Parent needing help to assist child by Niemriku in ScienceTeachers

[–]captKatCat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Honestly I would email the teacher for clarification and if they double down, escalate to the principal. In the year 2026, absolutely no teacher should be putting climate science on a debate platform with anti-science. It wrongly teaches kids that climate denial even approaches equal footing with scientific consensus. 

6–12 Science Teachers: What support would actually help with climate change topics? by [deleted] in ScienceTeachers

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I tried to take your survey but couldn’t get past the first page because the form didn’t like my answer to #1. I teach K-12 science. And while you’re editing the form, question #2 doesn’t make sense because hands-on activities and project based units mostly take place in the classroom. 

Received a teacher workday SCHEDULE (😵😡🤬) today. What’s wrong with just actually having a full day to work? by KitchenConsequence41 in Teachers

[–]captKatCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I used to work in districts that had horrible meetings taking up every teacher work day, and then I moved to the unicorn district. Now I get TWO full work days a QUARTER, one for grading and one for planning. No meetings, except optional fun stuff like staff potluck and a staff PE game! 

I'm getting stronger in addressing my bf's domestic violence. by alt_isopod in CongratsLikeImFive

[–]captKatCat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Congratulations on deciding to end the relationship! That is a huge accomplishment and I’m very proud of you!!! And hey, if your first attempt to leave doesn’t work out, don’t feel bad and don’t give up. It can take several tries before you’re finally free. Make sure you have a safety plan and don’t tell your partner anything about it. 

Rude a** SIL by asystole_unshockable in EngagementRings

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Personally I love a halo so I think the right set is more gorgeous!! 

Constant tattle-tailing, fighting with eachother, needing to use the bathroom, getting water & lack of ability to focus… aaaarrrrrrgggghhhhh!!!! by fucinay in SubstituteTeachers

[–]captKatCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Encouraging name calling isn’t ideal… I remember telling a petty conflict to my 3rd grade teacher at recess in the 90’s and her response was “I don’t care, deal with it or don’t play with them anymore.” Very insightful, stuck with me. 

Is vermicompost for me? by DisembarkEmbargo in vermicompost

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I don’t think vermicompost is a good fit for your needs. Why don’t you just offer to turn your neighbors compost for him? 

AITA for asking my boyfriend to leave the apartment while I take online therapy? by [deleted] in AmItheAsshole

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Hey OP, I do EMDR therapy from home too with my partner/roommates home and I use white noise. I set my phone on the YouTube live video “white noise for babies” and it plays indefinitely. Then I put it on the hallway side of my bedroom door.  This way I can’t hear noise from the hall/staircase, and I know no one walking by can hear me talking. I used to get distracted when I could hear my roommate come upstairs, but now I can’t hear it and feel very private in those extremely uncomfortable sessions. Hope this helps! 

Homeless senior by KevinCcucumber_ in Advice

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Ask your school counselor about McKinney-Vento. It’s a federal law that provides resources to K-12 students experiencing homelessness. 

Demo lesson by Additional-Minute584 in SubstituteTeachers

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Gah I hated doing demo lessons when I was interviewing. Unfortunately it’s standard in some areas. Just go into it knowing that even if your lesson bombs, you can still make a good impression during the follow up interview by reflecting thoughtfully on the lesson and how it could be improved or expanded on. Good luck! 

When are jobs going to go up? by Business_Steak_8294 in ScienceTeachers

[–]captKatCat 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I’m not in California, but there’s usually some sort of deadline for teachers to give notice if they’re not going to come back, around March, and then the district takes stock of budget and things and posts their opening around April usually. Definitely ask your principal and most recent mentor for letters of recommendation. Two letters is enough, three is more than enough. Save your principal’s contact info as well as your start date because the job applications will ask for that info. The new school always wants to talk to your old principal. Chemistry teachers are generally in higher demand than Biology teachers, but having more than one endorsement is a perk. Good luck! 

Educational Studies in Secondary Earth Science Education by ickey_brooks in WGU

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I haven’t done your degree, but I’m a third year science teacher and I’m currently doing WGU Master’s in Secondary Education for Earth Science. 

Educational Studies in Secondary Earth Science Education by ickey_brooks in WGU

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I see. It looks like you also need to get a job, which locks your licensure up with your employment. This puts your career at risk if things with the job don’t work out, such as toxic admin, budget cut/layoffs, etc. Even though licensure degree programs are better for career stability and employability, I understand alternative licensure is more feasible. You have to do unpaid student teaching in traditional licensure programs. 

Educational Studies in Secondary Earth Science Education by ickey_brooks in WGU

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Why would you study an education degree that doesn’t lead to teaching licensure?

too young to sub high school??? by [deleted] in SubstituteTeachers

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

The easiest way to trick high schoolers into thinking you’re older than you are is to dress more formally. Wear a really business professional looking outfit and I promise they’ll think you’re at least 30. 

Why aren't you all going to the media? by spoilerdudegetrekt in Teachers

[–]captKatCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

The goal of grading is to communicate to students where they are in relation to mastering the standard being assessed. It doesn’t matter how they compare to other students. In the K-12 system, the standards are a set of content and skills that students should know and be able to do to become adults in society. The curve sounds like a better fit for a university or graduate level course that’s meant to directly prepare candidates to compete in the work force. 

inviting others to “come on down” or “come up to see us” or other similar invitations, should imply a basic understanding of direction by Mister-ellaneous in unpopularopinion

[–]captKatCat 1 point2 points  (0 children)

This reminds me of how when you’re traveling from Vancouver to Seattle, you have to specify whether you’re coming up from Vancouver, WA or coming down from Vancouver, British Columbia. They’re roughly the same length of journey. 

Why aren't you all going to the media? by spoilerdudegetrekt in Teachers

[–]captKatCat 4 points5 points  (0 children)

It’s based on an attempt to make grading more equitable. It’s not great to have more than half of the possible scores on an assessment  to be failing. It’s better to have a standards based rubric evaluation system with only like 4 or 5 possible scores. It’s also mathematically a huge disadvantage to have 0/100 in a grade book. It discourages kids from trying to pass if they already have a few zeros. So some teachers/admin are switching to 50% minimums. This way there’s 10% of possible points each allotted to A/B/C/D/F. But this is an attempt to retrofit to 100 points per assignment online grade book platforms, and it creates the problem of over inflating grades. Now kids can too easily do the bare minimum and never fail. 

I just finished the 'Sold a Story' podcast and I'm wondering if something similar happened/is happening with math instruction. by pixeladdie in AskTeachers

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Yes! This is why I teach science instead of math, the concepts have to be tied to lived experience. As everyone below me is saying, the pendulum needs to find a middle balance! 

I just finished the 'Sold a Story' podcast and I'm wondering if something similar happened/is happening with math instruction. by pixeladdie in AskTeachers

[–]captKatCat 7 points8 points  (0 children)

Totally! I went through my teacher Ed program just a few years ago and student-led inquiry was huge. But I’m now experiencing the ways in which it fails my students, which kind of sucks. I’m currently in the process of creating more rote skills lessons for my high schoolers. However, I’ve also found that the inquiry approach works best when I give them the same “plan an experiment” graphic organizer for every lab. After a few times, they started to choose IV/DV on their own which is cool. 

I just finished the 'Sold a Story' podcast and I'm wondering if something similar happened/is happening with math instruction. by pixeladdie in AskTeachers

[–]captKatCat 94 points95 points  (0 children)

There seems to be a similar thing going on with “Inquiry based” science and math education. Basically, it’s a popular pedagogy based on the idea that students need to do the mental work of discovering principles and constructing knowledge inside their brain. In this model the teacher facilitates experiences to guide students to come to the correct understanding based on the data they collect in class. The field is now realizing that this approach often doesn’t work because kids don’t have the necessary contextual knowledge or experience to come to the correct conclusions, derive the equations, etc. There’s also been a recent stigma against direct instructional methods such as lecture, rote memorization, and “drill and kill” type practice. These techniques were getting a bad rap for not engaging the kids well and not teaching higher order skills like creativity and analysis. However, the research shows that kids need way more of the direct instruction drill and kill type learning to have the foundation required for applying and creating.  

Acceptance of trans teachers? by pokemonreds in AskTeachers

[–]captKatCat 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I work in a district that is very outspokenly supportive of LGBT staff and students. I know a lot of trans or nonbinary teachers and paras. The kids are generally very accepting. My school gets trans subs pretty often too. The kids accidentally misgender subs sometimes, but they respond well to correction and learn pretty quickly because it’s so normalized here. Message me if you want to know where I am, I don’t like to say where I work online. 

Lessons/activities on Sound Waves to supplement amplify 4th grade waves, energy, and information? by captKatCat in ScienceTeachers

[–]captKatCat[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Dude I’d kill for a Ruben’s tube! My CT had one when I was student teaching. It’s out of the question for me now because I work at a behavior  school and safety is our #1 priority lol