r/AskTeachers

Hi everyone, I’m a first year kindergarten teacher and I could really use some perspective from parents and more experienced educators. I didn’t expect to see this many kids struggling with early reading skills. Some of my students are already reading simple books, but a good number are still working on recognizing letters and sounds, and a few seem completely lost when it comes to blending words.I’m starting to wonder if my expectations are off, or if this is actually pretty typical for this age group.For parents, did your child read in kindergarten, or did it take more time? And for teachers, is this kind of range normal in one class? I just want to make sure I’m supporting them the right way and not worrying over something that’s actually part of the process.

I didn’t have anything appropriate to wear for it and I’ll get points off because of that. Jeans weren’t even allowed which is usually my go to for more business casual things

I'm a software eng interested in building something on the side and was curious to hear real pain points.

I'm particularly interested to hear from charter or private school teachers since I'm way too small to compete with huge vendors going after public. Thank you.

Hi! I’m a junior in very advanced classes (rank 4/318) and planning to take all APs and college courses next year. My schedule is full so I want to take 2 AP courses online (AP Spanish & AP Chemistry) and 2 early college courses over the summer.

AP Spanish isn’t offered in school, and AP Chemistry is, but I previously took honors chemistry with that teacher and didn’t learn the material well in class (he's really known for his bad teaching, respectfully). I ended up reteaching it myself, so I know I learn better independently at my own pace.

I’ve taken online courses before and have notebooks and Google Docs with timestamps showing I did the work responsibly and independently. I’ll also be taking AP exams so cheating wouldn’t make sense at all.

The school says I’d need credit recovery blocks to take online classes especially if they're not required for my graduation, but my schedule is full and I'm trying to maximize my credits not replace them. The meeting with the assistant principal is Thursday. Any tips on how to convince them to approve the online/AP courses? And should I bring the notebook and Google Docs or would that be unnecessary?

Thanks!

I, 18M, am in my second semester of college. Last year, I had a teacher that I had a really good relationship with.

Here’s the full background.

I got to school around 7, and classes started at 7:40, so from 7-7:25, I would be chilling with my friends in the cafeteria, just hanging out and talking. Then I would usually head up to his room for a small chat, or just a comfortable silence from 7:25-7:30 or 7:35. Then I would head to my first period. Unless of course, he had other teachers in there, in which case, I would skip going to his room, and head straight to first period.

Wordy, I know, but I didn’t want to come across as overbearing(unless I actually was overbearing. But I asked him multiple times and he didn’t say I was, so I’m inclined to believe that).

Anyways, besides our morning chats, I saw him all the time.

• On my route to class during passing period. He always stood outside his door to greet students as they walked in, so I would usually go for a quick fist bump before continuing my route.

• During class. I had him as one of my teachers, if that wasn’t obvious already.

• During study hall. I almost always got his permission and a pass to go to his room for study hall. I was still productive, but productive in a room where I actually liked the teacher. Study hall was also on a different day than when I had his class, so I basically had his class every day.

• Even sometimes after dismissal. The teacher’s parking lot and the bus loop are located in the same place, and my last class on A days was right next to the exit, so I would see him almost all the time and as usual, went for a quick fist bump before he left.

The only exceptions were obviously when either him or I had not gone to school on a certain day.

Due to seeing him all the time, I felt like we had developed a really solid relationship.

This teacher was one I trusted fully. I had started to talk to him about some things I was dealing with mentally, but decided to stop because it was entering “report to counselor” territory. I had also talked to him about a humiliating incident that involved another teacher(I didn’t say who, though. I’m not a snitch), and he had given me some pretty solid advice.

We talked a lot about random stuff, video games being the primary source of discussion. One time, he was asked by a student to be a sponsor for a club that involved the Pokemon Trading Card Game, and since Pokémon is a BIG obsession of mine, I was able to guide him through the rules of TCG.

During Teacher Appreciation Week, I had hand-written him a note thanking him for all that he had done for me that year. At the end of the year, I requested that I email him once a month. Personally? I would’ve preferred it to be biweekly, but I felt like that would’ve been too much.

FINALLY we get to my question from the title. Sorry for the long read. I have been following the consistent monthly email, like we both agreed to, but he hasn’t been replying for the past few months. I’m going to chalk it up to him being busy. And I’ve decided I will send an email for Teacher Appreciation Week, but after that, should I stop? I’m sure he’s got loads of emails from current students, staff, parents, etc. And I don’t want to add to that pile.

I am writing my PhD thesis and I would like to thank a lot of people who I felt have shaped my journey in some way. This includes past teachers whom I fondly remember, but it's been well over a decade since I have had them as teachers. I am wondering whether it would be weird to reach out to them to say that I am acknowledging them in my thesis? I did not major in the area that they taught - would this make a difference? I was thinking of writing an email like this:

"Dear Mr./Ms. [Name],

I hope this email finds you well.

My name is [X] and you were my [Subject] teacher in [Year]. I am writing to you to let you know that I have completed my doctoral dissertation in [topic], and I am reflecting on my academic journey as a whole, including those who helped shape my career trajectory. I would like to acknowledge you in my dissertation as I believe you have had a large impact on my learning up to this point. I still remember your classes fondly, so thank you for being an awesome teacher!

Sincerely

[X]"

I am wondering whether you have had past students reach out to you in a similar manner, and what you make of it. I am just worried that this will come across as a bit weird in general, especially if they don't remember me. I have been told that this will be appreciated, but I am a bit anxious in general and my mind tends to always come up with negative thoughts. Any suggestions on what I should mention in an email if I were to write one? Thanks!

So I left school from the end of 6th grade,been out the whole time until my parents put me back in, and I'm far behind anything their teaching,I don't even know how write well,read that good or even do algebra,not to mention have horrible social anxiety that causes me to blank out sometimes

are there any other things I can do?

When I was in 4th grade, I got diagnosed with Asperger’s. When I received this diagnosis, I had to do this therapy during the school day where some lady taught me social skills and stuff. I am wondering what type of therapy this was? This was around the year 2000/2001 if that matters.

Hello educators,

I’m currently a junior in college, i don’t quite particularly like CS at this point and for a while I’ve really been thinking about teaching and educating. I lost my father when I was in middle school and had some amazing educators past that point which really changed my life. I think it would be fulfilling to be able to give that back to the younger generation, just like so many had given to me. On the other hand, I see a decent amounts of Reddit posts of teachers who have honestly terrible experiences dealing with this newer group of kids and administrators. I’ve also kept up with a few past teachers from my old high school and get the opinion that it’s pretty rough. I want an all around opinion, how are the job prospects, are you fulfilled, is it what you expected?

Thanks for your time and I’m excited to gain some insight!

Needless to say i recently watched The Life of David Gale and I can imagine a student nowadays threatening or making SA allegations because of a bad grade. Have you ever known anyone to experience anything like this be it SA or physical violence?

Someone recently asked if you ever like a student as a person but hate them as a student, i'm curious in the case of the opposite situation. Do you ever "admire" how responsible and intelligent a student is but also acknowledge/think that they have a horrible personality, hence possess distaste towards them? Or something similar.

I graduated college in 2019 with a bachelor's in English. Similar to many people my age, I had no clue what I was doing and truly winging it. I've tried as many outlets as I could, and the job I currently have has nothing to do with my degree nor a great option long term.

I've always been interested in teaching, and I am just worried that I missed the boat. Worried that I have been out of college for too long to have a chance. Is their still a chance - or am I stuck? Funnily enough, my husband has strongly considered teaching and has similar thoughts.

it suddenly feels like i dont have the words to explain anything, i still understand the content thankful for that but its like i lost my ability to see the material from the students eyes. i feel like i carry an anxious and confused tone as a result and that it disconcerts the kids. idkkk im probably overthinking it at this point.

as i thought about this further ive realized the problem is that i havent LEARNED anything in so long. ive forgotten how to tap into that energy of good teaching. watching some lectures will probably fix this

also, im having trouble understanding this but after i graduated from college, where i completed an amazing amazing program that gave me great perspective and understanding, i suddenly decided that academia was rotten, that education makes people out of touch,

i dont know how to reconcile these different truths, that i had difficulties in the school system and college due to inequalities that felt at times humiliating and painful, AND that im grateful for my incredible teachers and professors and what i have learned in every class room throughout my life

because of the hardships i encountered in the past i feel like a sucker when i seek education or provide education, i feel like its only helping encourage divides between social classes, differently abled people

super existential, i probably can't teach right bc all this is floating in my head. idk the answer.

TLDR

want the best for the kids, ik tht school wasnt always the best for me, overwhelmed with the idea of them going through similar things

This post is not me saying whether I am an introvert or not.

But I heard teaching is a great career path if you are an extrovert.

Do you witness introverted people at the job face more social challenges?

Hey teachers! First year school counselor here. What supplements do you take to prevent illness? I seem to get sick a lot more frequently. Someone mentioned elderberry syrup to me but I’m wondering if there are any other things I should look into. Thanks!

Thoughts On The Content, Teachers?

I am currently in the final year of my high school. In India we have this JEE exam (an entrance examination). My parents have made me joined coaching for it since the last year. I personally don't have any interest in preparing for it. I wanna apply to eth Zurich next year for CS. I have been topper since childhood but truly i know that I don't have any practical knowledge about the concepts. All I do is craming, which is something our education system has taught us. I am not satisfied with it.when I talk to other kids about it ,they just say that just prepare for JEE even if it is by craming because according to them after clearing the exam it will become more easy for us to find a good job. But in all these years at school, i haven't learned a single skill which can make me stand out for the job in the field I am looking for.Can you please tell me something which I should try out which will make me learn new things and not just that textbooks stuff which a student forgets after a month. I really wanna learn something more practical which should be actually applicable in real life.

Could you recommend some movies that I can show to my students in class? I'm looking for films that are primarily dramatic and focus on the turbulent relationship between a teenager and his mother, with minimal sexual content.

I’m an inclusion/resource teacher and I’m curious if this is normal at other schools.

My principal requires all resource/ICS teachers to have every minute of our day filled (outside of lunch/plan), even if all IEP minutes are already met. We’re not allowed to block time for things like IEP writing, paperwork, progress monitoring, etc.

Because of that, I have a few short blocks where I push in just to check on my students. These are not instructional minutes, just monitoring/check-ins to make sure they’re doing okay.

Well… my principal chose to do my formal observation during one of those blocks.

I explained that this was not direct instruction time and that I was intentionally not over-supporting in order to respect students’ LRE. Despite that, I was marked down for not providing instruction and not giving enough support.

On top of that, a lot of the feedback included things that weren’t even observed… because it wasn’t an instructional setting to begin with.

I’m honestly frustrated and confused. Is this normal at other campuses? Are y’all expected to fill every minute like this, and do admins observe during non-instructional/check-in times?