r/StudentTeaching

I will be a first year teacher and I was just hired at two schools in an area we’ll be moving to in the coming months. I’ll be commuting to the area for this school year and then will be moving into a town that is coincidentally 48 minutes away from both of the schools (meaning that it’s possible that neither are my forever school).

School #1:
5th grade, inner city, 13% proficiency in ELA, PBIS school, diverse population, must submit lesson plans weekly, lots of support for first year teachers, poor teacher retention, $61,000 a year salary, 1 hour total for planning and lunch, 1.5 hour commute.

School #2:
6th grade, rural regional school, one class per grade level, 60% proficiency in ELA, strong community support, less support for first year teachers (especially as the only grade level teacher), 2 hours total for planning and lunch, $50,000 a year salary, nature-based/project based learning curriculum (which I love), 2 hour commute.

Which would you pick?

I’m looking for some advice on how to handle the end of my semester. I’ve officially hit all my required clinical hours and my final observation is happening early this week!
Here’s the catch: the school year actually runs until the first week of June. Since I’m currently commuting to a job where I’m not getting paid, I’m ready to be done ASAP to reclaim my time (and gas money). However, I really value the relationships I’ve built and want to keep that professional bridge unburned. How do I transition out gracefully when the requirements are met but the school year is still going?  What’s the best way to say goodbye to the students and my mentor teacher without it feeling abrupt?For those of you who have finished your placement, how did you handle your final week? I’d love to hear your stories or any tips on how to wrap things up professionally while still prioritizing my own transition to post-grad life. Thanks in advance!

Im doing secondary English and I’m honestly so over it. Most of my students are done after Memorial Day with seniors graduating before Memorial Day. Ive been struggling to find a job anywhere and have only been receiving rejection emails without even having an interview. I interviewed at the school I’m student teaching at now and barely got the rejection email even though I interviewed almost 2 months ago which sucks because I thought I actually had a chance. But I know that the person who received the position was the head of English dept. former student teacher who she loved and wanted. Either way I feel super shitty about having no success even though I’ve been told I’m “guaranteed a job anywhere” because of my ESL/Bilingual Spanish endorsement.

I’m over the students too. I’ve had a good relationship with most, with some of them expressing they hope I stay and teach at the school. But there’s a good amount that just plain suck. They don’t listen, they’re disrespectful, inconsiderate, don’t bother to do the work, push boundaries, and have a general apathy for anything school related. I guess I’m just frustrated with it all. I’m struggling with class management, I’m struggling to keep up with my own coursework on top of the things I have to grade and lessons I have to create. At this point I’m wondering if I made a mistake changing careers into teaching…

It took me awhile to get it, but I think I realized that they don’t want me to use my own talking points when I teach. I need to use their exact wording and I wonder if it’s a cultural thing but I didn’t think it’d matter, just as long as the lesson is taught and mostly understood by the students.

I guess I’m confused about it all, because my program tells me that it’s good to be an individual and that I’m not going to be a copy of my CT and I shouldn’t be, but nope.

I really thought my lesson was going well today too, but no, somehow I still got it wrong and I totally forgot to write more notes and I guess I’m just so embarrassed and exhausted, not to mention I got a bad grade on an assignment that I have to resubmit and my professor in that class is completely incompetent (long story)..

I just want One fucking win. I’m hopefully graduating soon, but days like this drive me up a wall.

Hey 👋

I'm a K-12 Digital and STEM teacher from Australia and about a year ago I got tired of juggling 5 different browser tabs just to run a lesson - one for a timer, one for a random picker, one for a whiteboard, you get the idea.

So I did what any completely sane person would do and spent 6 months of evenings and weekends building my own classroom dashboard from scratch.

It's called Class Cortex.

🎰 Random student picker

💯 Reward system for the whole class, groups and individuals

⌛ Countdown timer with multiple modes

📣 Noise monitor that tracks volume in real time

🆚 Tactical scoreboard for classroom competitions

🪑 Drag and drop seating map with PDF export

🎲 Probability dice

📽️ Built-in whiteboard

⚔️ Boss Battle — a live multiplayer game where your whole class connects from their devices and fights a boss together in real time (this one the kids go nuts for).

It runs entirely in the browser. No student accounts, no app installs, nothing for IT to approve. Just open it on your projector and go.

I'm a teacher and have been using it in my own class from the start of this term. So I'd genuinely love to hear what other teachers think - what works, what doesn't, what's missing, what's confusing.

Thanks for reading 🙏

- Chris.

I graduated last week and I’m so excited! 🎓✨ I’ll be a resource room teacher this year 😊 Does anyone know of any Facebook pages or groups where I can share my teacher wishlist? I’d really appreciate any recommendations!

I’ve been thinking about a pattern I often notice in India’s education and career culture.

Why does our system produce so many job-seekers, but comparatively fewer risk-taking entrepreneurs or problem-solvers?

It feels like many highly educated people spend their entire youth optimizing for marks, degrees, and stable salaries, while some of the strongest business instincts often emerge from people with less formal education — perhaps because real-life struggles forced them to think independently, negotiate, adapt, and spot opportunities early.

Our education system seems heavily designed around academic excellence on paper:
\\- memorization,
\\- exam performance,
\\- obedience to structure,
\\- and career security.

But where is the focus on:
\\- creativity,
\\- critical thinking,
\\- risk tolerance,
\\- leadership,
\\- sales,
\\- negotiation,
\\- building systems,
\\- or solving real-world problems?

In many cases, students become extremely skilled at surviving exams, but not necessarily at creating value independently.

I’m not saying education is bad or that all educated people avoid business. India has incredible engineers, scientists, founders, and innovators. But culturally, why do we still treat a “safe job” as the ultimate success metric, even in a country with massive entrepreneurial potential?

Is this because of:
\\- economic insecurity,
\\- colonial-era education models,
\\- middle-class survival psychology,
\\- family pressure,
\\- or an outdated definition of success?

Curious to hear different perspectives — especially from people who experienced both corporate life and entrepreneurship.

My student teaching placement ends in 2 weeks and I want to get a gift for my master teacher and the school admin. Are flowers too cliche? Does anyone have good gift ideas ?

I was not renewed for the next school year because of bad reviews from the principal. I never questioned her, I just let everything go because it was basically nothing that I could do. However, I have been told by the principal afterwards many times that I have been doing great. I have been told I have great potential. I have been told I am in my learning stages. I just don't get it. I feel like I am being gaslit or the principal is trying to gaslight me. It kind of seems like the principal tried to put me down to get me out of the position, but then try to "build me back up" in a way now that I will be leaving it. It's just weird to me.

I’ve just completed my student teaching and it was a great experience. I formed strong connections with my students and made a real difference in their lives. I also developed a close relationship with my mentor teacher. My student teaching experience was a total success, and I’m feeling confident and ready for my own classroom.

However, I didn’t expect that the transition away from student teaching would be this difficult. I developed a strong sense of belonging in the learning community at my placement school, and now that I’ve left, I feel so alone. I miss my mentor teacher and my students so much, and I am finding this transition to be extremely challenging. I’ve cried more in the last few days than I ever have in my entire adult life. I knew it would be hard to leave, but not this hard!

Has anyone experienced something similar and do any of you have any advice for getting through this transition? I know that things will get better once I get a job and start with a new class in the fall, but right now, I’m having a really hard time. Thanks for reading and I appreciate and advice anyone is willing to offer.

What the title says. I’ve posted here before, but as soon as my placement is over be prepared for an absolute horror story of a mentor teacher… so much for a wonderful last semester (literally counting down the days and only looking forward to seeing the kids each day ATP).

Wondering if I should still get them a gift? I do not think they are getting me anything… do I still get them something? They have treated me awfully the entire year so I really, really do not want to, but I know it’s a nice formality that people do.

Sharing this here because I don’t have many people to share with. Put in an application 4/13, Interviewed last Tuesday, finished student teaching on Friday, just got called about an hour ago with a job offer!!! I could not be more thrilled. 2 applications, one interview and one offer! Good luck to all of you interviewing and searching!!

I was in an 11th grade US History class. I took over at the beginning of March and used my mentors lessons for two weeks but then went off on my own mid march. I did get the hang of it by April. But my last day was this past Friday, which was also my Birthday lol. I said goodbye to all three of my classes! I even did a mini "What is History?" lesson! A student even bought me a small cake for my birthday which I ate! NOW today I slept it and stayed home and watched TV all day. BUT I kept thinking "He is teaching first hour now" and "It is lunchtime now" and so on. I believe they learned about Nixon and his scandal today, I would have loved to teach that! They have a test next week and the final exam the next week.

I just feel empty, and I am missing my students and my mentor teacher. BUT I am glad that I passed and there is a huge weight lifted off of me. When I get a teaching job I know all these tricks I can use. UGH I wish there was a way I could have stayed til the end of their semester!

PS I was kind of tearing up when I said goodbye to my last class!

^^^

Since I have worked as a teacher, I have gotten constant disrespect from other teachers and admin. Admin thinks that they can talk down to you or think that you are stupid. They lie to you in your face and try to gaslight you. Some teachers talk about you behind your back, but I think the worst ones that I have encountered are the teachers who try to befriend you or get their trust but then they show their disrespect to you in some way by questioning you like a child or outwardly disrespecting you to the point of bullying, talks about you to others to justify their wrongdoing, and then act nice to you and ask you what's wrong. I have tried so hard to be kind to people and forgive but I'm at a point where I'm so over people who do this. They think because I am kind and do not respond the way that they do that I'm weak, when in actually, I'm trying to be professional and do my job. I'm trying to turn the other cheek and I'm learning that people that do that test your boundaries don't have your best interest at heart. I don't understand how teachers and admin can act this way to other teachers.

Hey guys… I’m going to start my full-time student teaching placement in the fall and I’m wondering what the norm kind of is for other colleges and how many courses you’re taking on top of student teaching. I’ll be enrolled in 2-3 classes each quarter that I am full-time student teaching. It just feels overwhelming already… like how are we supposed to be 40hr/wk in the schools AND still doing coursework. Also how many hours of student teaching are you guys completing in your last year? My program requires that I complete 825hrs.
It’s so stressful to think about having to quit my job to fulfill this requirement while being a single mom. Luckily I’ve been able to balance out my courses with part-time work this year… I can’t imagine being at 40hr/week unpaid and be taking classes on top of it all.

Anyone feel they took the best NYSTCE prep class ? I prefer zoom classes over asynchronous. I want to pass these tests on my first try and don’t want to waste money on prep classes that are sub-par. Any suggestions are appreciated.

Hi everyone, just had to put this out there because I feel like I'm going crazy!

I'm in Scotland doing a PGDE (one year teaching course) in secondary level art. I have completed two placements at this point, and am nearly halfway through my third.

In my first placement, I got along quite well. Granted, it was a private school and the staff were quite lax and forgiving, but I made good strides, especially as someone who could never speak in front of a group of people before.

I knew my next placement would be different. I knew I'd be going to a public school, which in the areas I'm studying, can be pretty tough. And it has been. But not because of the naughty kids or the lack of organisation and structure. The number one reason I don't want to show up every day is because of my mentor.

I could write a whole essay on why this is the case but I'll try and cut it back - I don't think she likes me at all.

I remember my first lesson with the most difficult class in the school (they literally have had their own separate assemblies to address their behaviour). It obviously went shit, and I was shaken. Instead of asking if I was okay or asking me to reflect, she instantly went on the attack, listing one thing after the other about what I did wrong, sounding exasperated. This kinda crushed me, as I was expecting a little bit of sympathy after coming from a placement with virtually no behaviour issues, and didn't get the support I needed in that moment. She still blames me for their behaviour, even in this third placement, even though they are apparently like this with every teacher in the school.

She doesn't make an attempt to be personable with me. When she tells her stories in the staff room, she doesn't look at me. She never smiles at me. She sounds disinterested in my personal stories, then switches demeanour completely when talking to other staff.

All of this really disheartens me. I had a few bad classes this week and she's been hinting at me that I give up and try again next year. This, despite the fact that I got good marks in my observed lesson by the University, and was making steady progress before. She thinks I have a problem with relationship building, just based off that one class. She's told me to ignore benchmarks, and left me to fend for myself when approaching content I've never learned how to teach before. It's her way or the highway. She told me this week that I'm not building staff relationships, which hurt me a lot and came as a shock. I am autistic and struggled with this in my last placement, but she's never brought it up before until now. She says I should get 'stuck in' during busy times in the department, but during that time declined my offers of help.

This is just the tip of it. I tried to cut it back but kinda failed lol. Anyone else deal with a similar situation? Am I going mad?

Hey everyone, I need some perspective. I’m currently in my last semester of my Teaching degree and I’ve been practicing in the same middle school classrooms for two years now. My mentor teacher is amazing; she always respects my interventions, actually cares about my suggestions and gives me full autonomy.

Last week, I was in the middle of leading a lesson when the school janitor knocked. Mind you, he's been working here for over 15 years: the janitor is very popular among the staff and students from this small school. He asked my mentor (who was in the corner on her phone) for permission to speak to the students. She said yes and I stopped my class and just stood there in the middle of the room while he gave a speech.

He told the girls he was honored they chose him as their "padrino de generación" (graduation godparent, not sure how common is this in your country) but that he couldn't do it, though he'd still support them. It was a very emotional moment for the kids, but here is the part that bothered me: when he finished, he thanked my mentor teacher, excused himself for the interruption to her, and left. He didn't acknowledge me at all... not even eye contact or a "sorry for interrupting your class"

I felt completely invalidated. I was the one standing at the front, I was the one whose lesson was interrupted, and I was the one actually teaching, yet I was treated like I didn't exist in my own workspace. bro, i felt really bad, is my fragile ego the problem? or is it a personal thing?

I see a pattern: he greets me inconsistently and has even reported me to administration for "arriving late" to the building, even though I am always on time for my actual classes.

I don't blame my mentor teacher because she’s always been supportive, but I’m really struggling with how the rest of the staff sees (or doesn't see) us student teachers. Am I being too sensitive, or is this a legitimate professional boundary issue?

TL; DR: While my mentor teacher is incredibly supportive, the school janitor recently interrupted my lesson to give an emotional message to the students and completely ignored me afterward, acknowledging only the mentor teacher who wasn't even teaching.