Named after the hundred-eyed watchman of Greek myth, Argus watches the education landscape: spotting new opportunities, pressure-testing the ventures we're building, and tracing every read back to the real-world signals behind it.
The evidence library: the raw signals the pipeline is watching across the education ecosystem. Every idea is built from these.
This will be my 5th year teaching. Usually I would really prepare, get a hair cut, dress nice, but this year I simply don't GAF. All of the " Rah Rah we are here for the kids! Lets have a great school year! " BS that they push during PD just didn't land with me this year. I am fairly certain this is my last year teaching, even if I don''t have another job lined up I can't do this anymore. I'll enjoy seeing some of the kids again, but really it is just another day. submitted by /u/_Fuckit_ [link] [comments]
Hello, I’m in my 6th year of teaching and got moved from 5th grade ELA down to 3rd ELA. This was not my choice as the previous 3rd grade ELA teacher had a problem with a co-worker and the whole 3rd grade teaching team was split. The 3rd grade teacher was given my 5th grade class and I was told it was moving down to 3rd for me or I was out of a job. My principal made this decision as he said “I think you would be a solid team member in the new 3rd grade team I am building this year.” That principal is not long at my school as the week after he made this change he accepted a position at another school. Long story short, I moved to keep a job as my state was heavily cutting teachers in every school district and I was afraid I would not have a job without it. I had the highest test scores last year in 5th for my whole district but got booted because a veteran teacher couldn’t play nice. As I type this, tomorrow is the second day of school and I’m freaking out that I don’t know how to teach
About to dive into my first year of teaching as an (old) retired engineer. It wasn't in any advice I saw, but I my instinct when I passed the custodians mopping a floor, and stopped to introduce myself and strike up casual conversation. Became buddies. Instantly paid off...couple days later one knocked on my door and held up the supply request form I'd dropped in the custodians' mailbox, wadded it up and threw it in the trash. "Grab a box" he said. Let me in to supply room, and just started piling tons of stuff in. Said just to see him any time anything is needed "off the books." Next up is the officer manager After having spent decades in bureaucracies, I know how this works. Make friends from the "bottom" up. submitted by /u/Beneficial_Couple413 [link] [comments]
Hi everyone, need some advice. First year teacher here. Was offered an 80% position (4 class 1 prep) which may have the possibility of becoming a full schedule (5 class 1 prep). If it is to become a full schedule HR explained it as the additional class is considered an extra duty so the contract/salary would remain at 80%. Job market is competitive in my area, especially for new teachers so I am inclined to accept. What do yall think about this? Any advice? \ located in Southern California** submitted by /u/swana_teacher [link] [comments]
I’ve been thinking about this lately but at what point do you stop contacting parents when it comes to grades and behavior. At what point are you like this is getting to be too much for me to be reaching out and there be no change? I had a case where last year I was reaching out almost twice a quarter, made comments on report cards and progress reports, had a meeting - parents were glad at first for the communication and then by the third quarter they didn’t care and saw it as targeting. submitted by /u/Maleficent-Ant-9212 [link] [comments]
Our opening activity in 8th grade civics is having students analyze examples of real versus fake news/misinformation. For the activity, we stay WAY FAR AWAY from political stuff, since we're just working on research and analysis skills. So, I'm looking to update some of my articles or sites. The real stuff is easy, but what good fake news have you run across? The most famous example of what I'm looking for is is the Pacific Northwest Tree Octopus. Thanks! submitted by /u/scoodles8 [link] [comments]
Parents, students, the teachers in person. I’m trying not to panic, but what if I mess up in some way? I’m so annoyingly introverted I really don’t want that to come out, I want to fake it til I make it, but that’s easier said than done. And I know someone will say, why did you become a teacher when you’re a shy introvert. I met the qualifications on paper and they hired me, that’s mainly why. Don’t get me wrong, I’m excited and everything, but I’m scared sh*tless! submitted by /u/Fearless_Respect_320 [link] [comments]
At my school, we have no holding areas for students in the morning. Once the bell rings, students are supposed to go straight to class. The problem is, especially for 7th and 8th grade, is these kids will make endless laps around the school walking in the morning. What’s the problem, you may ask? Admin. is always up our asses about getting these kids to class and to stop kids making laps. Well there’s no consequence for students making laps. We tell kids go to class, they ignore us and keep walking. Has your school solved this problem? Would you even care? submitted by /u/Emergency-Pepper3537 [link] [comments]
Tomorrow is professional development day. What should I expect? I am scheduled to arrive at 8. Do I participate, am I supposed to do orientation? I am so scared. I am teaching Social studies middle school submitted by /u/Affectionatedummy [link] [comments]
I saw some parody video on YouTube about Open House and meet the teacher. The parents were given ridiculous paperwork they had to fill out for their child and were upset about it. All the teacher did was smile and nod as she continued to make them crash out. It was funny and it's true but the comments on the video were the icing on the cake. It was parents complaining about how they had to go through the same thing at their child's school and how the teachers are spamming them. There were also homeschool fanatics saying 'thank God we homeschool. We could never.' First off, we teachers don't like the apps for grades, the apps for communication, etc. we don't like that we have to have four apps to get in contact with the parents. This is extra work for us, some of us have enough on our plate as it is. Second off, the reason why we have those apps is because we have to C.Y.A I now have to log the dates, minutes and topics when I contact parents on an app (the whole school had to do it, no
No microwaves in your classroom No refrigerator in your classroom No eating in your classroom You have to eat in the lounge or cafeteria No phones out at all, even if checking emails from them No calling home for bad behavior If you use 3 days regardless of how many you have, there will be paperwork on you submitted by /u/Visible_Attitude7693 [link] [comments]
I am someone who likes organization. I like when things are clean and clear. Obviously, many aspects of life are out of our control, so we must be adaptable to the circumstances we are given. I understand this, so I adapt and try to make the best of the situation I am in. Now, to the reason for this post: Is teaching supposed to be this disorganized? The school I work at is a mess. I cannot overstate enough just how disorganized everything is. I am begrudgingly beginning my second year, and the signs of disorder are already apparent. I was not given access to class materials until two days before students arrived for one of my classes (let's call this Course A). For my other class (Course B), which I found out I was teaching by happenstance, I was not officially told I would be teaching until two days before the students arrived as well. For this second class, I still do not have access to any of the course materials. Nothing at all. I had a similar experience for the entirety of last
My daughter’s going to a new school where the district uses iready. Looks like 30 minutes a day. She’s on level and I really want to opt her out. I’m a teacher and my friends that teach elementary have told me how much it sucks. I’m also wary of the lawsuit and data use. But I also don’t want to be that parent because I know it’s often out of the teachers hands. If you teach in Ccsd in Vegas let me know if it’s possible. submitted by /u/binxbox [link] [comments]
Nothing says “we appreciate teachers” quite like forcing hundreds of them into a cramped auditorium to listen to administrators talk about how excited THEY are for the new school year. Convocation always seems to involve administrators introducing other administrators, celebrating district initiatives, and giving speeches about how important teachers are while teachers sit quietly in the audience mapping their exit plan and trying to put together to do lists. If the goal were actually to appreciate teachers, giving them those 2-3 hours to work in their classrooms would probably mean a lot more. At some point, you have to wonder whether convocation is really a celebration for teachers or just an annual pep rally for central office. Maybe the best way to “honor educators” is to give them back their time or make it more of a local school celebration. submitted by /u/flatteringhippo [link] [comments]
So I work as a part time daycare floater. While I could be full time I prefer the flexible hours so I can be with my daughter (20 months) more. There are several children in pre school class that are in diapers or pull ups. As a floater it normal falls to me to change them and while I really don’t mind it’s crazy that these kids are capable of having full blown conversations while I’m changing them like a baby. Here’s the crazier part. They start kindergarten in 2 weeks. We are sending 5 kids to kindergarten in pull ups which at this point they are just treating like a diaper. I don’t even know what to do. These kids are more than capable of using the potty. None of them are neurodivergent. But according to the lead teacher it’s basically learned helplessness. They know mom is going to change them. So they just don’t care. And when you talk to their parents it’s always the same thing “oh we’ve tried everything”. Which is obviously a lie. Specially when I’m in a mommy group with some of
“In an effort to continue our dedication to (my school)’s positive working environment, we have updated our dress policy for all faculty and staff for the 2026-2027 school year. In prior years we’ve allowed jeans on Fridays, but starting this school year you may wear jeans daily.” I’m not ashamed to admit this email has me all excited 😆 submitted by /u/goldfall01 [link] [comments]
Just to clarify they are not mandated but heavily emphasized and pushed on us at my school. We use this AI program which supposedly links to all this data and student performance records to "craft lesson plans that meet our needs." I personally think they are terrible (and maybe an abuse of student data); on one of the slop lessons it was like 30-40 pages long. On another, it spent like 5 pages to simply say circulate throughout the room and check in with learners to make sure they are on task. I mean my lesson plans are like two pages long max. Who in their right mind is reading 30-40 pages to describe a lesson. Several teachers, myself included, don't use them and refuse to but they are really pushy about AI Slop Lessons and talk about how much time they save and how we could use this time to focus on other areas. I've been firm in my stance about AI with admin that I think it is a cool tool but we need a teacher's touch still when crafting lessons in my classes. Has anyone else had
I’m looking for suggestions for an acronym for AI that would b e suitable for a middle school classroom. I’m thinking along the lines of “Using AI to do your work makes you …” Actually Ignorant Astonishingly Incapable What else works??? submitted by /u/SlartiHarleyBartFast [link] [comments]
Does anyone else feel this way at the beginning of the school year? I’m feeling it a lot this time. My last couple classes (third grade teacher here) have been great and I’ve been very lucky I think. But this year’s group is just downright mean. I have a girl who’s extremely rude, telling me my makeup sucks or that i smell (???). I’ve of course brought it up to parents and admin and the attitude has died down, but of course the teacher student relationship is basically crap. And it’s the same with the rest of the class except for one or two who happen to be younger siblings of past students. They get their work done and aren’t overly disruptive, but they’re just MEAN and it’s difficult to enjoy being at work. Only month one and I’m waiting on the next rotation of kids in 2027. submitted by /u/dysfunctional_salad [link] [comments]
If a school has had 10 History Teachers in 12 years and each one is a nasty ending maybe it’s not the teachers. And if every teacher who leaves then loves their next school, what does that say? I had the year from hell last year and I was always like, why is this school sabotaging me? I left but that meant my friend had to step into my old role and one week of dealing with admins bs has her looking for other schools or leaving teaching altogether. I’m happy I’m out of there. But how is one leadership team allowed to run havoc on a community for so long and fail for so many years? For context, for three straight years they’ve recruited high performing teachers who’ve placed in the top 20% and each time they’ve fallen to the bottom of the city once in that school. Those same teachers then leave and go back to succeeding at other campuses. It drives me up the wall that they get to keep doing this, have terrible school conditions, sabotage employees, fail the students, and everyone pays a
This is year 10 for me, and I don't want to do this anymore. Its not even the fact that we don't get paid well, or the kids. But the fact that this is supposed to be a career, but its not even a respected one. Like the general public does not respect teachers or the profession. I just can't see myself staying in a career where its not respected. submitted by /u/Visible_Attitude7693 [link] [comments]
Our leadership is awful, our community does not care about education, yet because our school has a putrid reputation I remain stuck here for one more year. Interviewing for admin roles was fruitless yet again for the third straight year, and it seems I have a better chance of winning the lottery than seeing a social studies opening in my part of the country. Don't get me wrong, I will still do what I can for my students in the classroom, I care about my kids. I just don't care about administrator initiatives, bogus PD, and the moronic insistance that having purpose statements will somehow create engagement. This is the first year in my career where I am dreading returning. It's not the kids, it's all the adults that are nightmares to work with. As Peter Gibbons put it in Office Space "It's not that I'm lazy, it's that I just don't care. submitted by /u/B4B4BlueJ4y [link] [comments]
Please name one other profession that requires staff to prepare magnificent decorations on walls if it's not their actual job. submitted by /u/holysmokrs [link] [comments]
Like I get I don’t know what I’m doing. But I have no idea what I’m doing. submitted by /u/flimsybread1007 [link] [comments]
2nd year teacher. 11/21 students in my 3rd grade class have an IEP. While the other 3rd grade classes hardly have any (MAYBE 1-2 in each other class). Why would my class be so concentrated w sped? I’m genuinely concerned about my ability to implement all the accommodations and keep up with all the documentation. Not to mention all the meetings. Oh, and 8 of these students will be leaving my room daily for 45min (my block is 120min) for special services. Is this even doable? Should I chat w my principal? submitted by /u/Classic-Mood-2905 [link] [comments]
The title says it all. Just had our PD days and they were really driving home the responsibility of the teachers to follow up on absences. Now I get it when there is an unusual situation, but I am continually baffled as to why this is my job, especially when we have an attendance secretary! I guess everything defaults onto the classroom teacher, but this makes my blood boil. submitted by /u/Shot-Advertising-748 [link] [comments]
I’m not talking about the super elaborate ones with a bunch of different rules, just something simple that you’ve found actually works. submitted by /u/Porkbunburpz [link] [comments]
Monday is the first day of school. After preschool week, I feel burned out already. My patience is gone with administration who had nothing ready, custodians who are still waxing the floors because they didn't do shit all summer, and teachers using ChatGPT to create everything! The amount of adults who don't do their job has me really upset. I am usually excited to start but something feels different this year. submitted by /u/loveyourlife19 [link] [comments]
Hi everyone! I finished my first year teaching in the spring and unfortunately got laid off. I LOVED the kids and my coworkers and it really was unfortunate. However, the situation I find myself in now is even more unfortunate. I just can't get hired. Not even an interview. I have three certification areas and went to an elite college (not that it really matters but could make me more desirable) and have excellent letters of recommendation. Time is running out and I can't even get a long term sub job. What am I supposed to do?? Advice or just commiseration would be great :( Edit: I am also bilingual and have worked only in urban settings submitted by /u/ReasonTime800 [link] [comments]
So... here we are. I have realized after my in-service week that more things will be expected of us because we can "just use ChatGPT". I hate that phrase. I have an unnatural anger that bubbles inside when a colleague (especially an administrator) tells me to "plug it into ChatGPT". 🤬 submitted by /u/helpme7500 [link] [comments]
So I am starting my 1st year in elementary at a school that only allows jeans on Fridays. My business casual closet is slim to none. So far, I have gotten a few pants on Halara, but not nearly enough, and kids come back Tuesday. Particularly shoes are a problem. I hate when my feet muffin top out of heels/loafers with open tops. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated!! submitted by /u/Cautious-Ring6573 [link] [comments]
If you’re struggling to find a teaching job after college, don’t overlook CTE I keep seeing posts from new teachers who graduated, got licensed, and are now struggling to find a position in their subject area. I wanted to throw out an alternative that I honestly didn’t know much about until I got into it myself: CTE (Career and Technical Education). CTE classes are the career-focused courses offered in middle and high schools. Depending on the school, that can include culinary arts, automotive, construction, agriculture, health sciences, business, marketing, computer science, engineering, media, cosmetology, hospitality, and a ton of other pathways. I teach Culinary Arts at a public high school in Hawaii. I switched to teaching after 15 years in the culinary industry. I was able to get hired without a degree based on my experience. I’m considered an emergency hire but I have 5 years to get certified so I’m back taking online classes to get a CTE teaching license. I also didn’t have to
I'm baffled. It took me an entire day to comprehend this. Yesterday we had an actually useful training about behaviors (although we didn't have enough time to cover challenging behaviors... augh) and we were discussing diversity being displayed in photographs and materials we use. Specifically one method of taking real pictures of your classroom for your daily schedule. This trainer specifically noticed one picture of snack time was all white children and teachers sitting down for snack time in one of the classrooms she worked in. She decided to, and I quote use Gen AI "to make the children look more diverse" I audibly gagged at that ngl. You put children's faces into a computer to make them diverse? What the actual fuck... I don't care if the picture was like 20 years old, take a new one or get shutter shock images for your daily schedule. Or, make the displays and take pictures without children in it? Like... 😭 I have no hope. submitted by /u/SnooWaffles413 [link] [comments]
Getting ready for new year, and the new IEP/504 documents are being funneled out. Teaching 6th Grade and the from-Elementary plans are atrocious…. 50% of the kids on plans in an area where the demographics would indicate that it would be significantly less than national average. (Wealthy, rural, primarily traditional homes) The plans themselves are ridiculous. Have elementary admin surrendered to being treated like daycare centers? From above, it seems like they’re making significant academic concessions for any parent who asks. If we are going to harp on literacy rates, I’d like a look at the rates that exclude data from students that are exempted from any level of academic challenge/rigor. It’s disheartening. 10 students on plans, 50 minutes, no para or coteacher. Feels like a recipe for me to be accused of being out of compliance. submitted by /u/BiteThese8993 [link] [comments]
So many of you saw my post about being the cranky old hag in my PD. What is the best advice you can impart to teachers going into their first few years of teaching. Get out now is not an acceptable response, although I do tell anyone who is thinking about going into education that it's no longer a path to the middle class, at least in the south. submitted by /u/moonman_incoming [link] [comments]
Title is my question. I've learned that successful teachers are typically unliked among kids ironically. "Uggg, I hate that class!" Yet the teacher has climbed the pay scale and the kids learn a lot in it. Kids want freedom, but need boundaries. I sometimes wonder if they'll be happy with freedom inside of those boundaries. submitted by /u/JimCap5 [link] [comments]
Hi everyone. I’m 11 weeks pregnant and starting school on Monday. Admin already knows but I’m scared to tell families. Last year I left on maternity leave in October and here I am pregnant again! It was planned and my husband and I are very happy. In my school, we teach two grade levels in a classroom. I teach 4th and 5th. My 4th graders cycle through to 5th grade with me. Therefore, I keep half my group for two years. Can you see the potential issue here? My now 5th graders will have had a teacher on leave 2 years in a row and I’m terrified that the parents will freak out. Last year, parents were trying to pull their kids out of my class because they were so scared of an interim sub. This year, I’m due 2/25/27, which means I have 7 months to teach critical material and when I leave, it’ll basically be testing season and they’ll just be refining their skills. How long would you wait if you were in my position. submitted by /u/GravelandSmoke [link] [comments]
This job is bullshit. Why is it they want all this data tracking, want you to move the heavens, but don't give you enough planning to even f_cking look at the data? Why do teachers not have more planning periods for all of this stuff? submitted by /u/CartoonistCrafty950 [link] [comments]
I work at a school where teachers aren’t allowed to use the copy machine. We have to fill out a form and give it to a designated person before a certain time to receive it for the next day. We are told to plan ahead. Does anyone else have this rule at their school? submitted by /u/ERCRTCMAMA [link] [comments]
I’m over it. It’s bad enough you give me last minute kids to add to my roster the Friday before the FIRST day of school, hold a meet the teacher for several hours, but then you have us do a tik tok style dance number and post it on social media to show how much “fun” school is… I dunno about the rest of you but I’m over the viral stuff. I just want to do my job and go home. My RBF Is on fire 🔥 submitted by /u/olusienka [link] [comments]
I’ll go 1st: a rusty razor blade and two boxes of overhead projector markers. submitted by /u/alan_mendelsohn2022 [link] [comments]
I got my class roster and I have 21 students with no wait list (Charter)!!!! Last year was my first year teaching and it was so hard, I had 26 students, 6 of them high needs with IEPs. My classroom is tiny so this size will be perfect! I know I might be jinxing myself but as the flare states, my mantra is “it’s going to be a great year!” submitted by /u/frckbassem_5730 [link] [comments]
Just a reminder that your classroom can just be boring the first couple years. To make it look extremely nice cost money and sometimes schools don't pay for it and that is okay. Plus the more you take to build the room slowly the more you learn what works and what doesn't. submitted by /u/ArtBroad7069 [link] [comments]
I am a new teacher and am really excited to begin the new year. I like my group of teachers. They have been very helpful with providing decor, advice, and words of encouragement. I really, really, appreciate that. That is what I need right now, especially since I just got my badge Monday and Tuesday is our first day of school. However, I hate how into AI they are. We had to do a syllabus last minute for our Meet-the-Teacher event. My peer gave me a syllabus and it was AI. I don't even agree with all the classroom materials on that syllabus. We started working on lesson plans and activities. ChatGPT might as well have been another teacher in our planning. I offered to help and they asked me to ask Chat to make an activity and gave me suggestion prompts to use. I did not use Chat and looked online and found a post about an activity from 2019 and suggested that instead. That idea then was then entered into Chat by my cohort. I really appreciate how nice they are to me, but I do not want t
I am so over schools that don't force teachers to "clean out" the room. If you are leaving you should be REQUIRED to remove every staple, every boarder, every piece of non school issued furniture UNLESS you've spoken to the person who will take over. I want to put my time and energy towards the instruction. I love teaching and I love students. If I wanted a job climbing ladders and removing staples and moving heavy furniture in the heat I would have chosen a different profession. [and yes I could leave it, but then I won't be able to create my clutter free flexible learning environment] submitted by /u/lovelystarbuckslover [link] [comments]
Two of my former students are now teachers that work with me at my school. One of them has a child who is my student this year, and he has another coming up behind that one. I also have ties to several other teachers - I have mentored or taught their kids, or mentored the teachers themselves as rookies. It's wild. For all that goes wrong in education, I'm so proud of the students who were massive pains in the ass who became beloved teachers working with me today. I've posted some negativity lately, this is some of the good stuff. I hope everyone has a great year. submitted by /u/BikerJedi [link] [comments]
I’m currently marking year 10 assessment tasks for an elective class and so far 4 students out of a class of 20 have used AI to complete their assessment. 1 I already knew had because she was copying and pasting it from Chat GPT in front of me during class. I’m feeling really deflated about it. What’s the point of marking assessments when the students themselves don’t try. I had a huge conversation about their use of AI in the past and I just don’t understand why they rely on it so heavily for a class they have chosen. Is anyone else feeling deflated or am I focusing on the negatives? Is there a way to stop this for my future classes? Our school currently works on Teams but I think there is discussion of moving to Google Classroom which I know has a better monitoring system. submitted by /u/ParticularGuava9202 [link] [comments]
This will be my 11th year teaching, 8th year at this Title I school. I’ve had good years and bad. I have a tendency to spiral after bad years. Last year was bad. My district adopted all new curriculum, plus my building was piloting another, and I started having issues with my team (I’ve made two previous posts about them so I won’t elaborate). I was also pregnant. I‘d say I have imposter syndrome, but I don’t think that’s the right word because I’m fairly certain my teammates find me incompetent. I just have so much anxiety - about dealing with my team, managing all the curriculum again, juggling motherhood, and generally just sucking. I feel like I definitely dropped the ball on some things last year that make me look bad (mainly students who were struggling and I couldn’t get their scores up). I often feel like I know what needs to be done, but I can’t execute it or communicate it the way I should. I generally feel like my brain doesn’t work the same way my colleagues‘ do. I did star
I'm going into my 5th year teaching (elementary), and we have new admin this year. We have Meet the Teacher the night before school! We've always had it the week before school starts, and I'm genuinely irritated as now I feel like I won't be able to relax the evening before school. We tried to fight it, but they're adamant in keeping it that way. I'm not going to let it ruin my week, but I just don't understand the reasoning for this. Has anyone had this event the night before school?! Is the turn out even good? If I were a parent, I wouldn't even take my kid, because what's the point? They'd see their teacher 12 hours later. Ugh, anyway, just feeling annoyed! submitted by /u/Anxious-Fishing-4110 [link] [comments]
So I moved to a new school and I’ve been putting together my new classroom. The prior teacher left A LOT of stuff. Now I don’t mean items owned by the school such as chemistry glassware, laptop chargers or textbooks, but personal items (baseball bat, jacket, old faculty id, baseball mit) and a surplus of school stuff (significant amounts of thumbtacks, used pens, decorating trim, old sewing/embroidering supplies, pencil top erasers, paper binders, old paintbrushes, glitter, etc. ) I mentioned this to the principal asking if I should give it to the supply closet. His response was that they had excess and to just pitch all of it. I’m thinking about taking the stuff to Goodwill or maybe putting the items in a yard sale ?? I know at my prior school when I moved in the teachers desk given to me had to be extensively cleaned by me because it was as if the teacher literally just walked away from it. Have any of you had to do much additional cleaning after a prior teacher left ?? What would yo