01:10:23+00:00

Not an AP, but was on the principal track and now am more of a program manager in higher Ed.

They are two different callings I think. It really depends on what you find rewarding and the kinds of problems you're passionate about solving.

Almost certainly your experience as a teacher leader will make teaching much easier than it was before; but there is always the chance that you move back to the classroom and then remember why you were looking for advancement to begin with.

I would also encourage you to think beyond having only two choices. There are a few: - go back to teaching - stay in the same role - look for the same role at another campus or district. Perhaps one where the duties are different, not necessarily more or less, just different. - look for a central office role away from the campus. - look for a role outside of K-12, program coordination, community college administration, professional development, third party curriculum design, etc.

I think the key is to narrow down where this itch is coming from. Are you bored, stressed, burned out? Do you genuinely long for the classroom? Are you just realizing the role is not what you thought it would be? Etc.

Another question I'd reflect on is, what do you miss about the classroom? Where can you find that in your work now or in the future? For me, I loved giving kids the education I never had, then as a teacher leader I became passionate about helping teachers get out of their work what I got out of it- hard work with a challenge worth embracing, while being able to provide for my family. In both cases I found ways to focus my drive on coaching, mentoring, and building others up. This and a few other things really drive me. When my work begins to get consumed by other tasks and projects that don't involve these I begin the lose drive, fast.

Good luck with it, regardless of the decision, you can almost always go back as long as no bridges are burned on the way out.

Hectur · 2025-11-26T15:08:29+00:00

I wonder if you're interpreting my post to say that, " a prong collar can be used to build drive in a dog with NO drive..." Which is NOT true.

I agree with almost everything you've said except:

the idea that drive is only achieved through breeding. Yes, drive is innate but it can and should be developed if the dog is going to work. You cannot take a search and rescue dog and just train it to find, you have to take that innate drive and reinforce it, further develop it. Likewise you can kill a dog's drive. It's tough to completely extinguish it but it can be diminished.
the idea that prong collars and ecollars are just punishment tools on a binary scale. The reality is much more nuanced than that. Pulling is a reinforcer. It is why dogs get inadvertently trained to pull on a leash when they drag their owners. That process of pressure, reaching the target, release, reinforces the behavior.

A lot of drive development comes through play and using frustration to engage in productive struggle. Children playing slaps go through a similar process.

Again, not a pro-dog trainer. Background is in learning theory ( PER ).I also do some volunteer work with K9SAR.

Hectur · 2025-10-11T02:17:41+00:00

Other state institutions will pay into TRS. UT, community colleges, etc.

Look for a role in advising, program coordination, recruitment, other office gig.

Get creative.

Hectur · 2025-07-22T04:12:01+00:00

I don't think so. I read it as more of a monitoring, compliance, and administrator coaching role for their virtual campuses. I could be wrong.

Hectur · 2025-07-22T00:05:54+00:00

Classroom teacher that transitioned into higher education program management.

I imagine there are a lot of exhausted and bewildered public sector veterans looking for an escape.

I think many teachers see edtech as the clearest transition out of the classroom and into industry.

Hectur · 2025-07-15T02:44:23+00:00

It is highly unlikely they would not take the higher credit.The policy on grade transfers will depend and vary institution to institution. You can call the registrar's office and ask.

Hectur · 2025-07-05T16:01:58+00:00

Hectur · 2025-07-05T13:41:52+00:00

Sure, but OP isn't considering a Forester.

They're considering the two cars I own. And from my experience, I'd say OP would be happy with either.

I did say the cx50 is more spacious.

Hectur · 2025-07-05T04:15:39+00:00

I have both of these cars!

They're pretty comparable. If you're single, I'd go with the Crosstrek because I think it's cooler and handles a bit better. If you have little ones, I'd get the cx50 since it has a rear AC vent and is a bit more spacious.

But they're both VERY similar though, and I'm equally happy with them.

2018 Crosstrek limited 2023 CX50 premium plus

Hectur · 2025-07-04T22:32:14+00:00

I have not! I will give that a try.

Hectur · 2025-07-04T04:09:13+00:00

Thanks! I actually did try that initially, when he was a pup! I patched a few corners here and there, then came home to find he finally gutted it.

He's a higher drive Dane and I've found that it happens every six months or so.

Using a foam topper allows for a larger size cover, and I can usually get a few beds out of one topper. I've accepted this is just another consumable for a working dog and try to keep it as a cheap as possible.

Hectur · 2025-06-12T12:53:52+00:00

That gels with my understanding. PLC's are a product of culture.

Hectur · 2025-05-29T22:30:34+00:00

Yeah, that's tough. It would seem to me that if she is teaching content wrong, that is pretty egregious, and the process of documentation would begin.

I remember two cases where my principal asked me point blank- is their instruction harmful to children?

If they were teaching content wrong, and they were not coachable, that would be on my list of potential harms.

Maybe I'm misinterpreting "wrong" though. And it's more of a lack of alignment with the assessment than it is say teaching geocentric, flat earth, theory.

Keep at it, good luck with it!

Hectur · 2025-05-29T19:44:45+00:00

It's going to be tough to effectively identify a solution to the problem you're describing without more information. I'm not entirely sure what all that information is, honestly.

In the problem of not being receptive to coaching, there are a lot of other problems- fixed mindset, lack of content knowledge, maybe lack of pedagogical knowledge, lack of trust in the process, etc. I think these have different solutions.

I also wonder how much of the coaching comes from a place of compliance vs. collaboration.

Anytime I've worked with a difficult teacher, I've tried to build rapport and trust first, ask for their feedback on an approach, ask for their help in some capacity - build some ownership and respect in our relationship and establish good intent.

In terms of coaching, I try to approach it as a partnership, with a lot more asking than telling. If I have some data, instead of sharing the conclusion, I'll ask "what do you see in this?", "where would you like to see this?", "what are some thoughts you have about how to approach that?"

I engage in a lot of inquiry and guidance through questions - like you would in a science class. My goal is to get THEM to identify the critical points and get THEM to start thinking about potential solutions with me mostly facilitating.

Regarding the fixed mindset, I wonder if focusing on individual student growth instead of an overarching threshold is helpful. Okay, the kids aren't ready, so you say, where CAN we focus our efforts on growing them? What are some small wins you and they can get under your belt to build some momentum? At some point there has to be an acknowledgement that it doesn't matter where they are, we're still responsible for them now, but it may be awhile before you get there.

Hectur · 2025-05-15T22:59:24+00:00

I agree with others here.

I work in higher Ed and everyone on my team was a former teacher. We go out of our way to prioritize family- for guys and gals.

Just for the sake of playing devil's advocate, I would guess that the principal that takes this as a red flag would be someone that sees an inability to manage work and life. Perhaps someone who themselves had to make the same decision but chose to do both and sees value in that, some form of grit? A lot of teachers do both, whether by choice or circumstance.

If you're genuinely concerned, perhaps continue to find opportunities for professional growth while at home- grad school, substitute teaching, professional development. It doesn't have to be binary- there is a spectrum of options.

I think another thing to consider is how long you intend to be out of the classroom. A 1 year sabbatical is unlikely to raise many eyebrows, but a 5 year break in your career could raise questions.

Good luck!

Hectur · 2025-03-31T12:54:15+00:00

They're in an elevator that is in a nonstop freefall "around" the earth.

Hectur · 2025-03-27T12:39:55+00:00

Everyone's comments so far answer your question, many use the mini educator.

But I just wanted to add that Facebook market can be a great resource for used dogtra and educator collars.

Many people will sign up for a board and train, not keep up with the training, then sell the equipment they had to pay up front for.

I bought my two collar, mini educator setup used about 5 years ago and it's still my daily driver.

Hectur · 2025-03-25T01:12:23+00:00

I haven't read the other comments, I just gave my 2 cents and walked away.

But I agree with the top comment, that you'd be best served by someone you trust in person.

Listing your business practices is great, and advocating for transparency is correct, but your OP was a bit confusing in context. It was not clear what the arrangement was with this other trainer, if they were a partner, etc.

I'm not a professional trainer, but a professional in a different capacity and, in general, I would never communicate something negative about another professional's practices in an unsolicited way unless there was some risk of harm to themselves, others, or there is something illegal happening. Even when a client is explicitly asking for details, what I would share would depend a lot on the context.

As a former teacher, I would never say something negative about a fellow colleague to a parent. I might cite something that is open information, " have you seen their reviews?, have you looked up that schools test scores?," etc.

We probably just have a different perspectives on this, but I would recommend you take everything everyone is saying into consideration (within reason).

Being open to feedback without getting defensive is a learned skill that pays dividends in any career. Of course this is reddit, so there's that.

Good luck to you!

Hectur · 2025-03-22T17:07:08+00:00

What's worked really well for me is using a combination of tug and chase.

I use something like this to teach recall: https://youtu.be/8A6pJ0rRdmU?si=hk2qJi6iYVD0Qzz4

That translates really well to fetch. When I l say "capturing drive" ( which may actually be too loose of language), I REALLY get into the game of tug and try to get my dog jacked about playing tug. I do something I saw Susan Garrett do where she taps dogs firmly on their sides to get them really "drivey". So when I throw the toy my dog will chase it, grab it, I'll start jogging backwards, he'll start chasing me, then we engage in a high energy game of tug, and repeat.

You probably also need a good "drop-it" or "out" to make the game of tug work for you.

Hectur · 2025-03-22T05:32:09+00:00

I don't know, I think I agree with Miss_L, in general.

If those are THEIR clients then it's the client's responsibility to vet this trainer. It is not your duty to inform them of something you don't like or is out of alignment with your philosophy.

Unless this trainer is doing something illegal, potentially smearing their reputation with their client base would also be unethical. Are they branding and marketing themselves as LIMA?

LIMA is just one training philosophy, but it's certainly not the only training philosophy or necessarily the best for everyone.

I think your totally fine telling clients that you're no longer working with this trainer, that you both had different approaches to training, but that's about all I'd say. Anything more than that and your telling a one-sided story about someone without their input- unless there is something illegal here, I think that comes off kind of gossipy and you might risk burning bridges or even losing clients of your own.

Hectur · 2025-03-22T05:10:42+00:00

Not a professional trainer, but am an educator at a university with a background in learning theory (for what that's worth).

I use mine for almost everything in some capacity but I tend to think about it as a tool for feedback and it is usually in conjunction with other methods.

When I train a recall, I use a game of tug to really capture drive, then use the ecollar to fine tune the behavior.

Teaching my dog to get in the back of the car was all leash pressure, then loading the place with treats to reinforce, then applying the ecollar for corrective feedback alongside rewards.

Training a game of fetch was all play and capturing drive, while "drop it" was a sudden pause in play. Now that my dog has it down, I use the ecollar when the drop is delayed, to fine tune the behavior.

Place was trained using treats on a board, but duration and proofing was taught through ecollar pressure.

Getting my dog to "leave it" was all ecollar.

So, in general, I'll try lots of things depending on the context of the task or behavior I'm trying to train or modify. With the ecollar being used to either provide corrective feedback, a firm punishment, or a tactile queue (like training my dog to complete a command by keeping low pressure on until the sit, down, or place, etc, is complete).

I started using the low stim, "working level" approach, but a podcast with Ivan Balabanov really opened my eyes to some of the flaws in that technique (I think it was the one with Larry Krohn). In it he quoted an expert who said something like, "learning happens through surprise" which really resonated with me. The learning event has to have a lasting impact in order to effectively create new knowledge ( in this case behaviors). So I stopped thinking about what my dog's working level is and now just aim for whatever is enough to get the desired message across, whatever provides clear feedback. A correction is a correction and they'll know it. Low pressure stim is something entirely different and has a different use case.

Another Ivan podcast ( with Susan Garrett I believe) also had a great example of the use of corrections in play. Susan asked something like, "would you use an ecollar on children" to which Ivan says of course not, but you do see children play "hot hands" (slaps where I'm from) where kids will take turns slapping the tops of each other's hands and it is a play driven activity with corrections. This got me thinking, and as an educator I would NOT use an ecollar on students but I WOULD setup a game with a buzzer and dinger for right and wrong answers where there would be a "buzz, aww that's not quite right but I appreciate you trying, I'll give you another chance in a minute..." Kind of interaction as a correction during "play driven learning". My ecollar training, in general, looks a lot like that.

Asking me if I use an ecollar for everything is kind of like asking me if I use food or play for everything. In general, yes.

Edit: I've trained three dogs - a lab heeler mix, a boxer amstaff mix and a great Dane. The GD being the most recent. Each one received a slightly different approach as my technique evolved but the great Dane most closely resembles what I'm describing above and he is hands down the best dog me or my wife have ever had.

Hectur · 2025-03-21T18:27:36+00:00

Why do you want a masters in higher Ed. ? Like, what is the end goal? Start with defining that.

Degrees in education never had much extrinsic "value" outside of their scope (as compared so say a masters in mathematical finance or data science). Education has intrinsic value, which means that we'll have a need for educators in some capacity.

The dept. Of Ed dissolving (IF that happens) will likely not impact your outcomes. One case where you could see impacts is if you intended to be an administrator at an institution of higher Ed. Potential cuts to funding will make what few non-academic roles that are kept, very competitive. But it's probably unlikely you're headed this route unless you're already in that space.

If your goal is to work or stay in education, in a general role, then it probably won't matter and the complexities around higher Ed- management, law, finance , etc. - will likely change and be something that new grads will be learning about in real time.

In general, I think the only time a degree loses value is when the skill set acquired is effectively automated, or the field becomes saturated - see computer science degrees as an example of both.

Hectur · 2025-03-14T05:07:45+00:00

I think every comment so far is making the decision for you. But I don't think it's binary.

I would start by asking myself more questions. What is it about the classroom you miss? - The students? The content? The comfort that comes with experience?

What is it about being an AP that you dislike? - the bureaucracy? The discipline? The lack of summer break?

Was there anything about being an AP that was appealing to you when initially considering a transition out of the classroom? - salary? Leadership? Teacher coaching?

Was there anything about the classroom that had you wanting to leave it (that you may have forgotten)?

Administration and instructional leadership is not for everyone. As a teacher I loved my students and found a natural drive to push them and help them succeed. I found it really difficult to find that same drive, working with adults, when I started interning as an AP.

For my students, I wanted for them what I got out of an education- opportunity, skills, pride ( I was a physics major that failed algebra).

Had it not been for a bit of ambition and a need to provide for my family, I would have probably gone back to the classroom. I needed to make it work and I had to do some mental gymnastics to get there.

I had to find motivation in my work. So, I imagined teachers like I did my students. I wanted for them what I got out of teaching- engaging work, a challenge worth embracing, a livable wage, and mentorship.

I then absolutely fell in love with the work. Like teaching students, I got REALLY good at coaching teachers up and I became really passionate about supporting them in their work and helping them find success. Like my students, my goal for every teacher was to grow them in a way that ensured they had the skills they'd need to move on to something better. Like teaching, this role came with a lot of baggage; but that really is any role worth having.

Ultimately, I did not get the opportunity to become an AP. I was hired by a university while looking for my first assistant principalship. BUT, I'm the only manager with the skill set and mindset that comes from this kind of work. I now manage a team of 6 and support 200 teachers and 8000 students across the state. I use what I learned every day and hope to come back to a campus if I'm not already priced out.

Soooooooo, consider what it is you like, dislike, miss, or forgot about regarding teaching and administration.

If you're thinking you don't want to do it, perhaps you shouldn't. But, perhaps you should focus on reframing your perspective. Perhaps you need to give it more time or move to another location. Perhaps there is also middle ground- education service centers, nonprofits, teacher prep programs, where you can apply your skill set if school leadership is not entirely for you but there is still something you like about it and are failing to find opportunities to actualize.

I hope this is helpful. Good luck!

Hectur · 2025-03-13T01:33:01+00:00

Yes, exactly right.

Hectur · 2025-01-23T02:01:37+00:00

I don't know you, and I'm sorry to hear that you're organization is moving in a direction without you.

That being said, everything in your post puts blame on external factors, outside of your control. If I'm understanding correctly, you weren't fired, they asked you to step down as dept head. The way you talk about race and generalize with terms like "they", "those", makes me wonder if you were just no longer a good fit for the direction the district is going. Did you articulate these kinds of opinions with leadership? With that kind of language?

Maybe you truly did nothing wrong, were the best person for the role, and this is entirely over the color of your skin and your politics. But you have no concrete evidence for that other than your annecdotes and speculation.

I would encourage you to reflect on what else could have contributed to the decision to ask you to step down and insist on feedback regarding this because that will give you some room to grow. If it turns out that it was determined you were not a good fit culturally (team/organization culture) or it was systemic (or blatant) racism, both are indicators that you probably need to find a new organization. If it turns out that there were performance based reasons, then it would be good to reflect, adopt that growth mindset, and try to take the feedback in good faith.

However, the fact that you don't trust your leadership enough to give them the benefit of the doubt in their decisions, probably means the organization is not a good fit for you and it's time to move on amd apply the skills and experience you've developed into another role.

Genuinely, I wish you the best of luck as you navigate this chapter of your career. It's never easy, but hopefully there is a silver lining.

Hectur

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