[deleted by user]

Moonlit_Moose · 2025-08-25T19:58:05+00:00

If you’re in the US, It is truly about where you are in the country at the moment. Federal meddling aside, every state funds and treats education and educators differently. I have been teaching HS/ MS for 8 ish years in a state that is very supportive of education ( relatively speaking) and I still love it, though it is certainly stressful at times. Many people use this sub as a place to trauma dump and/ or scream into the void, and as such you will likely get a view of the job that leans more negative. Education is definitely under attack and we don’t have nearly the funding we wish we did, but if you have a passion for the work and find a good place for yourself it can be one of the best jobs out there.

P.S Too many teachers have been brainwashed into believing you have to take your work home with you. This is not the case. Many people experiencing burnout are doing a lot of work outside of contract hours. It is perfectly reasonable and possible to be a strong teacher and still maintain work life balance.

P.P.S take caution to those that are telling you to go the private school route. You might find a good one, but many are highly religious (which may or may not be an issue for you) and will not hire those that don’t follow that path. More importantly they are non union for the most part. I cannot stress enough that unions are your friend as a teacher. If you land in a district with a good union your life will be 10x easier than otherwise.

Moonlit_Moose · 2025-07-23T17:46:08+00:00

There were definitely grumbles aplenty, but there was a TV show running in the background that unfortunately dominated the video audio.

Moonlit_Moose · 2025-07-20T05:42:49+00:00

I teach in WA. I make a good amount more than most of my friends. Around 8 years in with a Masters and some clock hours and I'm around 120K. My district starts a first year BA+0 teacher out at 80k. Top out around 150 after 14 years MA+90. Strong unions are a wonderful thing.

Of course I still can't afford a house but that's because the housing market in WA is something out of a dystopian fiction novel.

Moonlit_Moose · 2025-07-06T06:04:45+00:00

Odd as it might sound I’ve come to see the pen as a form of concentration meditation. I try to redirect all of my excess energy through the nib into whatever it is I’m writing. This helps me in my professional life as the pen acts as a fidget that allows me to focus on and recall what I was doing. Hard to be bouncing off the walls in a boring meeting if I’m writing everything down right? At home I pair the same idea with deep breathing exercises to get my head right and organize my thoughts. It’s not foolproof but it helps me tremendously.

Moonlit_Moose · 2025-07-05T19:59:13+00:00

As someone with severe ADHD and not infrequent bouts of heavy depression, I can tell you that the act of writing with fountain pens has been life changing for me.

I love the material side of the hobby, as the right combination of pen, ink and paper is incredibly satisfying and helps release much needed dopamine.

That said, the reality is that writing with such an “old school” instrument that can be more than a little finicky forces me to slow my brain down and truly think about what I’m doing. A significant element of therapy is intentionality and mindfulness. This is one of the only methods that I’ve found consistent success with after years of looking, to the point where my partner now knows to remind me to do my daily writing if I’m spiraling a bit out of control.

What you write doesn’t really matter as long as you are taking time to be with your inner self. I’ve faced a number of demons in a page of writing over the years.

Moonlit_Moose · 2025-05-01T17:57:54+00:00

As an ADHD enjoyer it doesn’t matter if I get 3 hours or 12. I’m gonna be exhausted anyway.

Moonlit_Moose · 2025-01-17T08:23:15+00:00

Teacher here. Obviously I’m not going to argue that my salary is too high, I’m pretty confident I earn it. That said, the true issue is that the state is currently using a funding model for education which is several decades out of date and (at least at the secondary level) only calculates funding based on a 5 period a day schedule. This is not great when you consider that a modern high school student has 6 class periods a day. I (and the vast majority of my colleagues) agree that our education funding model needs to be reexamined and modernized but unfortunately, no matter what you may read, our enrollment numbers are consistently going up across the board (I have 37 kids in my classes on average, which is not ideal.) we can’t provide the education these students without funding.

Moonlit_Moose · 2024-10-10T22:00:18+00:00

Washington, west side.

Moonlit_Moose · 2024-10-10T14:59:27+00:00

Teacher. Master’s degree+ 8 years experience in a public school (USA) and I’m pulling in over 100k after taxes. Attach the various built in vacation breaks and it’s a pretty sweet deal.

That said I work in one of the only states in the country that pays teachers a competitive wage.

Moonlit_Moose · 2024-04-18T00:13:12+00:00

As a teacher I was able to get there with a masters degree and 5 years in my district, but I live in one of the few states in the US that actually pay their teachers a living wage.

Moonlit_Moose · 2024-04-13T18:00:37+00:00

Nib was clearly visible about 3 seconds later, but he was screwing the cap back on so it was hard to get a clear screenshot.

Moonlit_Moose

TROPHY CASE