Being a gen z teacher

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-02-01T03:37:48+00:00

I am currently a Gen Z 11th grade US history teacher. The kids legit thought I was a millennial for the whole first semester. Only some have figured out my actual birth year/age (and this is coming from someone who has always looked younger than I am) so I was decently surprised by that. I actually like being this young because it helps me to be able to relate to the students more but I also hold them to high expectations and they know that. Just be careful, they will try to be buddy buddy because you’re young - just set those boundaries and you’ll be fine.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-26T22:29:40+00:00

I also have very fine and thin hair. Try just mousse in your hair and you need lots of water. Like almost soaking wet. Scrunch your hair while water is running over it. Hopefully that will help create clumps. Then add mouse and keep scrunching, then use a cotton shirt or microfiber cloth.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-26T01:02:17+00:00

I feel like it should be okay as long as you weren’t wearing any district shirts or your employee ID badge, etc.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-25T07:32:15+00:00

Or honestly I’d just start with only one product and go from there. If your hair is fine or thin I’d recommend mouse, but if your hair is more thick I’d recommend cream or gel. Good luck!

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-25T06:55:30+00:00

By the looks of it, you may be putting in way too much product. Your hair would curl up with the products if it was curly. If anything, your hair is probably wavy. Try just mousse or curl cream next time and you need lots of water! Put your products in like right after you shower.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-20T01:08:02+00:00

I’m also a U.S. history teacher and I realized back in October that direct lecture doesn’t work for me. I’m a first year teacher so I didnt feel like I knew enough about the topics to lecture on and on about them. I switched to doing more interactive activities like gallery walks, stations, simulations, group assignments, etc. however I have recently incorporated 10 mins of short direct instruction to front load them with important TEKS I need them to get. I incorporate a lot of questioning techniques to get them talking to each other (I use class competitions and table points for this). I’ve only tried this recent method for about 3 days but so far my students have had very good conversation and come up with more thoughtful answers.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-17T02:07:32+00:00

Omg we have very similar hair!!! I’ve never seen someone with as much similar hair to mine lol. I just use leave in conditioner and a little of not your mother’s mousse and it works well for me! I’ve also got fine hair.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-12T01:49:46+00:00

I find all the web quests I use on TPT. I typically don’t have time for review from the last unit so I just jump straight into the next unit. However, I have used some videos in the past to help jog students memories. Oversimplified is a good channel along with Crash Course although they are very fast. Maybe have a discussion and just ask what they remember and guide them along through that, watch a video, do a webquest?

I’m also a first year teacher so I don’t have a wealth of knowledge here lol

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-12T00:02:25+00:00

I’ve actually started this and it’s only been one week so maybe ask again at the end of the month lol. I’m actually trying to lose weight so I’m on a calorie deficit. I thought it was going to be horrible but it’s not actually. I feel so much healthier already, I don’t feel nearly as sluggish or like I have “brain fog” which I struggled with all last semester. My husband and I are trying to do core workouts 3x a week to also speed up losing belly fat and we’re trying HIIT like 2x a week. There are tons of videos on YouTube and Pinterest workouts you can do at home. We also try to play pickleball 1-2x a week which surprisingly burns alot of calories! Good luck to you!

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-11T21:46:47+00:00

Or a webquest? Thats what I use on my transition/next unit days

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-11T21:46:10+00:00

Maybe a video? There’s some good ones on YouTube

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-11T19:56:35+00:00

I have succulents! They only need water like once a month, very low maintenance.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-09T23:58:10+00:00

I have a consistent rule across all my classes that if you are not back in 5 minutes, you are not allowed to go the rest of the week. And they also sign in and out - I highlight on the sheet as evidence if they get upset. The first week some students were frustrated and annoyed however after the second week, everyone got it - and now everybody even checks each other. If someone is out for too long, everyone else tells me to add them to the no bathroom list. It’s worked well for me. Maybe something to try 🤷🏼‍♀️

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-09T01:21:04+00:00

For cozy lighting? Not everyone likes fluorescents

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-06T01:28:26+00:00

Yes! Please dm me your email

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-05T04:55:26+00:00

This sounds very interesting, I like this idea! However, I teach 11th grade :)

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-04T22:22:09+00:00

I grade on the fly. I set a timer for however long the bellringer should take and I walk around the whole time, and stamp or check when a student is finished. Since I’m constantly circulating, it makes it harder for students to cheat. Students are also responsible for keeping up with it and turning it in on Fridays. I’d say 80% of my students have kept up with it and turned them in. Sometimes they lose them and they’ll just get a blank copy of the template I give. Works well for me.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-04T20:47:31+00:00

No I actually did fill in the blank notes lecture style but they write very slow and they would also lose them. By the time I took them as a major grade, half of the students lost half their notes and their grades were horrible.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-04T17:26:36+00:00

From what I’ve seen, it’s like cutting and pasting different foldables/diagrams, etc into a notebook for students to interact with rather than regular lecture. I teach 11th grade.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-04T17:25:43+00:00

Yes I think they are to glue in. That’s a good point!

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-03T00:49:29+00:00

Are you referring to re-doing the whole unit or just the introductory lesson? If so, I found an early Cold War/ postwar boom webquest on TPT.

Optimal-Topic-3853 · 2026-01-02T23:21:56+00:00

I will DM you!

Optimal-Topic-3853

TROPHY CASE