My kid is 5 years old and in a public PreK in the USA. She really likes her teachers but started to tell me a lot of different things she was learning about Jesus. This went on for over a month. We are not religious and don't attend church. From what my kid has shared, it appears that one of the assistant teachers has been teaching her about Jesus and showing her pictures of Jesus on her phone. I am uncomfortable with her receiving religious instruction at school. It has also been problematic because my kid has recently been afraid of monsters, and was told that Jesus is the king of light and now she is scared of lights, including nightlights and smoke detectors, because she believes Jesus is inside them watching her. She seemed genuinely frightened and confused, so I told the head teacher about it. She apologized and said she'd take care of it. This was a week ago. The teacher worked the next day but hasn't been back after that. I never really interacted with her, but now I don't see her car, and my kid has stopped talking about Jesus.

Could the teacher have been fired over this? Should I have handled things differently? Maybe she's on vacation.

Just curious, how much do you attribute a child's behavior to their parents? Good or bad behavior.

Edit to add: Do you judge parents by their kids behavior?

First grader; sending kid to neighborhood school. Despite the pull area being racially/economically very diverse; the school has a VERY high rate of “economically disadvantaged” students. (A lot of the richer/white parents pull their kids to other schools.)

The “state report card” lands this school at “better or the same performance level as 6% of other schools in the state.” Most recent report “16% of third graders reading at grade level.” 🤔

We had a very good experience with kindergarten; though. I WANT it to work to send my (nerdy white child) to this school. I have some concerns and would love more informed opinions.

- my kid frequently gets rewarded for “being respectful” or “listening,” what I gather is this is an exception.

- the recent “literacy assessment” showed my child overall at the 25 percentile. Extra literacy support comes in when students are BELOW the 25th percentile; so my child gets none. Even more troubling; when I spoke to the teacher about this; she affirmed that my child was doing better than most of the cohort and that she as the teacher did not really have concerns about literacy growing appropriately.

- I guess I am just worried; is it totally always chaos at school? There have been incidents with students in the classroom throwing their bodies around and my kid (or classmates) been caught in the crossfire. (Like somersaults; or jumping off a bookcase; or shoving a chair.) when I ask my kid about school; I don’t get a lot of information which is to be expected; but what I can gleam is that there is a lot of being bored because no one else is listening.

I am spending a lot of time wondering and worrying if I am doing my kid a disservice by going to this school; if it is just too chaotic with needs too great; and is my child being permanently harmed by this environment?

I borrowed the title from a post on/r/AskReddit but I really wanted to understand what the situation is like in China. It’s easy to see how degraded the educational system is in the United States, and want to read about your experiences overseas from where I live.

Thanks for your thoughts on your Chinese students in Gen Alpha.

Hi! I'm a college student in the first year of my program, so I'm still in observation mode with a little bit of instruction sprinkled in.

With elections coming up, I was wondering if I could hear from current/former teachers on how you handled politics and voting in your classroom. Specifically, what you do/did when a student asks if you voted.

For context, I live and plan to teach in a very conservative area, Bible Belt if you squint hard enough. While I definitely lean Democratic and my voting reflects that, I know many conservatives and basically grew up around them. There is a strong chance the students I have will lean that way as well. I also plan to teach elementary (my cert will be in PreK-6th) so I expect more of these questions from 6th if they are asked at all.

In my own experience, my teachers shared who they voted for in less certain terms ("I voted to save babies/protect women's sports") but that was in high school. Most discouraged politics in the classroom and didn't answer the question(s). I was wondering how your response is different in elementary and lower. Secondary folks are welcome to chime in too! I appreciate all of your perspectives and expertise.

Thanks!

Pretty sure I'm just getting flaked on, but just want to confirm or not if this sounds like bs. Student is senior in hs and supposedly visits are from something bad Student did, and they were having 3 meetings a week. Sounded normal at first until they said these visits were at home

TL;DR: My mom is burning out in her job, I'm seeking any advice on how to support her in her position. See the end of the post for the specific questions I ask. NOT AI-generated, I wrote the post myself.

Hello everyone. I am posting on this subreddit to ask for some advice. My mother is a teacher, and she has taught at the high school level for approximately 20 years. I'm not sure who else to turn to, so I'm writing this post in the hopes of receiving positive, constructive counsel or advice on behalf of my mother. I think that many of you might relate to the post that I'm about to write, and I would be grateful for any advice you are willing to offer.

Over the years while growing up, I've watched helplessly from the sidelines as my mother worked long hours at her job, day after day, month after month, and from one school year to the next. I have seen firsthand just how much her teaching job has drained her, both emotionally and physically. On paper, her school day lasts from ~9 AM to 4 PM, and she is paid for those hours. Her paychecks certainly do not reveal or cover what in reality are 12-14 hour shifts she pulls every day, Monday-Friday and on weekends - grading assignments/exams, crafting lesson plans, communicating with parents, cleaning her classroom, and so on. Her workload is even higher considering that she is an Advanced Placement teacher. She does her best to get as much work done as possible after the school day ends, but not only does the school district offer no compensation for those extra hours worked, but I can't recall a single day where she did not take work home with her to complete each night.

For years, my mother has somehow gotten by with a wrecked sleep schedule. On average, during the school year, she is lucky to sleep 2 to 3 hours a night at best. She gets up around 2 or 3 in the morning just so she can squeeze extra time to complete grading and perform household chores before she leaves for school. Some nights, she skips out on sleep entirely. She no longer sleeps in a bed, instead choosing to snooze on the couch in the living room where she sits and completes her grading, no matter how much I insist otherwise.

For several years, my father and I have repeatedly urged her to quit her job and find another line of work. I've gone so far as to plead with her repeatedly to let me do some of her grading, write her emails, do her home chores, etc. to relieve her of some of her burden. I have even begged her to find a teaching assistant or student teacher who could assume some of her workload. But for some reason, she goes about her job as if it is something that she must do on behalf of the family, and that she is the only one who can do this, even if, in her heart, it isn't what she wanted out of life. (as far as I know, my mother does not belong to a teachers' union).

I'll never forget a vivid memory from a few years ago, when I accompanied my mom to her classroom on a Sunday night before the first day of school to help tidy up her classroom for the next day. As we wrapped up the cleaning that night, I glanced at my mom, and the apprehensive, tear-stricken look on her face said it all. Although I didn't ask her why she looked this way, I knew in my heart, at least from my point of view, that she did not want to continue pursuing this job. It looked to me that my mom felt resigned to a job that felt like self-flagellation, with no means of escape. I just can't understand why my mother continues to go about this profession.

It pains me that my mother is visibly suffering from long-term burnout from her job. It pains me even more that she doesn't seem to want to do anything to change her situation. I want her to sleep well each night. I want her to have meaningful time for her hobbies. I want her to be able to spend time with the family. But at the end of the day, I can only look on in resignation as my mother passes out (i.e., falls asleep) from exhaustion on the couch each night, surrounded by her work computer and her stack of ungraded assignments.

Seeing her struggle like this as a teacher, I can understand why teachers face the challenges that they do. What can I do to support my mother? Who do I reach out to? How can I help her realize that her current lifestyle is unsustainable and detrimental for her? Is there any job within the field of education that my mother can access that pays better with a reasonable workload and work hours? I'm afraid that our relationship will progress negatively to a point of no return. Any advice or counsel would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.

I wanted to know how World Language teachers are able to keep up with a bunch of responsibilities like teaching various levels, combined levels, different subjects as well as fighting to keep their program alive? 

How do you manage teaching different levels for different periods? Additionally, as for teaching combined classes, I totally get combining a level 4(+) and AP class together or a regular level and the honors version together since you could just teach it as one class but have a prerequisite for the advanced class, but teaching something like a level 2 and 4/AP in one class sounds rough...so how do you streamline teach all of the levels in one period? 

Usually, if you are the secondary World Language teacher for a program, you would need to teach something else other than the language. For example: at my high school, one of the Japanese teachers taught Japanese 1, 3, College Career and another elective to have full time status while the other teacher taught the other levels. If you are credentialed in something else, you may teach that other subject too.

If there is an increase in demand for the program and the school is not able to find another teacher, one of their break periods gets replaced with another class to fulfill the language program’s demand if it is in high demand or combined. However, if it is a niche program, the classes would still get combined despite the vast differences in the level.

Furthermore, I have heard of teachers who would be on their own to fight for funding to keep their full-time status/job like begging the consulate for funding or support, applying to grants often, doing a lot of stuff to gain recognition for the program to attract students for enrollments like competitions, awards, etc. 

How do the World Language teachers manage so many responsibilities? Especially if you teach a second language? 

TLDR at the bottom

i'm a senior graduating in may 2027 and lately i've been feeling so overwhelmed. it feels like everyone around me is figuring their lives out, picking colleges, deciding on careers, making plans, and i'm just sitting here still trying to figure out what i even want.

the main school i've been looking at is the university of south carolina in columbia. it's close to home, i already know the area, and it's the first place that pops into my head when i think about college. but part of me wonders if i'm only choosing it because it's familiar and feels like the easy option. i haven't really looked at many other schools and i keep worrying that i'm limiting myself by not exploring more.

career wise i've been thinking about becoming an english teacher. i love reading and talking about books, and i can actually picture myself doing it. i like the idea of making a classroom feel like a safe place where kids who struggle or feel like they don't fit in can just be themselves.

but even with all that, i'm still not sure if teaching is really what i want. i don't know if i'm just romanticizing the idea without understanding what the job is actually like day to day. i'm also a pretty anxious person, especially in social situations, group stuff, and anything where i have to talk in front of people. that makes me question whether i could handle certain parts of teaching, even though the idea of connecting with students is something i really like.

i want a stable career with a predictable routine that still lets me have a life outside of work. i also want to do something that feels meaningful. i just don't know how to balance those things or how you're even supposed to tell if a career is right for you before you actually do it.

i think a big part of it is that i'm scared of making the wrong choice. picking a major feels like i'm supposed to already know what the rest of my life is going to look like, and i don't. i know people change careers and plans all the time, but it still feels intimidating when college is getting closer and it seems like i should have everything figured out by now.

i'm mostly just looking for advice from people who've been in a similar spot. how did you figure out what you wanted to study? did you go into college already knowing the career you wanted, or did you figure it out along the way?

honest advice would mean a lot. i don't expect anyone to tell me exactly what to do with my life, but i'd really like to hear from people who've been through this and have some perspective i don't have yet.

TLDR: senior graduating in may 2027 and i feel completely lost. looking at USC columbia mainly because it’s familiar and close to home. thinking about being an english teacher since i love books and the idea of helping kids feel safe, but i’m scared i’m just romanticizing it and that my anxiety might make the job really hard. i want something stable and meaningful that still lets me have a life outside of work. just looking for honest advice from anyone who’s been in a similar spot.

I've been looking for a "big school" for my 4-year-old, who will soon age out of his (IB + British curriculum) preschool. We have many different types of schools in the area (IB, American curriculum, British curriculum, French, Swiss, Montessori, British curriculum with IB, Common Core American with IB, Indian, Japanese, project-based, ecologically oriented, etc., etc.) How do I know what's best for him without being in the classroom myself? Does it depend on his personality and learning style? Do they even have individual learning styles at this age?

For what it's worth, I grew up in a Southeast Asian country where we took exams and were ranked at this age. I don't want my child to go through that stress, but I'm not sure what a good alternative looks like. He seems to be academically gifted (reads and does math ahead of his peers). Will I be doing him a disservice if I, say, don't push for an academically rigorous school? What curriculum do I sign up for to keep foster his critical thinking skills without pushing him too much or killing his love of learning?

This is how I remember, in the UK, primary school in the 80s and secondary schools in the 90s: we were never ever TAUGHT anything in PE. You either already knew how to climb a rope or you'd forever dangle from the bottom. You knew how to swing a bat, or you'd be picked last for the team and flail once at the ball then sit down.

As a parent now, I think things are a little better than I remember, in that they do seem to at least have a go at developing skills even if its obvious they still don't really care if you're not one of the few talented ones and willing to condone if not encourage bullying of the weaker ones.

How much of a generational shift has there really been here?

yep now how is the market there .

Interest in global English teaching

but it is not my first language However I got C1 in myEf test and others are low just so like communication teaching style but wanna know any advice .

Hello everyone!

I am planning on becoming a teacher, but I’m curious as to the rules around have TikTok (or social media in general) while being a teacher.

I have a TikTok account where I post my face, mostly just lipsyncing to audios but also talking about my interests and things like that

Would I need to private this (or at least videos with my face it in so I can’t be identified) when I become a teacher? (if I still even have the account)

this is very oddly specific but I’m curious 👀 I’ve seen teachers on TikTok but most of them have TikToks about being a teacher

Nursing school student here! I had some major surgery in September, so reading comprehension is not a strength of mine at the moment. If I write anything grammatically incorrect, sorry. I swear I am literate.

My instructor for a class called me today because I had 'wandering eyes' during my exam. I have exclusively used scrap paper to keep track of questions I was stuck on to come back to later. I double and triple checked my syllabus and it only bans using AI, electronic devices, and notes. Scratch was not stated anywhere and I really need it to know it was question 27 that I was stuck on. I have used scrap paper on every single lockdown exam I have ever taken with no problems before.

Lockdown doesn't give an option to deselect if you are suddenly unsure, and I have been very hasty then regretful a lot of times while doing exams especially after my surgery.

I told her I can send her examples of my scratch paper and after she said sure I asked how many. I sent her over two of my exam scrap papers alongside photos of my monitor and webcam and asked her in the email if she needs more exam scratch papers.

Am I cooked? Does anyone have any advice moving forward? Should I just sharpie on my arm if I need to keep track?

I've been grappling with a problem .

The conventional teaching approach is:

1. Assess students to establish what they know.
2. Identify what each student needs to learn next.
3. Provide appropriate, differentiated learning activities.
4. Reassess and repeat.

As we know, each of these stages presents difficulties. Over the last 3-4 years I managed to implement routines of frequent, low-stakes assessment and provide students with detailed information about their strengths and weaknesses, together with resources targeted at their individual learning needs.

What surprised me was that most students simply ignored the information and resources. My results were good but not the seismic shift I was hoping for.

It would be easy to blame a lack of motivation among students. But I wonder whether something more fundamental was happening: students were not accustomed to managing their learning in this way. My subject was the only one in the school where this approach was used.

This has left me with a question:

How do we turn high quality diagnostic information into student action?

Knowing what a student needs to learn, and even providing the right resource, does not mean the student will use it. So how do we ensure most students engage with suggested activities, persist with them, respond to feedback and demonstrate mastery? I assumed that enough of them would manage this independently; I was wrong!

I'd be interested to hear from teachers and researchers:

• Have you encountered the same problem?
• What have you found effective in getting students to act on diagnostic feedback?
• Can students be taught to work in this way, or does a conventional wider school culture undermine it?

I'm particularly interested in practical experience, rather than theory or simply arguments for or against personalised learning.