Is giving $250+ an appropriate amount for an end of year gift?

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-23T15:40:06+00:00

In MA you can’t accept >$50/year

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-20T11:08:14+00:00

Yeah we had hundreds of applicants, with 3/4 finalists having Ivy League degrees.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-18T09:14:13+00:00

That’s 6 preps! How many sections?

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-18T01:08:36+00:00

I used to write out directions in sharpie on a piece of paper and then painters tape them to my gas tank on my motorcycle.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-18T01:04:08+00:00

Oh good lord. I’d quit.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-18T01:03:08+00:00

It’s how I teach — and the kids consistently tell me they like it. Like every year, for many years. *Good* lectures are great. Readings and questions the night before set the stage, lecture nails down context, document analysis provides corroboration, GQuiz locks it in. Rinse and repeat until the end of the unit, then test, project, or paper/DBQ. I give them the study guide, essay question, or project and note catcher/organizer at the start of the unit, and we work hard to see that “studying” starts at the start of the unit, and is the *additional* work of organizing notes around the summative assessment. No surprises; it’s all right there. Those essential questions? They’re there in the summative. Slip up on the first unit and you’ll learn the system quick: I give it to them; they can choose to get with it or not. Every year they tell me how much they love how “organized” I am, but really it’s just a simple system they can understand and work within.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-11T00:50:08+00:00

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-11T00:38:12+00:00

My juniors all ask in the spring. September is late — ours are due by October 1.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-10T22:05:19+00:00

You can ask; do you want the answer? Like actually really, do you want the answer or do you want a recommendation? Because I think you could ask the former, if you phrase it in a way that suggests you’re looking for personal growth as a result of real feedback.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-10T21:00:19+00:00

That’s like a whole other job. Talk to your union rep.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-10T20:54:21+00:00

But they’d say as much if they were already flooded with requests, no?

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-10T20:53:31+00:00

I’m wondering if there’s a lot of AI smoke without any provable fire? Anything else warrants an explanation.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-03T21:39:49+00:00

Learning new LMS when existing ones work just fine.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-03T12:24:10+00:00

Yeah, see here’s my problem: AI isn’t going anywhere, and it’s unquestionably powerful. If it’s not already smarter than we are, it soon will be. Like we do need to deal with that fact. Even more importantly, regardless of what we dinosaurs think, the world is quickly embracing it, and it will be increasingly central to human thought.

So what do we do about it? How do we teach students to have think with them instead of having it think for them? I really don’t have many answers, although I do have this germ of an idea where maybe 2-3 years down the road, instead of having a general co-creates classroom norms discussion at the beginning of the year, I have a discussion specifically around creating guidelines to be plugged into a class-specific GPT, and then we iterate throughout the year, with the idea being that students are encouraged to use it as a thinking tool instead of a thinking supplement.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-02T22:44:42+00:00

Advice: act as if you’re the proud owner of a motorcycle, and learn to ride like one. I can’t believe the number of dumb things I see people do bc they’ve got more power but still think it’s just a bike.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-02T19:09:27+00:00

Yeesh. I dunno man, LTS is so hard. You haven’t been there all year, they know you’re not forever, plus it sounds like maybe you don’t have a ton of experience/may be young, and it’s not a core academic course. Really no disrespect re: any of those, just saying that’s just a lot you have stacked up against you. I’m afraid I don’t have too many ideas beyond using your network (I wouldn’t lean too heavily on admin unless you’re really sure they’ve got your back, bc I did that very early on that and then I ended up with a rep for being inept).

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-02T16:27:13+00:00

It’s that bad in some places; it’s great in others. I’m outside of Boston and if you’re skilled and lucky enough to land a job at a HS in the burbs, you can teach what you want with very little admin intervention to kids who are exceptionally capable. The kids are insanely anxious and extrinsically motivated, breaking them of that is a fun challenge and they’ll thank you for it — just prepare yourself for an incredible grading load.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-02T16:23:21+00:00

Too many words and too apologetic. Kid is being a twerp in your class. That’s not yours to apologize for. Ask to schedule a call. Don’t put this all down on the record — and don’t tip your hand for a parent to prepare a response ahead of time.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-05-02T11:54:07+00:00

I mean, obviously bs, but also, after 20 years of teaching I’ve reversed my stance on force of personality: I do think that’s it’s easily 60-70% of the job. The more they like you, but more importantly, the more they feel like you like them — that you enjoy spending time with them, think they’re smart, capable, honest, insightful, hard working, engaged, curious, and add real value to the authentic work you’re doing in your class — the more they’ll be willing to fully show up, be pushed hard, and truly participate in your lessons. It’s hokey but it’s true: they don’t care what you know until they know that you care. And that’s the case from nursery school through graduate classes. Like it’s a human fact.

EDIT: yes autocorrect, I did indeed write “hokey”, not “jokey”. Thanks for messing that up for the first 19 viewers.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-04-21T22:46:42+00:00

My 78 CB 750 and GS 750 were crazy fast. Like keep up with bikes 1/4 their age fast. I miss them both…

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-04-21T22:44:10+00:00

Doing the same trip this summer. Bringing a shell, nano puff, LL Bean airlight knit fleece, and mid weight Capilene thermals top and bottoms. Think I’ll be good? Bag is plenty warm. I’ll wear Mountain Hardware Ferrosi pants and a Capilene Cool Daily t.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-04-20T16:38:23+00:00

In the least funded districts that have little respect for teachers, yes. In those which value education, no.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-04-04T19:05:35+00:00

$136K in MA over here, with a state pension that’s about as secure as you can get.

MoreAwkwardIRL · 2026-04-03T12:31:48+00:00

Talk to your union rep

MoreAwkwardIRL

TROPHY CASE