Q: I’ve been clashing with a coworker, Natalie, over the most ridiculous things. We’re both teachers, so it’s not a supervisory relationship, and I don’t know what her problem is with me. From the get-go, she’s been cold. I’ve always been friendly anyway. But then she started picking fights. She confronts me about things like [...]
Q: I teach middle school science. Last year, I got written up for not meeting standards. I lost students’ papers and quizzes and didn’t return them within the required time frame. Grading is a problem for me, but sometimes it's not my fault. Kids will either pretend they handed in work or will forget to [...]
Q: I’m a high school principal in Michigan. I was assigned to a new school in my district because I have a track record of turning around struggling schools. Not something I wanted, but it is what it is. I’m not the easiest person, but I get the job done. It was hard to leave [...]
Q: I really can't stand a specific student. I just found out he will be in my class again this year. Teaching him once was more than enough! I know it's not politically correct to hate a student, but this kid is the worst. I've tried every classroom management strategy, but he just pushes all [...]
Q: I’ve been teaching math for four years but will be new at my school this year. I’m also about 35 years younger than the head of my department. He assigned his incoming students pages and pages of summer math problems. They’re pretty brainless, rote stuff. It’s the kind of antiquated homework I did as [...]
Q: I’m a female high school history teacher, and I’ll freely admit that I’m demanding. I don’t let my students dial it in, whether it’s a class discussion, an essay prompt, or an exam question. I insist on rigorous analysis and critical thinking. I don’t inflate grades, and I don’t give extensions without good reason. I [...]
Q: I work part time as a teacher. I made this decision after working full time for years. The tipping point was having my second baby. My husband travels frequently because he consults for an out-of-state client so I wanted more flexibility. My principal totally gets it, and she’s been super supportive, down to freeing up [...]
Q: I’m a counselor at a public middle school in a high-achieving area. Our students are so stressed that we expend a disproportionate amount of energy counteracting the academic pressure. We have a crazy number of kids with suicidal ideation, cutting, and other self-harming behaviors. My large school system now wants us to adopt an [...]
Q: I teach in a school in an area where lots of districts have open enrollment choice plans so parents can select any school they want for their children. Our school is really good, but we’re having trouble ramping up our enrollment, and my principal is understandably anxious. She wants teachers to “get out there” [...]
Q: I just had a startling conversation with a colleague, Naomi, who’s a high school department chair. She told me she was feeling guilty because she had maneuvered to cut a teacher’s job. This teacher, Sandra, recently had her fourth baby. “I feel bad,” Naomi said, “but honestly, I think she should be home with her [...]