FromTheTeacher’sDesk

Unfiltered thoughts from the front lines of learning.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

Ultimately, it’s your decision. Homeschooling comes with its own challenges. I have no idea what your financial situation is, but staying home would need to be considered in that regard.

If you choose public school, know the risks. Again, I don’t know where you live or what district you would send your kids to. School quality varies greatly across districts. But know that there are countless issues, even at the best schools.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

Very accurate

[Tweetoleon @Tweetoleon]

Thirty-six-year teaching veteran here.

This is the truest thing you'll read on X all month.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

@eduwithtina 100%

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

This says it all! I’ve had hilarious conversations about the education system as a whole and how it is propped up on the illusion of intelligence. In other words, officials use big words like inquiry-based instruction, quantitative evidence, differentiation, etc. But despite these, the system is failing. It is far too complex, and that confusion harms both students and staff.

[Brian Tolentino M.Ed @TolentinoTeach]

Much of professional development in education is built on the illusion that teaching is more complicated than it truly is.

Instead of simply asking students to read, write, think, and discuss, we bury ourselves in jargon, acronyms, data charts, and endless protocols.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

“I'm not sure how it's going to affect the future adults education, but we're definately entering a new era.”

[Prompted Spiral AI Archive @PromptedSpiral]

I'm glad that I grew up and got my degree before AI existed. I can't imagine how it would impact my education. Given my anxiety, I'd probably be constantly paranoid that something I've written would be accused of being AI.

I remember sitting by the desk doing my math homework, my muscles tense as I tried not to reach for the calculator like an addict needing their math help fix. It was always visceral with tense muscles and constant awareness of the helpful box in a faux leather case.

Personally, I don't think that using a calculator or AI would have made me learn better. For my learning style, just having the answer provided wouldn't have made it sink in.

I'm not sure how it's going to affect the future adults education, but we're definately entering a new era.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

This is a pretty interesting point of view. Our society has programmed kids to associate education with jobs. It’s all about finding a job. You complete a ton of work in school, then go to college to learn how to work for others. We have created an entire society based on the need to work.

Don’t get me wrong, the need for work is important. To be independent, you need to make a living. But a job is just that—a living. There is so much more to life than that.

Great teachers and programs empower students through wisdom, knowledge, and skills. AI can do a lot, but it cannot replace true human experience.

[Liza Libes @pensandpoison]

The universities that survive AI will be the ones teaching wisdom, history, literature, and philosophy rather than how to get a job.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

[Jen @jenteach13]

Every teacher I know has thought this and very few will say it publicly. Schools cannot be the solution to every problem that walks through the door, but they are expected to be. And when outcomes are bad, the school is blamed. The conversation about what happens before a child ever reaches a classroom is long overdue.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

Correct. But schools also need to do whatever they can to compensate without burning out staff. At the very least, school staff need to work as a team. But this isn’t the reality. Often, staff hardly communicate with each other or get embroiled in politics and petty drama. Teachers and school officials already deal with enough stress. Their own teammates should not add to it.

[.b @Boywrist]

Unpopular opinion: Schools are dealing with the consequences of failed parenting.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

We need a reading revolution. We need to make books, texts, articles, etc., a presence in kids' and adults' lives. 54% of American adults read below a sixth-grade level, and 21% of adults are functionally illiterate. That is a calamity.

[Jeanne Allen @JeanneAllen]

This summer's assignment for kids: Read.

For adults: Read, too.

Not scroll. Read.

Children follow what we do. If they see us reading, they're more likely to read themselves.

When my kids were young, they didn't have today's endless distractions. They're still readers—and, if I do say so myself, pretty articulate adults.

Want kids to read? Model the behavior.

Thank you, Usha Vance, for championing literacy.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

I strongly agree with this. I do not support spanking, and I certainly do not support people justifying this behavior. If you want to raise your children to be good people, why would you use violence on them?

[Katherine Krozonouski 🧊 @krozberry]

I can’t believe how many people are in my replies justifying spanking their kids.

I’ve never once had the urge to strike my kids and they’re both under 4, so pretty wild at times.

It just takes a few extra minutes of time to deescalate, but these people are truly self righteous about *hitting their own kids*

Ungodly.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

This is accurate.

[PhillyCSteak @PhillyCSteak1]

@TheQueenOfNo @FromTeachrsDesk Hate to tell you, a lot of very good teachers, retired or moved on due to parents. Some parents make it their personal mission to destroy a teacher or coach because Jane got a "B," or Johnny's not the starting QB. Teachers are convenient scape goats for parents and admin.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

@PhillyCSteak1 @TheQueenOfNo A very sad reality.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

The amount of teacher hate out there is intense, whether that looks like overt insults online, poor student behaviors, lack of support from administrators, or demanding parents. Then we wonder why we have a teacher shortage and such difficulty hiring and retaining quality educators. This is what society asked for. Society needs to stop blaming teachers and start implementing actual solutions to the problems. The answers are out there. It’s just that the people with the solutions aren’t being heard.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

Facts

[Daniel Buck, “Youngest Old Man in Ed Reform” @MrDanielBuck]

We can all tell which kids are "gentle parented," and they're never the pleasant ones

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

First of all, I want to thank everyone who has been commenting on my education-related posts. This is exactly what is missing from our society: a genuine conversation about the failures of the education system. No real solutions can be implemented if the root of the problem is unclear.

One point I wanted to bring up is the discussion about the need for a teachers’ union. The presence of the union and its actions bring about strong emotions from parents, administrators, and even teachers themselves.

I hear a lot of criticism about the union, and to be perfectly honest, I agree with most of it. I think it is a major problem that the unions are so political. I think they protect terrible teachers, making the entire profession look bad. I think they fail to address the day-to-day issues that teachers face.

But overall, I do not think we should eliminate teachers’ unions. It is so easy to criticize teachers and even easier to accuse them of things. Often, teachers are at the center of untrue accusations from students and administrators. They are front and center when things go wrong in schools and often need to step in when matters get tough. This can lead to negative feelings that ultimately cost a teacher their job.

Given the way the system is, teachers need protection from these unfair situations, hence the need for a union. Until society radically shifts its attitudes toward the system and finally treats teachers like professionals, I feel the union will need to remain.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

The matter of education should not be a partisan issue. Whether you are liberal, conservative, libertarian, green, etc., your kids need to be educated. The left claims teachers are great. The right claims they are indoctrinating the youth. One way or another, kids need an education for society's well-being. We can keep playing the blame game, or we can seek actual solutions. I would like to see this system fixed.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

I think schools are at a buy-in or get-out moment with AI. Many complain that it undermines original work, the human element of learning, and enables cheating. All of this is true. But AI isn’t going anywhere. This is why I advocate for a massive overhaul of the education system. The current model is incompatible with AI’s potential.

I’ve heard interesting stories about Alpha Schools and their approach. It’s very early, and uncertain whether an AI-driven model can produce high-quality learning for the masses. But we need to move in that direction.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

People keep commenting on my posts, insulting teachers for failing to produce results. Let me be clear: there are teachers who are more effective. However, the vast majority of professional development is a complete waste of time. Teacher prep programs tend not to address the real issues in education. Many teachers are just winging it. There are effective ways to reach students, but not all teachers know these methods. I call schools the wild wild west, where everyone does what they personally think is best.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

The more I hear from teachers, the clearer it becomes that mental health is often a top priority for them. So many feel burned out, underappreciated, and abused. It shouldn’t be this way. Teachers enter the profession to make a difference but often face disrespect and much worse.

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

@zunk8 Right!

[FromTheTeacher’sDesk @FromTeachrsDesk]

Teacher observations are not about evaluating teachers. They are about instilling fear in the workers, and providing evidence to terminate teachers that administration doesn’t like.