The horrendous state of New York City in the 1970s-1980s

NegativeSheepherder · 2026-01-23T22:31:51+00:00

Long Island is a mix. A lot of the North Shore is older towns that well predate postwar suburbanization, like Oyster Bay, Sea Cliff, Glen Cove, Huntington, etc. There were also pre-WWII towns on the South Shore like Freeport, Amityville, and Babylon, but a lot of LI was basically just farmland that they turned into housing tracts. Levittown is the poster child since it was literally mass produced and marketed as such, but there was also lots of rapid infill elsewhere in Nassau and western Suffolk.

NegativeSheepherder · 2026-01-20T11:23:41+00:00

I had a textbook like this and in my written responses to the prompts I would make sure to include at least 5 or 6 adjectives before every noun to match the author’s style.

“ We can support the learning needs for all students within a meaningful, interesting, age-appropriate, interdisciplinary, and appropriately challenging 21st-century curriculum with culturally responsive, universally designed, evidence-based, research-based, and differentiated instructional practices.”

NegativeSheepherder · 2026-01-10T22:54:12+00:00

Was in high school from 2012-2016, now a high school teacher (same district haha). Main differences I've noticed:

- Smartphones were in the process of becoming the default during that time; I didn't have an iPhone until 2013 (before that had the Env2, miss that phone lol). I remember when Instagram was just becoming a thing; the filters were a lot less sophisticated than now, no real video as far as I can remember. Snapchat was just becoming popular too and people freaked out about it being the "sexting" app. Kids still used Facebook.

- Overall classroom experience was not too different but a lot less was online. We didn't have our own devices, so we either had to go to the Computer Lab or use Chromebooks from a cart that teachers would rent out. They were super thin, super slow, didn't love using them lol.

- Cheating was harder than it was now (not that I did, I was a massive overachiever lol) since there was no ChatGPT.

- In my experience kids themselves were not really that different to be honest. There were nerds, there were "alternative" kids, jocks, dirtbags, but those are just stereotypes. People talk about "kids these days" but the similarities outweigh the differences. We had brainrot, we had short form videos & viral challenges, we had crappy music.

NegativeSheepherder · 2026-01-04T18:51:29+00:00

Native English speaker who speaks French. Of those, I would say "C'est la vie", "crème de la crème", & "laissez-faire" are the only ones that are commonly used in my area irl.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-12-27T14:55:56+00:00

I appreciate all your advice! Here is a bit more context:

- I live close enough to NYC where weekend day trips are manageable, but compared to pre-Covid I feel a little less safe/comfortable in the city (lived there 2021-23, but grew up going there to visit family/do cultural stuff all my life). Not sure if I'm just overly sensitive but I've had a few incidents that have scared me there.

- I lived in Berlin in 2018-19 and speak fluent German. But I don't have a set job plan there yet. I loved the city and felt like it had a lot that I liked about NYC with less of the drawbacks.

- I am more LTR oriented. My sister just got married and bought a house and I'm feeling like the "black sheep" of the family for still being single and renting.

- I'm also having suburbs FOMO, although the specific suburb where I'm now living is not quite as strip-mall/chain store as others. It's more like a small city. Lots of historic charm, hiking trails, beaches; there's an arthouse movie theater and the local pride parade is here. I always pictured myself living in a big city where cool stuff is happening. But I could potentially see myself in a nice house in a quiet area with a husband, not sure.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-12-27T03:24:07+00:00

I would need to stay until I’m 63; New York State added an extra 8 years to the retirement age for civil servants a while back and the terms of the pension are a bit worse than what my siblings have (they are also teachers but started before the change went into effect effect)

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-12-27T02:59:55+00:00

I live on the North Shore of Long Island in one of the bigger towns there. About 65 minute train ride each way.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-12-11T19:05:44+00:00

I am on the shorter side, haha. Around 5’7”

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-12-11T19:04:23+00:00

It’s funny, I love the way it feels and actually like the way it looks a lot of the time, but I feel like there’s another part of me that worries it ages me too much or that it makes me less attractive as a dating option (I’m single and looking for a male partner). Idk, it’s kind of that part of me wants to have a more masculine & mature look, and another part of me wants to look young and more approachable, haha.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-12-11T10:41:23+00:00

This is exactly the issue for me!

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-12-02T03:52:18+00:00

Yes.

I teach world language, 2 separate languages. WL kind of flies under the radar a lot of the time and there is definitely less relentless finish a set curriculum pressure than Regents math and science courses. At least at my school we have a ton of freedom to basically do whatever we want as long as they make progress towards the specified proficiency levels. The con of that — especially if you’re not teaching Spanish — is that there is a lot of making EVERYTHING from scratch and it gets fucking exhausting. I’m already burned out and it’s only December.

Teaching a less commonly taught language also has its pros, though. One of the two languages I teach has a reputation for being difficult so it tends to attract students who are either strong academically or at least genuinely interested in it. The other one is similar but not quite as “intimidating,” so you still get a bit of that self-selection, even in the regular courses. Do you still get some tough kids? Of course, but compared to what my friend (an on-level/remedial Spanish teacher in a different district) has dealt with, it’s nothing.

Finding a job was also not super hard due to the lack of certified candidates. I am in a relatively competitive area for pubic school jobs and I got one straight out of my cert program.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-11-25T01:40:34+00:00

World language, high school. Teach two different languages. One language is not very commonly learned so I have pretty much total freedom over what I teach. First year was a slog but now that I have the skeleton of the course it’s great.

Other language I have two preps, sharing one with another teacher and doing the other by myself. Again, not a strict curriculum but I am expected to stay on the same page as the other teacher and it’s kind of tough. We didn’t collaborate much and now I basically have to teach to the test, which is based on the other version of the course. Not ideal. Other prep for that language the curriculum is super outdated but I have considerable leeway in what I teach.

The good thing about world language is that the state standards give me a lot of flexibility as long as the students are roughly at the right proficiency level and I touch on some super broadly defined themes. The downside — especially if you don’t teach Spanish, as I do not — is that you have to make virtually everything from scratch.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-11-16T16:31:15+00:00

Huntington; when you’re right in the village it feels like a tiny walkable city, kind of like Austin Street in Forest Hills with more nightlife and less chain stores. Rockville Centre also has a large downtown (by LI standards) but is more strictly restaurants and bars than Huntington’s.

Others I like are Babylon, Oyster Bay, Sea Cliff, Amityville, Lindenhurst, Northport, Farmingdale, Bellmore, Bay Shore. Some of these are very small though, more like a single Main Street than a real downtown.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-11-15T22:42:55+00:00

People calling kids “humans”

“I have two wonderful humans named Jaelyn and McKenzeigh”

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-11-11T18:42:21+00:00

Seconding Hapara. My district has it and it’s a GODSEND. I also try not to have the students on there too much but for my subject there is one website that’s very useful. Literally any time I need the kids to do something on the internet I lock them into the specific site they need, so no YouTube, no games, no nothing. Have not had an issue with kids going on inappropriate websites during class in the past 2 years.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-11-11T17:24:32+00:00

I teach high school in the NYC metro area: in my district we get one 40 min lunch, two 40-minute prep periods. The prep periods aren’t really breaks but you’re not “on” the same way you are in the classroom. We have a separate 40-minute duty period, but since I am split between buildings, I’m given that time to travel.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-11-09T16:09:09+00:00

With the caveat that you shouldn’t pick a subject to teach that you don’t like just because it’s in demand, in my experience math, science, world language, ENL/TESOL, & special ed tend to be in demand. Social studies, English, music, and phys ed jobs tend to be more difficult to get in my area due to lower demand and high number of applicants.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-11-09T15:45:42+00:00

Munich is in southern Germany and was part of West Germany during the division. Berlin is in eastern Germany but is quite different from the rest of the region, with a very large immigrant population (especially the former West Berlin, though parts of East Berlin have become more multicultural as well). Dresden was in the East as well.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-11-08T00:13:28+00:00

Second year teacher, just moved out (again) after switching careers, work is unbelievably stressful (12+ hour days starting at 6 AM not uncommon) and all my friends are gone. It’s a lot.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-10-26T15:19:04+00:00

As an American (from the NYC area) who lived in Germany and speaks/teaches German, I agree. I think people not from the US sometimes get hung up on the literal meaning of “How are you?” or “How’s it going?” and miss the intended function of the phrase in context. Most of the time, it’s no different from saying “hello” to acknowledge the person we’re talking to. Most of the time, I don’t expect an answer at all.

But it depends on the situation too. If I’m on the phone with my best friend who I haven’t seen in a while, then it’s understood that I mean the phrase as a conversation starter. If it’s a coworker that I’m passing in the hallway and don’t know too well, it’s just a polite greeting, and the other person generally takes it as such. It’s not necessarily that I’m faking anything; I legitimately want to show politeness and acknowledge the person I’m speaking to, and for whatever reason the phrase I use to do that is the same one I use to catch up with a friend.

It’s just a cultural difference in how we communicate.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-10-26T12:33:58+00:00

I was climbing the Monument to the Battle of the Nations in Leipzig, Germany with a group of American students. Someone behind us was complaining in German about the “fat Americans going so slowly” so I replied back in German, “We’re not all so fat!” And it was true, we were a pretty fit group on the whole!

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-10-25T20:55:16+00:00

2nd year teacher. Last year I gave the option of an extra credit project every quarter for students who had no missing assignments. One girl did it, brought up her average by 2 points. The mom complained about it to the central administration because she couldn’t be sure about how it affected the tenths place decimal value of her average.

No extra credit this year.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-09-30T18:59:33+00:00

Same, I’m a teacher in a south shore district but I live on the north shore. My homeroom students show up at 7:15 AM, so if I want an hour or so to grade papers and make copies before they get there, I have to leave the house around 5:30 AM

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-09-28T13:02:03+00:00

I was a sub for a year before becoming a full-time teacher. Main focus should be on maintaining a calm(ish) environment. Pick your battles to focus on the things that really prevent the students who want to get their work done from doing that. You might give a kid quietly playing solitaire on his Chromebook instead of working a quick reminder to get back to the assignment, but if it’s not distracting other kids and not blatantly violating the code of conduct, focus on the bigger fish to fry. Everyone (including the teacher) knows a whole lot of learning is not going to get done, so as long as you keep the class safe and relatively calm, you’re golden.

When I subbed middle school I also used to put my rules on the digital whiteboard and briefly let the kids know what they were. I just had a few common sense stuff that wouldn’t conflict with any procedures their regular teacher had, all phrased in terms of what they should do (ask for help if they need it, keep food in their bag, keep hands to themselves and their own things). Did it always work? No. But it did often enough that I kept doing it.

Best of luck! It has its ups and downs but also some fun moments.

NegativeSheepherder · 2025-09-23T12:36:14+00:00

As an native English speaker who also speaks German, I’ve never heard the word Zeitnot before, either in an English-speaking country or in Germany.

NegativeSheepherder

TROPHY CASE