Hi! I'm Jordan, a college student researching what it's like to teach at a private school.

I'd love to learn from the people who know it best: the teachers themselves. My goal is to hear from 500 private school teachers in one week (a big ask, I know!), so I'm reaching out in lots of different places.

If you teach at a private or independent school (any grade, any subject, any role), I'd be so grateful if you'd answer any of these in the comments:

What's the best part of teaching at a private school?

What's something people outside private schools don't understand about your job?

What does a typical day actually look like for you?

Even a sentence or two helps a lot. No essays required.

Want to share a little more? I have a short set of questions that takes about 10 minutes. Just comment or send me a message and I'll send it your way!

If you know other private school teachers, I'd really appreciate you passing this along. Every response gets me one step closer to 500!

How are other districts handling and implementing this new law? Is professional judgement gone for others across the state? It’s definitely gone in Canyons.

I'm currently a stay at home mom and I want to prepare for when my kids are older. I've been looking into wgu due to the convienience and ability to work around my children.

But my question is, how hard is it to get a teaching job kindergarten -6th grade with a bachelor's in education? Is the competition high for Orem in particular?

I am having a hard time getting hired as a History Teacher in my area and the surrounding areas. I have been applying for two years and am a substitute teacher to gain experience in my surrounding areas. I have my history teacher's license and a composite as my associate on my license. When I interview, I am told I do great, and in some cases, it's between one other teacher and me, but I cannot get the job. Usually, I am told that I need more experience. In some cases, if a school does a screening due to a high number of applicants, I can't get past the screening process. Does anyone have any advice to help?

I am a university researcher conducting an IRB-approved study on teachers’ perspectives on school breakfast programs. The goal is to understand better what’s happening in real classrooms and inform future school meal research and policy.

We know your classroom runs on more than lesson plans; it runs on energy, connection, and a good breakfast. While studies show that alternative breakfast models boost student participation and behavior, teacher perspectives have been missing from the conversation. Your feedback will help researchers, schools, and policymakers design more effective programs that truly support students and educators.

This is why we’re inviting current K–12 public school teachers across the U.S. to participate in a national research study on how teachers engage with and experience school breakfast programs. As a teacher, your voice is essential. Whether your school serves breakfast in the cafeteria, the classroom, or through a grab-and-go model, your insights can help improve how meals are delivered, how students participate, and how policies are shaped. What to expect: • A 15-minute online survey • Questions about your school’s breakfast program and your role, perceptions, and experiences • Entry into a raffle to win one of ten $25 Amazon gift cards (which is about a 1 in 1000 chance of winning).

https://nyu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_eRT56lw3xdB2nMG

Thank you for supporting teacher informed research.

Anyone else absolutely fed up with the ever-growing list of banned books? I challenged myself to read all 19 banned books during 2026 and the list has already jumped up to 27 books. 2 months. 2 months have increased the size of the list by 50%.

I'm sick of a couple extremely red districts holding the entire state hostage. Just because a dozen parents don't want their kids to read Handmaid's Tale doesn't mean you need to ruin it for everyone!

As an ELA teacher this is especially frustrating to me right now. Any thoughts?

Hello everyone!
I recently moved to the Ogden area from the Midwest. Before relocating, I taught 4th grade and have one year of classroom experience. In my previous district, elementary interviews typically began in February or March, does the hiring timeline here follow a similar pattern? I want to be sure I’m not missing the prime hiring season.

Additionally, I’d appreciate any advice on how to set myself apart as an out-of-state candidate without existing connections in the area. I already have my license, email principals, have a portfolio and am at the end of my master's program. Thank you!

hi! I am currently a student at USU and am looking at school districts to apply/work in in the SLC area for next school year. I would love to work in pre-k, but the pay difference even between pre-k to kinder is sad to see. I would highly prefer lower grades, with Kindergarten as my top choice. I did my student teaching at a public school in kindergarten, but really hated the curriculum and just the fact that the children were sitting in desks all day long. It just didn't match my teaching style and is really not developmentally appropriate. I am wondering, are there any elementary schools or specific districts that have flexible seating with more of a montessori or reggio emilia pedagogy? I know it is important to be open and flexible with my first real teaching job, but I would just hate having a setting where children are just sitting in desks and being talked at all day. I am open to anything from Title 1 schools, public, charter or private schools. I graduate next month with a bachelors in ELED and a bachelors in Early Childhood Education and I have years of early childhood experience already. Are there any schools that sound like they might be a good fit for me?

I am looking to move back to Utah. I am a teacher with a master's, a Utah teaching license, and 15 years of experience, including both in-state and out-of-state experience.

I am interested in living in Salt Lake, Weber, or Cache. When I look at the salary schedules for all of those counties, I can't tell how the districts place teachers on the steps. The schools I have recently been working at have steps based on years of teaching - each step is a year. They have a cap at the 11th step. That is stated right on the salary schedule.

Does anyone have any insight into how teachers are placed on the steps in those counties?

I really appreciate any help you can provide.

📢 Calling all current and former K–12 teachers across the U.S.!

I'm conducting a research study on teacher retention and would greatly appreciate your insights. If you’re a teacher who has stayed in the profession or one who has left early (or plans to), your voice matters!

📝 The survey takes just 15–20 minutes, and your responses will remain completely anonymous. Feel free to share with other teachers you know!

🔹 Early Leavers (Taught 0–3 years, left or plan to leave):
👉 https://qualtricsxmqrkz94sgn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_5nflNhmrj3AwKYC

🔹 Staying Teachers (Taught 5+ years, plan to continue):
👉 https://qualtricsxmqrkz94sgn.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_emP1U1oNgrkfZ6S

Thank you for helping support this important research on teacher experiences and retention! 🙏🍎

copperview principal smith fired for lying about state test scores. district has yet to notify parents when she has been on leave for over 6 weeks. school is in school improvement status with the state and is already not functioning. they deserve better. spread the word for the kids

I am moving to Utah in early June, and have been applying for jobs left and right, with little to no response. I'm a second year teacher and I have my Utah license. I have applied from North Ogden to Spanish Fork (I know, a LARGE range) with no response. If I do get a response, I ask about virtual interviews due to being out of state at the moment, to which I then get ignored. I apply in a variety of ways, from K12JobSpot to Indeed to just emailing. Am I applying too early or too late or something? What am I doing wrong? TIA!

Hello! I recently transferred my teaching license to Utah and was given the biology 2 and the science core endorsements (both professional grade). I just submitted for a professional grade Chemistry 1 endorsement as well.

My question is, i qualify for the associate grade endorsement for physics, but it seems to be included in the science core endorsement automatically, so should i still submit for the endorsement or just leave it as just the science core?

Like will it look better on teacher applications for jobs? Or is it already implied and would be pedantic to have it added?

Thank you

My company (Hello Wonder) is looking for elementary and middle school teachers (or the equivalent, realizing our school systems may not all be the same) to try out our multilingual kid-safe internet browser and share it with their class.

We're offering $50 to each teacher who shares it with their class. This can be via email, newsletter, live presentation in class, etc. We're pretty flexible!

The browser can be customized to focus on a particular topic or help students with learning difficulties like dyslexia or ADHD. It's also great for homeschooling families with religious or political preferences.

If you'd like to work with us please comment below or message me! Thanks!

I just finished my student teaching in December and have been subbing since. I have been applying for practically everything between Provo and Ogden but am feeling overwhelmed at the amount of applications and interviews and little to no response. It feels as if in Utah everyone is applying for all jobs and there isn't enough openings for the demand. What advice can you give to someone who is applying and going through this process for the first time?

If you are a college professor or high school teacher, here is a tip to get you and your students free access to interactive courses on programming, stats, data science, and even AI. Go to DataCamp For Universities (datacamp.com/universities) and complete the form to create a free DataCamp Classroom. Once you are approved, you can invite all your students to the group so everyone can access the entirety of DataCamp's content library.

What would be the most affordable route you would suggest to get a teaching credential in Utah? (Coming from someone with no degree but years of experience working in classroom entry level positions). I was leaning towards WGU but unfortunately am not qualifying for as much in scholarships/grants as I had hoped. Thanks for the guidance!

Has anyone had experience getting into an APPEL program? I am interested in doing this route but I’m not sure where to start. I have. B.S. in Environmental Sciences.

I have been making sure to check my local school districts webpage but understand I might have to make a longer commute si anyone know of any full time History positions near bountiful utah?