Back in the good ol’ days of teaching (pretty much any time before the year 2000), parents and teachers were a team, united for kids’ success and against their nonsensical behavior. Parents blaming teachers seemed almost unheard of. If a teacher said a kid misbehaved, the parent usually believed them and did something to correct …
Jane Morris, Queen of Commiseration
Jane Morris is the pen name of an ex-teacher who would really like to tell you more about herself but is worried awful administrators will come after her for spilling their dirty little secrets. Jane has taught English for over 15 years in a major American city. She received her B.A. in English and Secondary Education from a well-known university and her M.A. in Writing and Literature from an even fancier (and more expensive) university. As a professional queen of commiseration turned published author, Jane’s foremost passion in life is to make people laugh through the tears.
She has written several highly acclaimed books unpacking the reality of teaching and life inside the school system. You can view her full library of works here.
You’re going to get a lot of advice about teaching and most of it will be crap. So if you really want to know how to survive, print out the no-BS teacher advice below and put it in your desk! Refer to it often! New Teacher Advice Welcome to teaching! It’s a crazy, wild ride …
Teaching last year in 2022 was by far the hardest year in my entire teaching career. I’ve had difficult years in the past, but nothing compared to this previous year. It left me exhausted, frustrated, and completely broken down. Teaching is always a tough job, but the last year takes the cake in difficult years. …
Recently I decided to try to transfer to a school that’s closer to where I live. I didn’t prepare much for my first interview because I had over a decade’s worth of experience. The teacher interview questions they asked me were jam-packed with the latest educational jargon, and at times I couldn’t even decipher what …
In May 2022, I posted the terrible story of Kim Burns-Fisher, a middle school English teacher who was viciously attacked by a student, which caused permanent brain damage, amongst other serious injuries. In case you don’t know the whole story, here is a quick summary: Burns-Fisher taught a student who had 14 prior violent incidents …
I am, and have almost always been, a shameless quiet quitter. Truthfully, quiet quitting teaching was one of the only ways I managed to stay sane in the profession for 15+ years! So many teachers are suffocating under the crushing weight of their disproportionate work-life balance. It’s one boulder up a hill after another while …
A new teacher should be well-equipped to take on anything the day throws at them. You never know when someone will get sick, or you’ll need a quick snack, or a headache will show up out of nowhere. Skip the cute, Pinterest-worthy stuff, and pack your teacher survival kit with some real necessities. Teacher Survival …
If you haven’t figured it out already, teaching is a very difficult job. But the part that makes it almost impossible is the amount of teacher micromanaging that goes on. When supervisors feel the need to oversee even the smallest details, thus giving teachers extra busy work, they are sending a clear message that we …
You’ve likely heard all about this “new” and “shocking” teacher shortage happening around the country. But this shortage is nothing new. In fact, the seeds for this current teacher shortage were planted years ago. Teacher Shortage 2022 “Suddenly” the U.S. has a serious shortage of teachers. Somewhere around 300,000 staff vacancies (over 50K of them …
People who have never taught don’t quite understand just how stressful it can be. Teacher stress is much worse than the stress you encounter in many other careers. Not only are teachers “on” all day, but they often work extra hours outside of contract work and act as mentors, caregivers, peacemakers, social workers, and more …
Violent and destructive student behavior continues to get worse in schools across the nation, and current consequences do not seem to be stopping the behavior. Can schools and districts properly handle outrageous behavior before things become out of control? Restorative Justice in Schools In 2018, I wrote about the alarming lack of consequences for violent …
The issues of Common Core State Standards (curriculum standards for the nation), and the PARCC standardized testing that is administered to check those standards, are extremely complicated. It is a matter of how far down the rabbit hole one wishes to go. I will introduce you to the essential facts of Common Core standardized testing, …