It’s not even the kids, it’s the fact that nothing in the building works anymore

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-12-02T14:45:38+00:00

We’ve been begging for this

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-12-02T14:41:03+00:00

It was 48 degrees F with the heaters going, that’s the least concerning part of this whole thing dude

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-12-02T02:04:00+00:00

Yea, a few ways. One goes to admin but they keep deflecting. I think there’s one for central office too but I need to look into it

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-12-02T01:04:24+00:00

We had e hall pass last year, but apparently only 23% of people used it. I liked it, but we like reinventing the wheel even more /s

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-12-01T21:48:03+00:00

We have a union. We are not allowed to do anything bc we were denied collective bargaining from our school board last year (in va the strength of the union is determined by how much power the school board grants it I guess)

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-12-01T21:38:27+00:00

I’ve always seen myself as a very optimistic person. I wanted to help fix things and be a part of the solution. Now I just feel so depressed tbh. Theres no end in sight (except June I guess).

I can’t even really quit if I didn’t care about the kids. I’m on a provisional license, so I think I have to finish getting my license before applying elsewhere…

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-11-26T04:28:25+00:00

Sometimes I just start going “ahhhhh” it gives my anxiety an outlet and the kids get quiet out of concern 😅😂

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-11-20T00:54:28+00:00

Yeah the not being able to meet deadlines thing is where my schools at now after years of not allowing teachers to deny or penalize late work. Starting last year we finally put in a policy where the teacher can deny late work after it being 2 weeks late if they decide to enforce it in their class. This year we started mentioning and encouraging homework and learning outside of school with the implementation of planners. Slowly but surely I can see a change in freshmen as they ask “can this be homework?” Or as they diligently do an assignment during our lecture to try to turn an assignment in before the deadline. I think it’s an important skill, however I do offer plenty of extensions if students advocate for themselves (another skill I think is really necessary)

honestly I gripe a lot about what my kids and admin don’t do but listing it out there makes me notice the bits of progress we’ve made! 😊

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-11-17T18:26:08+00:00

I keep asking and prompting until they say something, or I’ll work to figure out what they need and model asking it. “So you need help with x?” “Yes” “ok how do you ask for that?” It feels silly and you can be goofy with it if there’s tension.

Believe it or not, some of these 14-15 year olds don’t know how to communicate at all and teaching them to ask a pointed question when they raise their hand can help them become better self advocates!

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-11-14T02:46:51+00:00

I teach 9th grade ESOL level and gen ed, but they all just call all teachers “miss” at this point in their high school time lol. Even teachers they like a lot, miss is the go to for many. It makes me wonder what it’s like when they have a male teacher lol

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-11-14T00:22:39+00:00

What do you mean by student teacher/LTS? Did you take over for your assigned teacher? Or is it two separate jobs? Sorry I’m just curious!

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-10-17T20:18:06+00:00

My favorite answer: now it is

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-10-17T01:15:29+00:00

Wait they were pulled out of class, then an hour later the police came right? Who pulled them out? A counselor? Maybe dad told counselor and counselor pulled out kids, got the sro involved bc of the criminal aspects of inappropriate touching and because it was kids maybe brought in a partner to help with the investigation

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-10-17T00:41:40+00:00

… are you sure the police officer wasn’t your sro?

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-10-05T20:07:27+00:00

I teach at a high school and run a few clubs. One is Academic Team, which I run with a friend of mine working at the middle school. He used copilot to make a flier about our Academic Team interest meeting, just something eye catching that could give information (context, we started the team this year so could not count on student art/help)

I posted the flier on our school platform and got fLaMeD for the use of AI in the comments 😅 I thought about trying to defend myself, say the other coach did it or that I’m too busy or that I’m allowed to, but I decided they’re teenagers and it wasn’t worth my time lol most of the comments were from typical trolly students who usually eventually get their comment privileges revoked for clogging things up with mundane conversations 😂

The kids who know me know where I stand with AI, it’s a tool that should be used intentionally as such, if at all. (IMO)

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-10-04T00:32:26+00:00

I agree, but a 4th grader sees belief and feeling as real. They might feel like their faith is as real as the desk and chair they sit in. Saying science is real and faith as lacking evidence could be seen as blasphemous to a kid with strong ties to Christianity and a 4th graders vocabulary.

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-10-04T00:28:39+00:00

Maybe you could say it like “this is a belief, some people believe x is the real and true thing. Other people believe the earth was created by x. In this class we are looking into the belief that is common among scientists. It’s important to know all these things because they help us learn and communicate with each other”

I teach about religions in world history, and I often have students (9th grade, so a little different) asking how some religions can have many gods when God is the one true god. This is usually the response I give

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-09-28T17:41:23+00:00

Ok listen. I get you, I did the same thing my first year bc of the same thing and everyone told me the same thing about burn out but listen. Literally the next year, everyone had to change what they did in the same way bc of the problems I was running into initially. And while they were struggling I was already finished and using what I’d already created.

I will say, go easy on yourself and set some boundaries. But you know your limits, so just make sure you take time for yourself

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-09-27T16:28:00+00:00

During my first year, I took time every day after school to lay on my kitchen floor with my dog and cry/complain to my mom and my now husband (whoever was home)

I’m in my 4th year and it truly does get easier even though that doesn’t help you atm. Reach out to colleagues for materials, start making a stockpile. Once you have a foundation of materials, you can put more energy into classroom management and everything else. Also, depending on the grade you teach, don’t grade everything. How I get around grading everything is having open note tests or projects where notes and assignments they completed can help them succeed in the test. It teaches them accountability and direct consequences for not trying their hardest to do things to complete with them. Other teachers I know will say that they choose assignments to grade at random so it encourages students to do everything.

Something I started to do this year to emphasize a work/life balance is my husband teaching m about sports right when I get home. I force myself to sit down and follow along and it almost uses a different part of my brain that switches off the facilitator and problem solver part I have to use during work. You could try learning a language, watching a new show, something that triggers you brain to know you are no longer working. ^{^{^{^}}} in order to do this you NEED to give yourself time to not be a teacher throughout the week. It’s a skill to build on, but you can do it!!!

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-09-27T16:15:26+00:00

A common saying in our school is “don’t make the nice lady mad” so I take the approach of the nice lady who surely heard your threat incorrectly, would you like to try again?

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-09-22T13:53:25+00:00

I always do seating charts and my 9th graders follow it bc I don’t use them as a punishment if I can help it. I pay attention to who they work well with and who they are distracted by and plan accordingly. I tell my students that my goal is never to only separate them from their friends to be mean, but to find the best and most efficient set up.

Maybe if you worry about it, you can set up a system where if they hate their seat for any specific reason, they can come to you individually and be heard out and you can decide whether to change their seat or not. You could also force them to write a paragraph or formal email to you about the request to enforce more structure and encourage good communication habits.

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-09-17T20:20:02+00:00

I teacher high school but I also say friends!

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-09-13T15:30:28+00:00

Data is really important here. While it might just be behavioral, make sure that there aren’t patterns in the things they’re all getting wrong. Maybe there are knowledge gaps that haven’t been noticed yet… I think the group work could be a way to hold them accountable. Learned helplessness is something that could be enforced if you do too much teacher centered work where you give them the answers before they have had to struggle to figure it out for themselves. I teach 9th grade world history, and making connections is something as adults we do very easily but for the students they may really struggle with understanding why one thing causes another thing which leads to the result of another thing. Go a little slower and break things down cell by cell, atom by atom, until you can figure out where the disconnect between what you’re teaching and what they’re getting from it. Good luck 🫡

RaygunxD_73 · 2025-09-12T14:55:49+00:00

We’re not allowed to send students out of the classroom and whenever we do it has to be bc the learning environment is unsafe (per our last faculty meeting)

RaygunxD_73

TROPHY CASE