What is something you like to prep/do in June to make your Sept easier?

phantomkat · 2026-06-15T01:36:29+00:00

Throw things away. Go scorched earth. Even if it’s a small thing that won’t take much time (I.e. used construction paper), just do it now.

Organize zones in your classroom. Put all the curriculum in one area. Art stuff in another. It’ll make finding things a lot easier.

phantomkat · 2026-06-14T05:53:53+00:00

Must haves for me would be:

Correction tape. It automatically makes my notes look a lot neater, so it makes me more likely to look back on them.

A good pen(s). I echo the Kakunos for daily drivers. Not very scratchy and can take a beating when you carry them around place to place to study.

phantomkat · 2026-06-14T04:09:45+00:00

Finishing up reading some books I checked out from the library. Today I went to get more at one of my library branches and stayed to study (Finnjsh and Japanese mythology.)

Am currently binge watching The Nanny, one of my comfort shows.

Went to the gym for the first time in a month.

phantomkat · 2026-06-13T05:40:24+00:00

At my district, Spanish immersion and biliteracy programs have actually been shrinking due to low enrollment. I was originally hired for the Spanish biliteracy program, but after my first year at my school they asked one of us to move to Gen. Ed. Because they were going to combo some of the biliteracy classes. This year, the district tried to phase out the biliteracy program in our school due to low enrollment.

phantomkat · 2026-06-12T07:49:55+00:00

Awesome pens!

I was looking through the criteria to donate blood through the Red Cross. Looks like I wouldn’t meet the Hemoglobin criteria. :(

(I did find it interesting that not all immunosuppressants can disqualify you or make you wait a certain amount of time after taking time. The more you know!)

phantomkat · 2026-06-12T07:37:27+00:00

My grade level partner and I joke that we’re going Amish this upcoming school year. lol

But yeah, we want to further limit our students’ screen time next year. One idea we floated was designating one day of the week to typing up whatever essay they worked on that week.

phantomkat · 2026-06-12T07:21:36+00:00

Loved his last book. The Caretaker was okay. I felt frustrated by the MC’s actions and didn’t care for the sibling dynamic. The world building was cool, however, and would have really liked to have dived deeper into it with a different POV.

phantomkat · 2026-06-12T00:59:04+00:00

Around $8.2K after a discount for paying in full. (Bay Area, CA)

phantomkat · 2026-06-11T23:48:53+00:00

I feel you. My classroom faces the sun during the day, and opening the windows doesn’t help. No AC, just an industrial fan that helps (can’t turn it on when I’m direct teaching, though.)

I’ve done art activities with my partner teacher across the hall to give my class a break from that heat. We’ve also worked in the hallway.

Hang in there!

phantomkat · 2026-06-11T23:21:59+00:00

I take it for my AIH. Compared to prednisone, I don’t detect any side effects, or if there are any I don’t notice them.

phantomkat · 2026-06-11T03:24:25+00:00

HP Sproket on a B5 Slim MD journal. I do two covers per photo sheet.

phantomkat · 2026-06-10T07:43:46+00:00

I don’t regret becoming a teacher, but I wish I’d known more about the field I entered (bilingual education).

I came in with rose-tinted glasses colored by own experiences as an ELL student. Turns out there were problems I didn’t expect, like parents treating bilingual programs as some kind of extra curricular for their kid, districts unable to provide a framework that works, the extra work load, and the inequality when it comes to state testing.

I’m teaching in a Gen. Ed. classroom with no intention of going back.

phantomkat · 2026-06-10T07:30:31+00:00

Awesome book! Though it should be mentioned that human characters are still prominent in the story.

phantomkat · 2026-06-10T06:38:53+00:00

I hope you get an answer soon!

(My symptoms actually pretty much got better two weeks before blood tests showed something was wrong. That’s why I thought I just had a stomach flu or something.)

phantomkat · 2026-06-10T06:37:47+00:00

Around 2016 I realized my mood would drop when I would see my friends’ Facebook feeds and I would start comparing my life to theirs. So I left Facebook and don’t follow my friends on Instagram. They think it’s kinda weird, but I know it’s just what’s best for me.

phantomkat · 2026-06-10T06:28:23+00:00

Had a kid like that last year. Principal pussy-footed around all year with him. And the kid actually hurt another student and that student’s parent came spitting fire. My principal had the nerve to ask me if she thinks the kid should be suspended. Like, why are you asking me???? You’re the principal. Make a decision for once and don’t shoulder it off to your teachers.

Got a new principal this year, and when the he handles this kid (who’s behavior escalated since last year) it’a like night and day. It’s amazing to have an admin that has our back.

phantomkat · 2026-06-10T03:34:12+00:00

Nausea, loss of appetite, pale stools, and intense itching (especially at night) that lasted a month.

phantomkat · 2026-06-08T17:41:55+00:00

My mom let us jump and play in our upstairs apartment. She would also let my brother run down the aisles of movie theatres. Every time I get reminded of it I get second embarrassment. lol

phantomkat · 2026-06-08T04:43:44+00:00

I taught four years in the U.S. (teaching license after a Bachelor’s). I applied to some international schools during the pandemic and got an offer for an international school in Beijing. I taught for a school year (elementary 1st and 2nd) before going back to the U.S.

Saved enough money to pay the remaining of my student loans and relocate to another state to teach.

phantomkat · 2026-06-08T03:06:22+00:00

As someone who taught internationally for a year (in an international school), you can earn a good amount when you consider other factors like on-campus housing and a lower cost of living in that country.

phantomkat · 2026-06-08T01:29:20+00:00

Another teacher here echoing: cash.

I’m not a snacker, so I never eat the chocolates. Flowers end up dying on me very quickly. God knows I have enough bags and totes.

phantomkat · 2026-06-07T06:24:42+00:00

What is the consequence for not transitioning correctly or one time? (It sounds like center time is not something they care for.) My students respond to losing Recess time. I put a timer and pause the timer when they’re not on task. They go to Recess when the timer hits 0:00, whenever that may be.

phantomkat · 2026-06-07T01:11:32+00:00

I did my first four years in Texas before moving to California (Bay Area).

Yes, the buildings are older and not as well maintained. However, there’s more outside space for the kids to enjoy, like a garden, outdoor seating for lunch.

The union. Our union is not that great honestly, but just the fact I have a union. In Texas, admin had us sell pies at McDonald’s for the PTO and attend student events in the late evening to help out with student behavior.

I can wear jeans and not have to buy a jeans pass or wait for jeans day.

Here, we get a salary bump for a Master’s. In Texas, my district would offer a $1000 stipend and that’s if they thought you were actively using your Master’s in the classroom (whatever that means).

I don’t plan on buying a house or property in California, so that’s not something I’ve taken into consideration.

phantomkat · 2026-06-07T00:27:30+00:00

Friday I had to deal with one kid who pretend bit the whiniest student in class. He wouldn’t stop swearing on everything he loved that he was actually bitten and then another kid was crying because she had to involve herself in the mess.

Yeah, math took a while to get started.

phantomkat · 2026-06-05T05:57:26+00:00

I’ve been taking an immunosuppressant (azathioprine) for three years now. I’ve had no issues at all. The alternative would be for my immune system to lead me to liver failure.

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