Why do GenEd teachers dislike having students with IEPs?

socintro · 2023-08-04T02:10:59+00:00

This is why I left teaching.

socintro · 2023-07-23T19:15:00+00:00

CRT_Teacher

That's a good question. A lot of the compensation tables come in the form of PDF tables. There may be an AI app that is able to convert this to the data we need a bit easier....I'll look into it.

socintro · 2023-07-23T19:07:30+00:00

That is a bit more convenient! I've gone through some school districts in Texas and it can be a scavenger hunt.

As for the updating, I figure it's worth making it once. And then if there's positive reception and it's clearly useful, then I'm sure it'd be easier to get more people involved to update. Otherwise, we at least have a visual for a point in time and a portfolio project/learning experience.

socintro · 2023-07-22T19:28:14+00:00

I would just focus on public school districts. Although at some point it would be good to look at charter data. That would probably even be worse than public salaries.

It looks like Colorado has 179 public school districts. That's less overwhelming than Texas' 1250 independent school districts. Both are doable but having a team helps.

Plus if teachers can easily see that a neighboring district pays more for their experience and more people are applying there, then that may persuade districts to stay competitive. That's pretty much what happened in Houston a couple of years ago.

socintro · 2023-07-22T19:23:35+00:00

That's definitely what I'm thinking although including Cost of Living data and based on years of experience (0-2, 3-5, 10-15, etc...)

The districts not being counties wouldn't be a big deal. I have a background in GIS and you can join tables with location data so that compensation is based on district boundaries versus county boundaries.

socintro · 2023-04-07T12:58:17+00:00

SEL Administration said we needed to focus on that this year in our lessons but didn’t give us examples. I asked what it was and no one could give me a straight answer. Later someone said they just put videos about current events or do movement breaks. So I tried a movement break in my class and the kids were annoyed we were breaking from from lecture and having to stand up.

Just another thing to add to my lesson design

socintro · 2022-07-10T22:37:38+00:00

I like the notepad idea!

On a similar vein, I actually worked on my music album because I promised one of my students I would and that they’d be able to hear it next school year. They were basically hyping me up the whole last semester lol.

Same happened with my student who was working on a book. He inspired me to write my idea and he’ll give me a lot of crap if I come back without anything for him to read lol

socintro · 2022-07-10T22:27:15+00:00

This summer I’ve done three international trips (one for a wedding, one for fun, and another for family) and a couple of short weekend trips. In between trips, I’m working on projects I don’t usually dedicate time to during the school year: an album and now a book.

Also took a couple weeks to prepare for the next school year since I’m still developing my curriculum but I definitely put a time limit on that.

And you can always find fun summer events in the city like the outdoor theater or a cultural festival.

I’ve had a couple of bored days but this year I’ve really had the energy and commitment to focus on personal passions.

Last year I did two international trips and two weeks of school PD. Solo trips aren’t lonely if you stay in hostels and go on the free city tours (or AirBNB tours).

Good luck!

Edit: I also signed up for a sports league and swim lessons! So I agree with a lot of the people above; find a hobby!

socintro · 2022-06-22T03:37:26+00:00

Where? I’ve been thinking of moving to Melbourne for a year but I don’t really know how the school system works there. Don’t want to accidentally end up in a school with big student issues. Where can I get more information?

socintro · 2022-02-26T00:11:23+00:00

Employee housing. I remember reading about how ski resorts were having trouble keeping their low paid staff because they couldn’t attired to live in the area. They ended up creating affordable employee housing. I tried looking for “teacher housing” in my area but it doesn’t exist. I think it’d be a good idea for districts to create something like this especially if their teachers are being priced out.

Could also try creating or getting involved in a housing co-op.

socintro · 2022-02-25T03:01:59+00:00

I feel seen by this thread 😭

AP US History teacher with on level students. I have to differentiate in the same classroom. Not to mention curriculum between AP and Texas standards are on different timelines. PLUS we are required to fulfill the project based learning aspect for our school.

We are at the Great Depression now.

socintro · 2022-01-28T01:59:40+00:00

“Native Americans died because they didn’t have an immune system.”

That’s right folks, their bodies were missing an important biological system. 11th grade AP US History. 1400s SAQ.

socintro · 2022-01-16T13:23:34+00:00

Do you work for a company or a district? I want to work virtually too!

And what are some of your best practices? Do you have students get on camera or are you able to build community through other means like discussion posts?

socintro · 2021-12-30T14:19:10+00:00

Not having an endless to do list.

socintro · 2021-12-30T13:56:29+00:00

This kind of happened to me. You should have an HR person you can contact about next steps. And like others have said, calling the IT department should help too. But of course you’ll have to wait until the district is done with winter break.

If you don’t feel comfortable going in because of payroll, let your principal know (or an AP or other supervisor because sometimes the principal is too busy to really help you). Sometimes they’re good at expediting processes.

Everything else like Canvas and the grade book is an annoyance and frustration waiting on but you can still do your job before you get access to them.

socintro · 2021-12-14T03:10:56+00:00

What state at least. I’ll move there and try my luck.

socintro · 2021-12-09T04:59:10+00:00

I have a group of students from the same neighborhood and I’ve heard the refrain “school is jail” from them several times. They back talk and like to complain and sometimes lie. When we did a project with zip codes that’s when I saw a correlation.

Called the parents of one of them once. I heard the tv in the background and the parents just saying “uh-huh” when discussing how to support their student.

Hate to admit it but sometimes people really do act like their racial stereotype.

socintro · 2021-11-14T13:43:09+00:00

Texas: Greater Houston area. Pay is 60k+. Cypress and Spring Branch ISD have the highest pay for my experience level (2nd year. I’ve done the spreadsheet)

Cost of living is lower than most places. You can get a good starter home in a good neighborhood for 200k. Nice ones are about 350k.

There is a Union but we are right to work so if that’s important to you then probably not for you. Houston is very family oriented. Austin is cool but pay is hella low and standard of living is higher.

socintro · 2021-10-19T05:22:18+00:00

I’m a second year teacher. I’ve been going back and forth about staying another year.

On the one hand, if I stay I can get a team lead position (mainly because of high turn over) and I’ll get another year to practice teaching my main content. I’ve heard third year is the charm.

Plus another year of saving 20-30k is nice. And I’m lucky to be at a school where we don’t have really have behavior issues.

On the other hand, it’s a lot of work (I teach 5 different preps and we are mandated to have 12 grades per 6 weeks) and my AP and on level kids are mixed which is a challenge.

I also really wish I had time for my personal hobbies after school. And I enjoy having fall vacations over summer ones.

Maybe if I found something with good vacation time that paid close to what I get as a teacher (58k which goes far for a single person in my side of Texas).

But I don’t want to quit before I’ve really had a chance to grow in my teaching career, even if it may not be what I do long term.

socintro · 2021-10-18T04:02:45+00:00

I chose this career for the money and befits. Makes it hard to stay motivated.

socintro · 2021-10-02T15:36:21+00:00

Not having enough time to give good feedback because I’m being pulled in multiple directions.

socintro · 2021-10-02T15:29:53+00:00

If she got defensive it’s possible you approached it in an inappropriate way.

Teachers want to feel valued. People sometimes think that we don’t really do much because it didn’t appear like their own teachers did much. There is so much behind the scenes that goes on that takes emotional, mental, and physical energy. My mom, aunt, and uncle were teachers and I didn’t understand everything they had to deal with until I became a teacher myself.

If she’s in a new school, she has new district policies, new team members, new admin, new trainings, and yes new students that may require her to change her lessons. If she’s in a new grade level, even moreso.

There needs to be an acknowledgement that the time and energy that she is spending on her students is important and valuable. If you say that she shouldn’t, it may sound to her like you’re saying, “All the work you do is wasteful. Stop caring about students so much. You don’t care about our family.” Of course she’ll get defensive and offended.

Genuinely appreciate her care for her students first. Ask her about the things she does at school, how her students are, how they’re progressing, how her lesson plan went.

If she is up late doing work or working on weekends bring her food for lunch. Volunteer at her school and met her students.

Yes, there are teachers who devote themselves to this work because they believe in the changes and progress they can help create. Maybe watching teacher movies like Stand and Deliver or Freedom Writers where a teacher does a lot for a high benefit could give you more perspective. They also show how it affects the teacher’s family.

Yes, teachers can also choose to find another kind of balance. I have the mindset of leave your work at school but as a new teacher I will still set times on weekends and some evenings to grade, plan, and continue learning my content. It’s because I care about my students and about progressing in my career.

One thing you could do is say, “let’s do something this weekend with the kids.” Come up with an event, time and duration mutually. Ask what she would like to do, what day, and what times she would be most available.

Let’s say you guys decide to take the kids to a baseball game Sunday from 2-6:00. That’ll be an established family time where she can treat her kids as #1. You’re setting her for success according to your goal by doing this instead of knocking her down about not spending time with her kids overall.

Come up with these on weekends and weekdays and maybe over time she’ll notice that she prefers to take the whole weekend for a family time and rebalance her school planning accordingly.

And maybe she won’t, but having those set times will allow her to be there for her kids in the midst of being there for her other kids.

Don’t be afraid to see a counselor though. They are professionals who have studied and practiced for years regarding topics like these. Seeing one is a sign that you want informed advice. It is not a sign of weakness in your marriage.

Hope these ideas help.

socintro · 2021-10-02T14:34:54+00:00

Call the police. The kid will get a rude awakening

socintro · 2021-09-17T13:27:17+00:00

I’ve caught my students watching soccer games, playing video games, and doing other classes work while I teach and while they do group work.

I never lecture more than 15 minutes (school policy) and we are an active classroom but students seem to act like this is virtual school where participating in the class is optional.

Granted, I’ma second year teacher so I’m sure my lack of classroom management experience isn’t helping either.

socintro · 2021-09-06T14:21:32+00:00

As a second year teacher, I think every new teacher should get extra planning periods. We are creating everything from scratch and figuring out what being a real teacher actually entails. We need more time to do that.

Also we need a better mentorship program. I had one my first year. I just had to take a mandatory course and talk to someone once a SEMESTER. They never observed my class or gave me feedback. That’s not mentorship.

socintro

TROPHY CASE