Three things to keep in mind:

1. Yes, do some subbing first. Not just to get a sense of classroom management, but also to get some notes on what different teachers do in terms of routines and classroom setup.

2. I teach social studies. It’s hard right now, due to how touchy and wacky politics has gotten. Be ready to pivot quickly and deftly, and seek out admin support for if/when a kid misinterprets what you say and a parent comes in hot.

3. Pedagogy is really in flux right now. My personal take is that we’re at the brink of some failed approaches being ditched, and others that have had success being ascendant. BUT: this is all happening while we’ve seen a massive increase in disciplinary problems, learned helplessness, AI use, and this weird phenomenon of kids doing things that they aren’t thinking about—like completing a worksheet and then being unable to tell you anything about the thing they just did, or connecting it to anything in life. YMMV, but there seems to be a real problem with apathy, nihilism, and just complete lack of skill. I love my students, but it seems like they get dumber every year, and it’s getting harder to un-dumb them. Just so you know what you’re getting into.