Rachael Moshman

I was an early childhood educator for years before I became a mother. My daughter came to me through foster care adoption with a long list of diagnoses and delays. She quickly made me realize how little I understood about families of children with special needs – their parents, in particular. Through years of conversations as both a parent of a child with special needs and as a teacher of at-risk children, I’ve found most of us share several frustrations. Here’s what teachers should know abou...

We asked teachers in the Bored Teachers community to tell us how they work with kids without telling us they work with kids. The answers were hilarious! Working with kids is definitely a unique career path! It can be bizarre, challenging, rewarding, frustrating, and heartwarming – sometimes all at the same time!
Ways to say you work with kids… without actually saying you work with kids:
1. You wear leggings and tennis shoes under dresses.
Just in case you need to crawl or run.
2. You get call...

I was scrolling through Facebook when a photo of my friend Katie, a high school teacher, caught my eye. She was holding a large yellow lizard and smiling so big I couldn’t help but smile myself. And then I laughed so hard I nearly spit out my coffee when I read the caption.
One of my students brought her emotional support bearded dragon to school to help her with her exams. She had it hidden in her sweatshirt.”
Katie teaches high school biology, owns bearded dragons herself and has a fantasti...

“Well, at least teachers don’t have to spend as much of their own money on school supplies this year if they’re teaching online,” mused a pair of ladies waiting for their Starbucks orders. Unfortunately, that couldn’t be farther from the truth for many teachers. Teacher expenses are higher than ever due to remote teaching. Teachers are used to spending their own money on supplies, but technology expenses add up in a whole new way. On top of the extra expenses, many teachers are bringing home ...

Many teachers feel like they’re dealing with more behavior challenges than ever this year. Crying, angry outbursts, fighting, disrespect, disruptions, arguments, defiance, refusal to do work. It’s exhausting. But Jason Drake, LCSW-S, says it makes sense given the lack of stability in the past year. Stability, routines, and consistency are crucial for most kids to feel safe. While this is particularly true for children with conditions impacting self-regulation and impulse control, such as ODD ...

Let me tell you, childcare workers and preschool teachers are saints. They are responsible for the education, as well as the physical, emotional and social well being of up to a dozen or more tiny humans for nine hours a day. They’re always learning and attending extra classes at night or on the weekend because they want to provide the best in early childhood education. They do all of this with warm hearts and smiling faces, no matter how exhausted they are. They’ve got so much on their plate...

Teachers, we need to reach out to our Black students. Yes, I know it’s summer and we don’t technically have any students right now. However, the school year just ended and we’re still fresh in their minds […]
Students are more motivated and enthusiastic learners when they are given more responsibility for what happens in the classroom. Student-centered learning shifts the focus of instruction from the teacher to […]
George Floyd was killed on May 25. His death awakened most of the US to polic...

Thousands of teachers were already exhausted, overwhelmed, stressed and near burnout before the COVID-19 pandemic. Almost overnight teachers were slapped with even more responsibility – figuring out how to transform their content and classroom experience into an online format. Now many teachers are working even more hours from home than they did before (which seemed impossible) while needing to care for their own children…and search for toilet paper. Stress and exhaustion lower immunity, so i...

Most teachers will agree that interacting with parents is often the most challenging part of the job. Outsiders might think remote teaching has lessened these interactions. Parents aren’t able to pounce on a teacher “for just a quick minute” at drop-off or pick-up. They aren’t volunteering in classrooms or randomly “popping in to say hello” when they’re “in the neighborhood.” Open houses, after-school programs, and sporting events aren’t happening. So how can interacting with parents possibly...

Dear Teacher Crying While Pulling Into School,
I got mixed up in the morning elementary school drop off traffic. I usually try to avoid school zones during drop off and pick up, but I’m visiting an unfamiliar area. While stopped at a red light I noticed you in the other lane waiting to turn into the school. You were obviously crying.
Sobbing, actually. I saw your shoulders heaving and you were holding a ball of tissues to your crumpled face. I was torn between looking away to give you privacy...