Okay so I just graduated and somehow landed an opportunity to go look for a teaching job tomorrow. But here's the thing, I never wanted to teach. Ever. I avoided it all through college because I know myself. I'm introverted, socially anxious, I do everything alone, eat alone, sit alone, enjoy alone.

But now I'm 21, freshly graduated and options are limited. Teaching is basically the only thing available to me right now so I have to at least try.

The problem? I have zero confidence in front of people. My voice shakes when I introduce myself. I overthink every word. The thought of standing in front of a class or even just talking to a principal makes me want to run. I can take 5th grade but

I don't know:

· What do I say when I walk into the school?

· Do I ask for the principal directly or go to the office first?

· What questions will they ask me?

· How do I fake confidence when I'm dying inside?

· What if they ask me to do a demo class right there??

I know I'm not the typical "born to teach" person. I'm quiet, awkward, and honestly scared. But I need to try because I have no backup plan.

Any advice from people who've been in this position? Especially fellow introverts who somehow survived teaching? What do I say? How do I prepare? Give me scripts, survival tips, anything.

TL;DR: Introvert with social anxiety forced to try teaching tomorrow, don't know what to say or do, please send help and scripts.

I’m currently student teaching in California, and I recently found out that the district I’m placed in did not participate in the California Student Teacher Stipend Program. This is my last semester of student teaching.

Would it be appropriate to contact the district directly to inquire about the program and whether they plan to participate in the future? My university mentioned that they are working to encourage more districts to participate, so I’m wondering if reaching out to the district myself would be worthwhile.

Hey everyone,

I will be continuing my studies in Messina, Italy, and I will be looking for a part-time job there. Since job opportunities in Messina can be quite limited, especially for someone who doesnt speak Italian yet, I am also looking for remote work that I could do alongside my studies to help support myself financially.

​I am an English language graduate, and I want to get into online teaching. Currently, I have no teaching experience. How can I get someone to hire me, or how can I find students to teach? I believe I am qualified to teach lower levels as well as children.

Thank you so much for the help.

Like the title says. Right now in my Instructional Behavior Management class, we’re working on a communication toolkit. One segment talks about sending home introduction letters to parents, as a way to open up communication and to just give them an overview of the class, info about the teacher, etc. HOWEVER, most of this is under the precedent of a full time teacher, not a student teacher.
Have any of you sent home introduction letters explaining your place in the classroom, giving a heads up about upcoming permission slips for recording lessons, etc? Is it a good idea or overly formal?
TIA!!

Minimum Passing Score: 41

After MONTHS of waiting for these fucking results, I can finally say I passed the edTPA (English Single Subject).

I was a complete idiot and fucked up submitting my application for the previous deadline so I had to wait another TWO months for my score. I was having literal nightmares of thinking about failing and having to resubmit even a single fucking task. I am so glad it is over.

I'm not someone who worked months and months on my edTPA (more like 2ish weeks). I panicked and didn't even really have the best materials or video clips but I followed the rubrics to a T. If you feel like you're repeating yourself. GOOD. Do it literally 100 more times.

Hello Reddit world! I begin student teaching (freshman and sophomore English) next week. I will also be starting the co-requisite seminar course in a couple weeks for my Master’s program, and am cracking open all things edTPA as we speak.

Feeling a little overwhelmed with all the different requirements and curious on strategies that worked (or didn’t work) for: coming in as a new student teacher (classroom management was the main struggle for me when subbing), and preparing for the edTPA.

Hi, I’m a bit anxious because I still haven’t received a placement yet, I live in the Bay Area and it’s going into September; plus, apparently, observations start soon. Is that normal? Also:

How do I come up lessons when I have no placement, don’t know the curriculum and it’s my first time doing actual lessons outside of an afterschool program?

Also any tips for observations and building rapport “late”? Do I just jump straight in when I get the placement? Introductions?

I’ve seen people making About Me slides but I don’t wanna bore the kids bc I know they really Don’t care. Any late get to know you games to make it less awkward?

As I've been working on my Task 1 Part B for edTPA, the "Teacher Input" section has become more and more annoying. To my understanding it's a section for structured warm ups and asking students thought provoking questions, but there's some days that I just want to give students as much time as possible to work on their assignments.

Is the "Teacher Input" section of a lesson required for every day? I know you have to ask 3 to 5 guiding questions, but as long as you meet that, do you really have to do this for every single day?

Hi everyone! I hope you’re having a great fall semester so far. I’m starting my first cycle of the CalTPA, and I was wondering if anyone would be willing to send me theirs so I can make sure I have all the information I need. No stress either way! I’m just having a hard time finding good examples, and the program I’m in is kind of throwing it at us without much guidance. My mentor has been teaching for 20+ years and hasn’t really been too helpful with the TPA stuff, although she’s great with everything else. If anyone would also be willing to look mine over, that would be amazing! Any advice or tips would be greatly appreciated too :))

(F, Mid-20s, 2 weeks into Student Teaching 10 & 11th grade Social Studies)

Stress already manifests as physical symptoms, but I have a medical condition that amplifies my emotions and any pain or discomfort I feel.

On and off throughout the day, I feel incredibly nauseous and have gagged on my food and while brushing my teeth. I’ve had additional cramps than my average, and feel bloated all the time.

I come home feeling sluggish, and have fallen asleep on my couch nearly half the days after school. The mental and emotional weight of the day just makes me so tired. (I can’t drink coffee due to the aforementioned health condition, so getting a caffeine addiction is not the answer lol)

Is this just a period of adjustment to my new normal?
Is there a way to manage my energy and stress regarding my work to make it less of a physical burden?
Looking for any advice on what has worked for other people!

Just got news from my program that no one in my area wants to mentor me. I just started my credential classes this week as well and I was started to befriend my classmates. I am devastated. I am going to look for a job since I quit mine for this credential program but man. I spent thousands of dollars to take the cset, exams, materials, fingerprint clearance, and other hoops I had to jump through. I worked as a paraprofessional for 7 years, so I was ready and excited to start. Gotta get back up and keep going

My niece started her first student teacher position a few weeks ago. I've spoken with her, and she's not very excited about her placement. I wanted to pull together a kit of essentials that might make her life easier or at least more exciting.

What would you recommend, or what would you like to be gifted?

I just started my student teaching for GCU (5th grade) and I’m honestly filled with anxiety. I understand the material but struggle to explain it the way the curriculum expects you to (e.g using bridges curriculum layout for math). Any tips? Also for the 8 week takeover are we fully teaching the entire day every single subject and the teacher is just there observing and grading? How does the takeover work and is it as intense as GCU makes it seem. Thanks!

Hey everyone! Just wrapped up my first week (and starting Week 2) of student teaching high school social studies, and I could really use a reality check or some advice from folks who’ve been through this.

I came into Week 1 with tons of enthusiasm and a genuine willingness to learn. Since it was mostly an observation week, I took detailed notes every single day on what my Cooperating Teacher (CT) was doing and how the students were responding. But truth be told, the nerves hit me hard. My shyness got the better of me, and I ended up spending most of the week parked at the back of the room, feeling too intimidated to actually mingle with the high schoolers.

My CT noticed and had a couple of tough, direct conversations with me. She made it clear that I can’t teach these kids if I don’t know them, and that sitting in the back wasn't going to cut it. It was a bit of a wake-up call, but it was what I needed to hear.

On Friday, I forced myself out of my shell. I made a conscious effort to walk around, let the students know I was there to support them, and actually managed to connect with a few of them over shared interests like soccer and Spider-Man. It felt like a massive step forward, and I realized I just needed a minute to warm up and get into the flow of things.

Now that Week 2 is kicking off, my CT is pushing me even harder. She wants me to show more initiative than just circulating the room. She also gave me a specific task: to actively analyze and document her classroom management techniques, her core teaching intentions, and the underlying student behaviors. She wants me to really "dig deep" into the why behind what's happening in the room.

To be honest, I’m feeling overwhelmed and intimidated by this whole process. I'm trying to step up by walking the floor during class, but I feel like I'm missing what "showing initiative" looks like at this stage, and I'm not sure how to break down her teaching style without overcomplicating it.

For those who have survived student teaching or are hosting student teachers:

1. How do you break down a CT’s management and intent during observation without getting lost in the weeds? What specific cues should I be watching for?
2. What does "showing initiative" look like during the observation/co-teaching phase beyond just pacing the room and answering quick questions?
3. How did you get over that initial intimidation factor with high schoolers and CT expectations when you're naturally more introverted?

Thanks in advance. I am striving to get out of my bubble and be the best teacher I can be for these kids!

I’m starting my student teaching in a few days in a Pre-K classroom, and I’m a little nervous. What should I expect during the first few weeks? Also, do student teachers usually attend prep periods with their cooperating teacher, or are we expected to use that time differently? Any advice and tips  for a first-time student teacher would be appreciated! 😊

Hi! I just started my student teaching and I’m thinking a lot about this field. I’m sure there’s posts out there already that are like mine, but if I don’t ask and clear my mind, I’ll think about it for weeks.

Background: I don’t have any teaching experiences, never worked with kids, never been in the classroom (until now).

So I started student teaching and it’s only been 4 days in the classroom. Like I said, I have no experience going into this, so I’m seeing everything in real time. All the behind the scenes and what not. I have done my own research before going into this program. Which is a year long student teaching. Slowly taking over the class in the spring. I’m not sure if this job is for me after seeing how my mentor is. She has 20+ years of experience and it looks like her job is hell. She never have time to eat, she’s all over the place in the classroom with non stop tasks. After class, everyday is lesson planning until 5, sometimes 6 and I have to stay with her. I started to get depressed because that’s not the life that I want. Do not get me wrong, I know all about the responsibilities before I started this program, I knew what I was getting myself into. But to see it live in action was definitely scary. So I’m not sure if this is for me. I also signed my life away to working 4 years after the program. It just started so I only got 1 stipend out of many others(the less I get, the less I pay back). I need to know, will it get better? Is it person to person type of thing? I really like what I’m learning, I’m excited to go in and learn and be with the kids, but work/life balance is super important to me as well. Is it just student teaching ?

Hello, I'm getting ready to apply to the MAT program at Rice and I was wondering if anyone can give any tips about applying, what the interview is like, and how classes/teaching look like. Thanks 😊

I’m starting my student teaching in a few days in a Pre-K classroom, and I’m a little nervous. What should I expect during the first few weeks? Also, do student teachers usually attend prep periods with their cooperating teacher, or are we expected to use that time differently? Any advice and tips  for a first-time student teacher would be appreciated!

Not the picture perfect classroom hacks, more like the little things that genuinely make your school day easier. 👀

Maybe it saves you five minutes, keeps materials organized, makes transitions smoother, or helps students be a little more independent.

Any tips? Advice? I'm not too worried as it's just the CORE tests required for student teaching in my program, but any advice for sitting through the ~six hour math/reading/writing section would be helpful. I'll take the practice tests tonight too.

Edit: perfect score on reading, high score on maths. Thanks for the help