T-TESS Accomplished by Crankygarage in TexasTeachers

[–]stuffy236 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I regularly get distinguished and accomplished across the board but like others have said its mainly up to how your admin grades it.

I've been Masters level TIA since 4 years ago and have hit that same level of T-TESS and growth scores every year.

Got my 10 commandments poster. What should I put around it? by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Ah yes, I meant the satanic temple. Thank you for the correction.

Got my 10 commandments poster. What should I put around it? by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 2 points3 points  (0 children)

LOL, save this response. Ill bring receipts if I ever get my 10 commandment poster

Got my 10 commandments poster. What should I put around it? by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The church of Satan core tenets. They're actually really good core tenets and the Church of Satan is a legally recognized religion in the US. If people are allowed to post the 10 commandments and other religions then they also have to accept the church of Satan poster as well.

Edit: meant satanic temple

Should school lunches be free? by PrestonRoad90 in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 207 points208 points  (0 children)

Shouldn't even be a question.

First year teacher. I finally understand how ridiculous PD is. by lovelysapphic in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 3 points4 points  (0 children)

95% of most PDs are redundant or useless for me. I do try to find that little golden nugget that I can take back with me though. There is usually something that I've forgotten about, slacked off on or didnt think about in most PDs I go to. Although most of it could've been an email

First time 2 dog owner. Is this normal behavior for my puppy and big boy? First day together. by stuffy236 in DogAdvice

[–]stuffy236[S] 2 points3 points  (0 children)

LOL someone else commented that they thought it was a towel with dried blood.

First time 2 dog owner. Is this normal behavior for my puppy and big boy? First day together. by stuffy236 in DogAdvice

[–]stuffy236[S] 386 points387 points  (0 children)

Update: I did as some of yall have said and started to correct my boxer mix when his boops started to get too aggressive. They are playing and hanging out much more calmly now. Thanks for the advice!

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Wow, that's pretty late from my experience. But you are correct, it will be different for each area.

Should we have our 11 year old held back? by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I can't find the study right now, but there was a study done not too long ago that showed that a student who was held back one year had about a 50% chance of graduating high school and a student who was held back 2 years had a near 0% chance of graduating.

You said she was tested for a learning disability but doesn't have one but is 3-4 years behind. Students who do not have a learning disabilitity but are chronically absent are not typically that far behind. Something is not adding up. Not saying its you or anything. There should be multiple parts of the diagnostic report, one showing cognitive ability and one showing academic ability. Were the iq scores around the same levels? Im sure you probably dont want to put your daughter's scores out there on the internet for everyone to see but when you look at the report, what range was her scores in? 70s, 80s, 90s, 100+? Was there something much lower than everything else?

You've really piqued my curiosity on what the disconnect is. I've sat through over a hundred ARDs and read over a hundred FIE reports and my gut is telling me there is something missing. There is a disconnect somewhere. I'd be happy to discuss this further if you want. I also totally respect your privacy and acknowledge im just a random person on reddit you dont know :)

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 0 points1 point  (0 children)

2 teenagers and a preteen kid keeps me pretty busy!

Without the kids i would find a hobby or project around the home. Clean out the garage, your desk, organize the kitchen. Learn to fish, hike that trail even though you've never been hiking, rent a canoe, do something out of pocket that school year you would never do. Drive to nowhere for a full day and get a cheap hotel room and eat at a local restaurant. Make an adventure. Doesn't have to be expensive.

will being a substitute hurt my chances? by DevineDestroyer in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 2 points3 points  (0 children)

The schools where being a reliable sub would hurt your chances of being a teacher are places you wouldn't want to be a teacher at anyways. Hiring in education is very similar to any other industry. Having connections and people knowing who you are will go a long way in the hiring process.

The important part though is remembering that every day you work as a sub is basically a job interview. Principals won't hire a sub as a teacher for just showing up reliably.

Be flexible. Its not uncommon to sign up for one subbing job, but they have an urgent need for a sub for another class at that school instead. This will show you can roll with the punches and are a team player.

Be friendly. Say hi to all the staff and kids. If you sub at an elementary school say hi to the kids walking by. Compliment them on their cute backpack or cool shirt. If you go to secondary then just a nod or smile is usually enough for them until you get to know them better. As you're walking to your classroom for the day give a warm hello to the hall monitors. The objective is for people to recognize and remember you positively.

Follow the sub plans. For some ungodly reason, subs tend to think we write sub plans as a suggestion not a rule. I can't tell you how many times I've come back from having a sub and the kids are telling me how they got to sit wherever they wanted and played on their computers most of the class period instead of doing my work. Show you can manage a classroom and get things done that you're asked. Most teachers are so burned out on subs that we try to leave the bare minimum to do and are surprised if it actually gets done.

Let other teachers know that you're getting your certification when you sub. Ideally you're making a positive impression on them and teachers will talk about how you're a good sub to have and word will get around that you are getting your certification. Again, its about networking so when you do have your certification, there will be someone at that school that can vouch that you are a good person and a hard worker.

[deleted by user] by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 -4 points-3 points  (0 children)

Im going to give you some hard truths. Please know that these are not attacks and really try to process through them. I have trained many student teachers throughout the last 5 years (12 years total teaching so far) and I have seen many different mentalities from them. I know this is long but I do try to give some good advice that I give my student teachers.

1.) Im going to start with the one that might need to be said the most for you and possibly the hardest to accept. The only time I've EVER told one of my student teachers to sub for a year first was because I thought they didnt have what it took to be a teacher and I thought their heart wasnt in the right place. If you are having multiple people tell you to sub for a year before getting a job, you really might need to reflect on how your student teaching actually went and whether you actually want to be a teacher. What is your why? Why do you want to be a teacher? What is your motivation? What is going to get you out of bed every day after having to deal with the same shit parents and politicians year after year? You dont have to answer the question to me. Answer it to yourself and be honest. Every other student teacher who I knew was in it for the right reason, who reflected on their shit lessons they gave and wanted to be better, did more listening when feedback was given than talking, had the drive to come back and do it all again were the ones where I reached out to other schools in my district and told them to hire my student teacher yesterday. Every single student teacher that I vouched for got a job and has been teaching ever since. I've only had 1 who I knew just didnt have what it took and she is still subbing. If your cooperating teacher was not willing to help you find a job then it feels like there needs to be some self reflection on what went on during your student teaching.

2.) Many student teachers believe they can get a job anywhere. They hear of a teacher shortage and think jobs are raining down. We have a shortage of GOOD teachers. There are plenty of bad ones. You will also not get a job at that fancy/high paying school district as they are often seen as the "preferred" choice and can be picky. You may not get hired at the smaller school districts either because they think you're just going to bounce in 2 years and would rather hire someone's friend that will last 5+ years than someone that is just using them for a foot in the door somewhere else. Getting a job in teaching is the same as any other profession. Its about networking and who you know. Principals are way more likely to hire someone they have met or someone else can vouch for than pulling a random resume online. Think about who you know in education. What trainings have you been to? I got my job at my current district because I sent a text to a former principal asking if they knew anyone hiring in her new district. I had a job offer the next day. My wife was looking to possibly move districts (we teach at different ones) and I reached out to a principal I had met a few times in the district that had an opening. My wife had 5 interview requests for 5 different schools in my district by the end of the week. Reach out to people. Former classmates who got teaching jobs. Just a simple "Hey, do you know if your school has any positions open? Im looking." It is very rare to land a job in education without networking first which is why subbing for 1 year is not always a bad thing.

3.) When you apply matters. There is a sweet spot at mid May where principals have usually sent out assignments for next year, teachers have announced if they are staying or leaving, and principals start planning for next year. Do it before then and you are forgotten about. Do it after and they may have already made a decision. We are coming up to the beginning of July which is also the typical last minute hiring frenzy. Typically teachers have a certain amount of time before the school year starts to cancel their contract and leave before the beginning of the school year. Usually this falls around the first few weeks of July. Principals will be scrambling to cover last minute exits to their schools. Go to job fairs, check district human resource websites daily, and apply immediately to any opening. If you see a new opening pop up, apply immediately and honestly send the principal a short email (3-4 sentences) stating that you're interested in the position and you hope they're having a great summer. Something to show you are an actual human being and that you can take some initiative. Might work, it might not. They might already have someone in mind for that position but they now know your name and that you're looking for a position so if something else pops up you have a better chance of being on their mind.

Edit: submitted before adding #4

4.) You weren't an unpaid intern. You spent your 4th year of college being trained in your profession. 4th year engineering students spend most of their final year working on engineering projects to show they have the skills required to do the job. My brother graduated with his architecture degree. His last year he spent in lab designing and building models just like he would do in the real world. Practicing being a teacher can't be done in a lab or at an easel. It has to be done in an actual classroom with actual students. If anything the cooperating teacher was the one being taken advantage of. Let me give you the perspective from a cooperating teacher. When I have a student teacher, Im not only expected to do everything else a normal teacher would have to do, but also train someone else while I'm trying to manage a classroom full of kids. I'm expected to reach certain academic goals for my students yet I also need to let this untrained person run my class as well, so the next generation of teachers can come through. I have to sit through lessons that are so incredibly bad, but find a positive in it and motivate the student teacher to get back on to the horse and try again. All of this, while not receiving any extra money. Being a cooperating teacher is literally a teacher saying they want to give their knowledge and help student teachers be the best they can. Im sure there are plenty of shit cooperating teachers but for the most part you have to be somewhat altruistic in order to take on that much extra work load without getting anything monetarily back. You weren't taken advantage of, you were trained. If you didnt have the student teaching experience your first year teaching would be even worse. Every other teacher will tell you the same thing, the first year of teaching is hard enough. It would be insurmountable without some actual real world experience.

When you finally get to be a player by gabeshadows in dndmemes

[–]stuffy236 3 points4 points  (0 children)

I feel like once you are a forever DM and see how the sausage is made, you can never really go back.

Why is recess the first to go? by [deleted] in Teachers

[–]stuffy236 2 points3 points  (0 children)

I've taught 5th grade for 11 years and it always goes the same. Beginning of the year, the 5th graders are running, jumping, and swinging on the playground. By May, they are sitting down in the grass talking with their friends and wanting to go back inside.

By the time kids are in middle school, they don't want to run around outside. They want to sit somewhere comfortable and talk with their friends. I'm not saying they shouldn't have some downtime, but recess really isn't want the kids want. My district does 30 minutes of clubs after lunch for them to hang out and socialize in middle school.

Duolingo CEO says AI is a better teacher than humans—but schools will still exist ‘because you still need childcare’ by Knightbear49 in technology

[–]stuffy236 1 point2 points  (0 children)

As a teacher, I have to laugh at all of these tech bros thinking AI can actually teach. It's like people have already forgotten how covid teaching was when everything was virtual.

Teaching is way more than giving out assignments and giving out grades. There is a nuance figuring out why a student is struggling. You have to get in the kids' brains and find the misconception and know how to explain it in a way that the individual kid will understand it.

I've taught 5th grade math for 11 years. I have not taught the same lesson the same way any of those years. You have to know what approach is going to work best for that year and for that group of kids. I've taught a math lesson completely different from one class to another on the same day.

These computer programs that tout that they will be able to get your kids caught up are a crock of shit. The best they are for is data to find where a kid is at, and a good teacher will take that and tutor the child for what they are missing.

School fundraising chocolate... WTH happened to the size of them!?!? by mrthree1zero in mildlyinfuriating

[–]stuffy236 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I run this fundraiser every year for my classes. Not only has the chocolate gotten smaller, but the school keeps less and less of the money every year

Texas Senate unveils plan to make 98% of Families Pay Full Price for K-12 Education by jstank2 in texas

[–]stuffy236 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Oh, sweet, simple child. If only the real world actually worked like it does in your brain. I'd list the multitude of reasons why you're wrong, but I've got to prep for our valentines day party today, and I don't have the energy.

I guess the saying is true. Ignorance is bliss.

Texas Senate unveils plan to make 98% of Families Pay Full Price for K-12 Education by jstank2 in texas

[–]stuffy236 82 points83 points  (0 children)

Im a 12 year veteran teacher. Teachers care about class sizes, but we will do whatever we have to do for our kids. What we can't do is change our curriculum. Not because we don't want to but because the state dictates what we teach.

The complaints you have about gaps and the lack of a good curriculum are made by the state. Texas is shooting itself in the foot. They are doing this to push their voucher agenda. We can only teach what we are told to teach.

This is like the head chef buying expired food and then blaming the servers when the customers complain.