Hi -

I teach 3rd grade in Los Angeles, CA. Class size reduction means I only have 20 kids. (4th and 5th have 28 - although some magnet classes still have up to 32.)

I've never taught 4th grade - I like primary. Advice, though - keep a sense of humor and remember that you're learning too!

Good luck!

I teach 7th grade. Ancient Civilizations (Social Studies). This is my 15th year of teaching. I have classes of about 30 students give or take. The biggest advice I have is to establish a discipline procedure and stick to it.

I teach special education. This is my 11th year of teaching. I'm starting out with only 10 kids this year. (Autism, significant behavior problems, and a few with learning disabilities)
Advice- I've never had that many in a group, but what I do is have fun with them, joke around, learn together, get to know each other. It seems like as soon as you have their respect you can almost get them to do anything..... Good luck!!!!!

I am in my seventh year of teaching. I taught second grade for six years and now I teach in an elementary library. I now teach K-5 everyday. Each class gets 50 minutes once a week.

This is my first experience with the intermediate kiddos. I have found at the beginning of they to be firm. I found that when I said something and one tested me, I had to follow through with discipline. But the rest learned not to do what the first kid tried. The littler ones get more slack than my older ones. I expect them to be able to act correctly for fifty minutes. We have about 25 fourth graders in a class. Keep them busy with interesting activities.

Good luck! I hope you love it. Teaching can be tough, but I think it is worth every second you put into it.

Hi. This is my 18th year of teaching and I still love it! I currently teach 7th grade world history in NJ. As for advice, be consistent with your discipline and your rules. The kids always know a push over and they will use it against you! Also, keep it fun (when you can). Remember that even though you are a teacher, it is never too late to learn! Good luck with your school year and your new assignment!

Some people don't consider me a "real" teacher but I teach preschool in a daycare center in Ma. I have 20 children in my class (ages 2.9-4) with one other teacher.
When I first began teaching someone gave me great advice: you need to be their teacher before you can be their friend. It goes along with laying down ground rules and sticking to them, even at their young age.
Oh ya and never show them fear!!!!!!!!!!

I live in Canada and I teach English, Social Studies and Special Education at a Distance education school. This is my 5th year there. Biggest advice: make sure you strike a balance between work and leisure.

I am just starting out. I finished my student teaching this past spring, but was unable to find a job for this year. We have had a lot of levies fail and had layoffs in some major districts. Makes it hard. I am certified for 7-12 English/Language Arts.

Hi.. I teach high school (11th and 12th grade).. sorry I can't be of any help!

How's everyone surviving their first few weeks back?

I love my class - they're very sweet. gives me another focus besides this whole IVF thing....

I'm a Montessori preschool teacher but not working at the moment. I taught for 15 years. I had 20 students in my class and it is true, even at 3 years old they smell fear! You really do have to be the leader and not their friend, they will respect you much more. I taught Montessori elementary for a short time and they REALLY size you up on the first day! It's a fun age because they have such good senses of humor which, I think makes it harder to not joke around with them but a line has to be drawn from the first day. Doing what makes you feel comfortable is also important because they can tell if you aren't being true to yourself. Children are amazing little creatures. They can read energy so well!
Good luck to all the teachers this year and keep up the good work!!

State History grades 6 - 8 in a Christian SChool, Louisiana. In my largest class, I have 18 students.

O.k. so why are there so many of us teachers that are infertile......I know of at least 3 more at my school too...is this coincidence?

Hmmmmm.... Something to think about! And if IF is job related, then we should all have workman's comp. insurance coverage for treatment....

I think we're on to something here!;-)

Hey, I'm all for that...workman's comp all the way....so now all we need to do is get someone to sponsor a study on this topic...too bad I couldn't do my case study on this...