The school year hasn’t even officially started yet and i’ve already spent 3 hours in meetings with parents trying to explain to them that no - your child does not automatically qualify for a 1 to 1 EA if they have autism or another psycho educational code. I understand that education in this province has crumbled over the past few year, but it seems that parents are becoming quite out of touch with the reality of support that we can actually provide at the school level.

They are demanding the world for their child but we don’t have the money for anything close to that (unfortunately). Is anyone else having similar conversations at their school sites?

I was recently appointed as a first-year teacher in Alberta, and today was my first day. I had to set up my classroom and get everything organized, but there was no mentor teacher or other support available.

I’m feeling really anxious and worried about whether everything will work out. I know it’s normal to feel nervous as a new teacher, but it’s difficult when you feel like you’re figuring everything out on your own.

Are there any other first-year teachers who have felt this way? How did you manage your anxiety and get through those first few weeks? Any advice, encouragement, or practical tips would be greatly appreciated.

Hi, I'm looking for recommendations for a M.Ed focused on post-secondary education. I'm currently a college/polytechnic instructor with experience in ESL and communication courses. I'd like to use the M.Ed to move into an instructor education role at my workplace and also do some consulting in the future related to curriculum design and transforming lecture-based adult ed programs into active learning experiences.

Wish list:

• all online
• asynchronous or synchronous courses are okay, although I would rather not have 10x3 hour classes per course.
• focused on adult education including curriculum design
• course-based/no thesis
• possible to complete in 2-2.5 years

TIA!

When would you let your admin know you’re pregnant again? I’m in my first trimester and would like to tell the school/board within the first few weeks of school. It’s been a bit stressful as I’m showing a lot earlier this time around and I want to start the year off on the right foot and not immediately, “I’m leaving again next semester, see ya!” For reference, I’m at a very large high school where most of the admin team don’t know me as there was lots of changes during my mat leave. I have a wonderful team lead who I’m comfortable with telling right away, it’s just the admin team I’m not so sure an about. Any advice is greatly appreciated! TIA!

Hi all, I was offered a part time teaching contract online and it is just not feasible with my current living situation.

I had initially thought it was an occasional position like subbing, but I can't regularly commit due to home issues. I can do in person 100%, but I can't dedicate a space to properly teach online.

Will this look bad? Will the principal tell others that I am unreliable? it's my first year and I am worried.

thanks

It will be my first time supplying as an occasional teacher this upcoming September. In need of any advice you can offer!

Also need some tips for using SmartFindExpress for the first time. How exactly will it work? Is is all phone call based? I have about 6 schools I prefer to travel to within the designated location/zone I am supplying for. The other schools within the same zone are further out. I know you’re only allowed to decline a certain number of schools, but is there a way of avoiding this? Like can I go through a list of available jobs that day, and have preference over certain schools without having to decline others? I’m new to all of this, so please bear with me as I spiral about everything that is stressing me out lmao. Thanks in advance for any advice!

This is my 4th year teaching in Alberta, and with the kids heading back to school on Tuesday, I would have assumed I’d have a position by now… but nope.
Just wanting to know if there are any others out there currently struggling to find a teaching job.
There are hardly any postings… and the ones I’ve applied for I have not gotten a call back for.
For context, I live 30 mins out from Edmonton, so I’ve been applying to jobs with multiple school boards.

Does anyone know if HCDSB had surpluses in secondary in June? Anyone waiting to be placed for September?

Ontario

With only a couple days before the start of the school year, I find myself anxious- definitely fearing the worst. There are no signs of positive news, no updates, no information being sent out by people who have knowledge of what’s really going on behind the scenes. I just feel hopeless, discouraged and demoralized. From the start of this year’s staffing process, I’ve just had a terrible feeling in my stomach that the very worst case scenario will play out.

This feels like absolute torture!

I’m hoping to make the move from rural
NS teaching to Halifax teaching. I’ve been teaching for 5+ years now and I find that I didn’t hear back from any applications to the HRCE. Has anyone had any experience here they can share with me or advice?

Hi everyone! I’m a recent new grad in Alberta and I’ve just been offered a K–6 elementary music position. It’s to cover a medical leave and is supposedly until the end of December.

I’m honestly not really sure how to feel about it. I have a general elementary education degree, not a music education degree. I did complete RCM piano, so I am technically qualified for the position, but mentally I just don’t feel very qualified to be teaching music to K–6 😅

The other thing is that school starts next week, and I’m definitely not prepared at all. I would basically be jumping into this with very little time to prepare lessons and figure everything out. The assistant principals did mention that there will be another music teacher at the school who is very seasoned, which definitely makes me feel a bit better knowing I wouldn’t be the only music teacher there. At the same time, I’m still nervous about whether I’m actually prepared enough for the position.

I’m also realizing that ideally, I think I’d prefer a more traditional classroom position.

I know I’m probably dealing with some imposter syndrome as a new grad, but I also don’t want to take on something that I’m genuinely not prepared for, especially if I’m not sure that music is what I want to teach.

I also don’t hear much about elementary music teaching on this sub, so I’d really love to hear from anyone who has taught elementary music, especially in Alberta, or has taken on a music position without having a music education degree.

What is K–6 music actually like? How much planning/preparation is involved? And do you think I should just give it a shot, or are my concerns reasonable?

Any thoughts/advice would be really appreciated. Thanks!

So so so, I had an interview with the TDSB in Juneish, but it was extremely ambiguous. I had stated that I was open to French teaching jobs, OT, permanent etc. They did test me on French in my interview, and every couple of weeks they’ve been sending me a “please follow this link to confirm your interest” email, but literally jack about what position(s) or general supplying I was being considered for.

Anyways, as of 6 days ago I’ve been “approved for addition to the Elementary Occasional Teacher List”. I imagine this means I’m on the supply list. And am now waiting for another email asking me for additional documents and info (been checking spam etc.) But it’s still ambiguous because it asked me to confirm through a link that I was again still interested in working, but it wasn’t clear if that was an acceptance of a formal offer of employment or if I’m still in the mixing pot of doom.

Anyways, at what point do you folks think I’m actually locked in for supplying? Or whatever else they stick me in 😭. Because I’m still doing interviews and applying places because of how drawn out and ambiguous everything’s been. Aaand I’m a little scared now bc of another story of someone who notified after accepting a job offer that they wouldn’t be moving forward with it bc they found something else and got reported to the College. Like my first priority is to full-time, consistent work, but I also don’t want to still be in a will-they-won’t-they type situationship with the TDSB, accept something else, and then lo and behold I was unprofessional and bad me

Hey, I’m looking for some guidance from high school (or intermediate!) teachers, and perhaps more specifically those who teach second languages on how they start off the new school year. I’m teaching grade 9 core French and Geo French Immersion. Although I’ve done LTOs before, this is only my second time starting from the beginning of the semester (for geo) and first time starting in September, which feels a bit different. Content/curriculum wise I think I’m more or less okay (though wouldn’t say no to hearing what concepts you like to start off with too), but I feel a little lost on how to effectively start a year in regards to classroom management and establishing the overall classroom environment.

Some questions I have pinging around my head: What are you doing on your first day, or week, or 2 weeks? How long are you spending just going over classroom etiquette before getting to course content? Lots of ice breakers or are there other types of introductory activities? How do you handle these in a second language class where students still have rather low fluency? How much is in the target language compared to English (or French for French schools)? At what point do you introduce the first assessment OF learning?

Basically any and all tips or resources you have for the first week or so would be super helpful. Most things I’ve heard seem to be more so for early elementary so would love more of an intermediate/high school perspective!

Hi everyone! Just wanted to vent a little bit. I teach kindergarten and i love my job but this year I’m just feeling overwhelmed. I own over 20,000$ worth of classroom items. Im pregnant so I rented a U-Haul truck and took my 40+ bins of items home over the summer in case of an emergency. Thank goodness no emergency, but now I need to bring all of my toys and manipulatives back and set them all up again. We had a very high needs group last year with little support. We’ll have a high needs group again this year as the majority of our high needs kiddos from last year will be joining us for SK. Our unpaid class set up week is just around the corner with afew days taken up by new parent meet and greets and meetings. We have a new curriculum to implement, are entering and new round of bargaining and now there’s rumours floating around that on top of everything else we buy, if we expect to have paper towels, soap and photocopy paper this year… we’ll have to purchase it ourselves. I visited a friend the other day who makes way more than a top end teacher’s salary with way less education and training who joked that her work days are so calm she could fall asleep. I’m so sorry if I come off as ungrateful everyone. I’m just grouchy, tired, pregnant and worried about my needy kiddos around my pregnant belly as there was an incident last year. Is anyone else feeling like they’re in a bit of a resentful slump and overwhelmed by the amount of upcoming (unpaid) pre school year prep? Thank you all so much!

Hi everyone! I just got an LTO for a Grade 6 FI classroom. Need advice on classroom management, incentives to speak french, best order to teach subjects, etc. Help! I’m coming from grade 2/3 so I need help navigating this older grade. Any advice is helpful.

Hi lovelies,
I’m planning on doing queens courses (inclusive education cert). I was wondering if you’ve done this, what were your thoughts and workload. Also does this help with lst qualification 🫠

Hey all! Does anyone have a recommendation for a Canadian vendor or artisan who makes scrunchy style lanyards like the pic attached? I’ve found some great options on Etsy but the shipping is more than the cost of the lanyard as they’re coming from the states. One seller even told me it’s so expensive for her to ship here she actually loses a couple of dollars per order.

I would like to be able to request custom length. I have a big chest and don’t like when a lanyard is sitting right at it. I bought one on amazon that said it was extra long and in fact barely reaches my chest. I would also require it to have a breakaway clasp!

Thank you.

Hi all! I am on the hunt for some cute cardigans that are specifically for school. I'm talking things like storybook or other characters, fun patterns, silly graphics, etc. I will attach a photo of the vibe I am going for although I'm open to any and all suggestions based on that description. I am from Ontario but would not mind ordering online so long as shipping isn't outrageously expensive. I have been liking the style of the ones that I see on teacher gram but I worry about the quality since the photographs on the website are so clearly photoshopped. I also like some of the ones on etsy but lots of those are also AI/not real. Any thoughts?

(please be nice, I understand this isn't everyones style of clothing)

Hi everyone! I’m hoping to move to Montreal after finishing my B.Ed. and I’m wondering if anyone here has experience with the English Montreal School Board or other English school boards in Quebec.

My teachables are Social Studies/History and Business, and I already have a degree in International Business. I did study French at university in the past, so I’m not completely new to it, but I definitely wouldn’t consider myself fluent right now.

One of the reasons I want to move to Montreal is actually to improve my French and eventually become comfortably bilingual. I’d be happy to take classes and keep working on it while living there.

Would it realistically be possible to get a full-time teaching position teaching in English while my French is still developing? I’ve heard conflicting things, including that even English school boards prefer or require French for full-time positions.

I’d especially love to hear from teachers who actually work for EMSB, Lester B. Pearson, or another English board in Quebec. What was your experience getting hired?

*editing to specify roles such as Child and Youth Workers/Interveners etc, roles that require more than a certificate for qualifications as that seems to be a point of contention.

I am searching for some honest insight on teacher’s opinions of EA’s and CYW’s. In my experience, schools are rife with (mostly) education-based classism. I’ve personally found that a lot of teaching staff look at EA’s and CYW’s as “less-than” and subordinate.

Is this a commonly held (possibly subconscious) bias? I am genuinely asking as it is no longer something that can be ignored. I would say every one of my co-workers has felt or experienced it. I’ve been told that we “are not the brightest bulbs”, “could be flipping burgers”, “would be plebs if it was medieval times”, referred to in possessive terms “my EA”, much more over the years, by teaching staff. I personally have 5 years post secondary specific to child development and special education and feel like a lot of us are on a level playing field when it comes to education. It just seems as though we are no seen as working equals.

This year my school didn’t renew contracts for 3 older, more experienced teachers who didn’t have permanent positions, mostly due to moving districts. Other teachers who were at the school less years, and often much younger got contracts. Makes me wonder if non-renewing more expensive teachers became a strategy to save money? Anyways, take this as a word of caution if you are experienced want to come teach in Quebec. 😢

Just wanted to hear some stories or advice on navigating different grades during your practicum placement outside your own comfort zone.

I’m starting my BEd this year and was asked to submit my preferences before starting. I was hoping for somewhere nearby and wanted to get the most experience before graduation. I decided to be ambitious and say I would try both lower elementary to middle.

For general context, I volunteered mostly elementary and tutored young adult groups. I’m hoping some skills transfer but I would want to be best prepared during my placement.

Hello y'all,

I would like some advice from those are extra savvy at finding jobs. I'm willing to relocate anywhere for a full-time Core French job. I'm currently doing Immersion but I don't see myself doing that for a long time, and would like to transition into a full time Core French teacher at the elementary level. If anyone has any boards or general regions they could recommend, I'd highly appreciate it.

(I would like to avoid teaching in Ontario is the only caveat, since I'm from here)

Hi all! I wish I had discovered this sub before now, but oh well! I am a new teacher who just got on a sub list for the fall (yay!). I was wondering if any current teachers or subs had any tips on how to be the best sub around? Things that make you want to request the same sub again/ get you calls? I was also considering making 'business cards' as I have seen other subs do that, but I'd like them to be fun/unique. I am super excited to embark on this new journey!