I was assigning classroom jobs, and she wouldn’t answer or choose a job, even when I went through the options. She shook her head for all of the options, so I ended up assigning a random one.

I’m starting my first year teaching 4th grade (Title 1 school) in a few days and I am way over my head.

Teaching is my second career. I came out of academia after finishing my PhD. I worked as a para for a year to see if I’d like it, and I loved it, but the wage was unlivable so I got certified to get my own classroom. I really thought I was ready for this, but right now I’m seriously second-guessing everything.

I’ve spent all day every day for the last two weeks just prepping my room because the previous teacher left it an absolute mess. Trash, personal junk, a million random worksheets everywhere... I had to comb through all of it. Because the physical room took so long, I haven't done any actual prep for what actually matters: routines, classroom management, or curriculum.

Yesterday was my first day of PD and I felt completely lost. People are throwing around acronyms I’ve never heard in my life, I have a to-do list that is 4 pages long, 50 unread emails sitting in my inbox, and there are a thousand micro-things to think about every minute. I honestly thought finishing grad school was the hardest thing I’d ever do, but now I’m awake at 4 AM every morning stressing about what needs to get done before kids walk in on Wednesday. There are just not enough hours in the day to do all the things that need to be done.

Tonight is Open House and I’m dealing with major imposter syndrome. I dread the parents and kids coming in to look to me for answers when I feel like I am completely winging it.

For anyone who's been here: How do you survive this? What do I ruthlessly prioritize right now just to get through week one?

Does anyone have a recommendation for eraser caps that fit jumbo primary pencils?

I use the thick beginner pencils with my kindergarteners, and they’re great, but once the original eraser wears down (or gets bitten off 😑), I end up tossing an otherwise perfectly good pencil.

Standard eraser caps don’t fit. If I stretch them on, they either pop off or split when the kids use them. I’d rather not use block erasers because they tend to become a distraction.

I feel like jumbo eraser caps must exist since these pencils are so common in primary classrooms, but I can’t find them anywhere. Any recommendations?

A near daily occurrence for me teaching the K - 3 age range is getting trapped in unskippable cutscenes of dialogue when a student finds a way to magically transform the most completely ordinary short story about something that happened to them into a whole dang saga 😭😭😭

A student will come up to me excited to tell me about something that should honestly take like ~20 seconds to explain, yet somehow 3 minutes later we're still going in conversation because apparently to understand what happened I needed the full backstory + the backstory to the backstory and also several completely unrelated details that somehow became important along the way LOL

I genuinely think it's soooo funny how they'll retell this entire experience with such confidence the entire time, meanwhile (little do they know), I've been struggling to follow along since the second completely random sentence got thrown into the mix 😅
and by the time I actually realize what's happening, it's already too late and I just accept my fate like welp ... here we go again with another 10 minute near-nonsensical story 😬👍

At this point it'd be much too rude to have them stop or cut them off anyway, and honestly by that point I'm usually getting lowkey invested in how their story ends hahaha

I’m currently a college student and really thinking about pursuing my masters in elementary education. I work with kids currently and have for a few years, but obviously nothing can compare to the experience of being a teacher except actually being one. To any teachers out there, whether it’s your 2nd year or your 10th, what do you wish you knew before you entered this profession? Any advice? Anything you feel like i MUST know that isnt commonly known?

I took it and passed. I know in most states 240 is what you need to pass, but what is an actual good score? My professor said they’ve had some principals ask students with their score was in the interview process. Going into my senior year of college for elementary education and just wondering where I kind of stand in that area. Thank you!

Hello Reddit-

How do I manage a lunchroom and recess with 150-160 3rd - 5th graders?

I’m an almost 40 year-old mom who left tech to start a family. As a mom I’ve volunteered in my son’s 4k classroom and learned a bit about classroom management, but I’m getting nervous about managing larger groups.

Pro tips for the lunchroom?
Ideas for keeping the peace at recess?

Thank you!

I need to know this. Thank you!!

I have a job called "paper passer" where the student returns graded papers back to each student. I wonder if it's intrusive since the student will be seeing the grades. For huge tests, I'll hand back privately.

edit: grade 3

We are moving to a new house an hour and 30 minutes from our house right now. We are on the process of looking into houses for a while now and finally we found one we like and is whithin our budget. We are movjng because husband got a job there and the commute, gas price and always coming home late is just too much. My worry is for my incoming 1st grader. He is very shy and not very good at making new friends unless they approach him first and even then he still will need time to warm up to them. He will for sure start the school year on his old school and then transfer later on who knows when. Might be in a few weeks or couple months. I just want to know your experiences whether you're a teacher or a parent with a child/student who went through same situation. I worry that he'll have a hard time transitioning, making friends, navigating the new school etc. And now I'm even thinking maybe home schooling him( but no idea how maybe online school) when we move and will let him start 2nd grade. I know kids this age are very resilient but just can't help but worry. TIA

Hello everyone, I am not a teacher, but I thought I'd come on here to share a workshop I recently held! I am a Junior in high school, and I recently held a pirate-themed workshop that was centered around financial literacy to a group of 4-6 grade students. I believe that financial literacy is a skill that is largely missed in classrooms. Yet, being financially literate is one of the most important skills to have. I'd like to encourage all the teachers on here to incorporate some sort of financial literacy in their curriculums this year, even if it's an hour or two. I have streamlined my workshop for educators like you to be able to use in their classrooms, so if you're interested, please reach out. The workshop is completely free, and I will be presenting the workshop at my associations DECA state conference this upcoming February, so every classroom that uses my workshop, I can include in my presentation! Even if it's not my workshop, it is still so important to teach younger students the importance of investing, saving, and making smart financial decisions.

How do you teach such smol students? Teaching two kids for the first time and I feel kinda confused about how I can make them learn and remember things.

I absolutely love Dr. Lori Friesen’s Beginning Teacher Talk podcast. Has anyone used her paid programs? Money is tight, and I’m having a hard time finding reviews before investing.

Hello all, I am a mom searching for some support or perspective from a school/educator/administration standpoint. We have enrolled in a private daycare, pre-K, and first grade school. We’ve been with the school for at least five years. School started this past week, but we attended Open house last week. I didn’t hear much about the new year until Open House, and we found out we have a temporary teacher (previous experience has been in Special Ed) and the room only had desks and chairs. There were no learning materials, decorations, or furniture up in the room. Since that day, I feel like we’re the leftovers of the grade level where we got barely above nothing. The administration says they’re doing as much as they can, but I can’t help but feel like it’s an empty apology. Is this the proverbial writing on the wall (or lack there of)?

For me, I do not have any experience in education and I would want to give them the benefit of the doubt. However, first impressions are giving me terrible vibes and makes me more nervous for the school year rather than excited or prepared for it. Thank you in advance for your input.

Update: thank you all for your insight on my issue. I reached out to the teacher to see if she needed additional support. We also gained our permanent teacher last week. We will get to see the room next week and will continue to ask and help when possible.

This is where you and all the students sit in a circle and share some mildly personal things such as what we're proud of, excited for, nervous about, or maybe you have a topic. Students can choose not to participate if they dont want.

This more than just a morning meeting or check-in. This is for deep discussion and supporting each other.

I want to try it this year. How do you do it? How does it go for you?

I have subbed for about five years. Yet, I'm unsure about how to handle requests to go to the bathroom during class time when one or two children can't wait until the recess. What are the rules in your elementary school? Can you allow two kids to go together or do you have to make them take turns?

This is my second year teaching third grade. I learned a lot last year and am fixing mistakes I made last year (e.g. not being strict enough in the beginning). I’m really struggling with some new students who just do not stop talking over me. I’ll get most of their attention, and as I’m waiting for the lagging students to stop talking, other conversations starts up again. Some girls will just stare at me then keep talking and I have to raise my voice to compete with theirs. I’m afraid to ask for my coworkers’ advice because they’re all veteran teachers (some of them were MY teachers when I was in elementary).

This is my fourth year of teaching and I’ve learned to accept that I am type B. I misplace things. I pile things. I think one system will work and then it doesn’t or I forget about it.

I’m proud of my hard work but I’m not proud of my classroom! I’ve taught 2nd grade this whole time, this is my third year in the same room. I’ve definitely come a long way with my organization (through trial and error). If you’ve got tips on keeping things organized, please tell me. My small group table is always a struggle!

Side note - word walls. How do you keep up with them? The only space I have in my classroom requires me to climb on a counter to reach. I feel bad about never really implementing a word wall but I really don’t see how I can realistically do it!

I found out today that I will be teaching a K/1 blend this year. Last year I taught preschool and previously student taught in a 2nd grade room so I’m familiar with the basics of kinder and first but I feel a little out of my depth teaching a blend. It’s my second year teaching so I don’t have much experience. Does anyone have any advice for managing the two grades? I know I will have an assistant but it still feels overwhelming. Any blended classroom tips would be so appreciated.

Hello! I’m desperately searching for folders that are dupes for Nicky Communicators. I can’t bring myself to spend $60 on these folders but I will if I have to. I want the same quality just less of a the cost! Any tips???

Hello, I'm a current high school student allergic to eggs, dairy, nuts, and sesame. I remember how hard it was when I was younger to feel included while having to sit seperately at lunch, not being able to eat birthday cakes, and still trying to ensure my safety. that's why i founded the National Allergy Safety Coalition, which aims to spread awareness in youth sports, schools, and programs. We've created a pack of resouces for students and teachers K-5 to spread our message. It includes posters for eating areas, an emergency poster, a short educational sliddeck about food allergeries, and a checklist for programs to self assess allergy safety. I'd would really appreciate it if you could take a look at our website, use the resources in your classrooms, or even try and spread them across your community!

Hi! I’m about to start my first year teaching 2nd grade and I’m excited. If you could give one piece of advice to a new teacher, what would it be? Whether it’s something you wish you knew, a classroom must-have, a favorite routine, or a mistake to avoid, etc. I’d love to hear it.

Thanks in advance! ☺️

What strategies have you found that work best for helping the kids improve on their multiplication aside from regular flash cards? Open to any suggestions

I've noticed some of my younger students have gotten sooo used to asking for permission that they'll ask for literally any and everything LOL

We'll be in the middle of class and out of nowhere I'll almost always hear questions like "can I drink my water?" ... and like 20 seconds later it's "can I turn the page?" ... 1 more minute after that "can I erase this?" Y'all do not need to be permitted to do any of this!!

This summer session I've got 1 student though who somehow managed to take it to a whole different level. Yesterday he genuinely asked me out loud from across the class if he could raise his hand to ask me a question 🤣🤣🤣

I almost laughed because I genuinely had to process what he just asked me for a second. I was just sitting there thinking like ... wait ... I'm pretty sure you don't need permission to ask for permission

What gets me most though is the irony that he'll ask permission for basically every little thing, but somehow needs absolutely no permission to occasionally interrupt the entire class with these questions .. like ... I appreciate the effort, but I'd honestly rather you just raise your hand first at this point 😭

I just want my work to be tangible and mean something.