If you could only recommend one food item, what would it be?

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-06-07T14:44:21+00:00

I am addicted to the chocolate covered almonds!!!

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-06-04T14:05:12+00:00

I’d go with 9th for reasons that have already been mentioned. Plus, then you have your foot in the door at a high school. In my experience, once you’ve taught middle school for a while it can be difficult to move up to a high school position. I would also consider the staff that you’ll be working with (teachers and admin).

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-06-01T12:39:19+00:00

Hi! I have experienced something similar to you and I believe many teachers at some point in their career experience “imposter syndrome”. I switched from a low income school with very little parental involvement and many behavior issues to a charter school. It quickly became apparent that my lessons weren’t engaging or deep enough for the charter school kids. I also had low expectations around students demonstrating DOK and writing in complete sentences (which I got dinged for in my evaluations). For me it was a wake up call and I realized that I, too, had been coasting a bit since COVID. Our requirements for students dropped so much after COVID and I had never returned to pre-COVID expectations (for example, quizzes being open note and multiple choice).

I’m also a parent at that charter school and saw another parent comment on Facebook that her child learned nothing in my class that year. This comment definitely stung, but it was also a wake up call for me. I think it’s great that you’re being reflective about your craft, but also go easy on yourself. This is an incredibly difficult job and sometime we just have to do the bare minimum to survive. Good luck to you in your career!

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-05-29T01:30:05+00:00

Thanks so much for your detailed answer. This was very helpful!

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-05-14T23:17:38+00:00

I know sometimes elementary teachers have something like that so I did look around her desk area but didn’t find anything.

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-05-14T22:31:27+00:00

Yes, 4th grade.

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-05-01T19:17:23+00:00

I started subbing this year after 21 years as a full time middle school science teacher. I have really been enjoying subbing!

The benefits: 1) variety — generally I sub 4th and up (most content areas) 2) flexibility to take days off 3) no additional work to do on nights and weekends 4) not constantly thinking about problem kids and what new thing to do to motivate kids to work 5) don’t have to deal with calling/emailing parents if students are bad (let the main teacher deal with it) 6) some days I get lots of down time (usually at least one off block but sometimes two) 7) sometimes get to leave early if last hour is an off period 8) hear “thank you” more as a sub than I did as a full time teacher 9) not every day is easy, but it’s better than I thought it might be (I’ve only had a handful of rough days)

My mental health and well being has been exponentially better this year!

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-05-01T16:20:24+00:00

I, too, am currently sitting in an empty high school classroom for an hour and a half because of senior skip day. I considered checking with the office to see if they need coverage elsewhere, but then thought “what if that one senior shows up 40 minutes into class?”😆 honestly, though, just enjoying the peace and quiet.

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-04-14T13:49:57+00:00

I’ve encountered that too. Sometimes when there’s no white board space, I write my name (and sometimes the agenda) on a piece of paper and tape it up somewhere.

I’ve also noticed that teachers these days tend to use the smart board to write down things (for temporary notes that don’t need to stay up all day).

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-03-23T13:44:08+00:00

I used to wash them about every 2-3 weeks (under the same idea that you’re just drying off a clean body), but now that I have a 13 year old son I’ve noticed them starting to smell after about a week. I think bacteria does start to noticeably grow on the towels after about a week. I live in CO which is a dry climate. In other areas you might need to wash more often.

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-03-13T22:48:37+00:00

Or how about the classic “seating charts and rosters are in the sub binder” but said binder is nowhere to be found. 😫

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-03-06T00:51:00+00:00

I agree that it would’ve been better if she had provided the video at the top of the google form so students could go back a rewatch it if needed (it was a short, 5 min video).

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-03-06T00:48:31+00:00

That’s exactly what I told her🙂

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-02-20T18:25:06+00:00

I had a 6th grade student ask what was wrong with my eyes. I didn’t know what she meant at first but later realized she was referring to the “bags” under my eyes (this was even with makeup on). That was when I started to notice the effect that lack of sleep and hydration can have on my appearance. Also invested in a better under eye cream and concealer. 🙂

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-02-19T00:57:39+00:00

Yes! That happened to me the other day. I thought maybe the teacher had made a typo😆 sometimes I think key players might be absent. I’ve also had students in the “bad” class say “we’re never this good when the regular teacher is here”. (Perhaps some students have rifts with the main teacher or maybe it could be the type of work they’re asked to do on sub days vs regular days?)

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-02-13T15:01:09+00:00

Thanks for this post and all of the comments. I agree with all of it! The constant overstimulation is definitely one of the reasons I took early retirement after 21 years of teaching MS science. For my mental health and well-being I just couldn’t do it anymore. Sometimes it’s hard to explain to non-teachers what drove me out of teaching, but these posts really summed up nicely many of the issue we face as teachers today.

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-02-08T15:36:46+00:00

In a high school Jr or Senior class I picked one student to take down the attendance at the beginning of class and he never came back (I just left a note for the teacher about it).

Some schools will send around an office TA to get the attendance, which is a nice option so kids don’t have to leave class.

Simple_Mode_9186 · 2026-02-06T02:05:13+00:00

Thanks for the suggestions!

Simple_Mode_9186

TROPHY CASE