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It was inspiring to hear various role models in the educational field share their journeys, making the process feel attainable and reminding me that I’m not alone in facing challenges.

The main takeaway from the workshop was the emphasis on avoiding complacency with what already exists. This echoes a sentiment I’ve encountered from a teacher back home. They demonstrate a common pitfall in the teaching profession: as teachers, there’s a risk of becoming too comfortable with the knowledge and values we’ve imparted over the years. Continuous reflection and adaptation are thus essential in the ever-evolving educational landscape. The reminder to seek consistent input and engage in lifelong learning is crucial to counter the tendency to cling to familiar thinking and practices. Despite the demands of a busy life, it is essential to find time to nurture our intellectual curiosity for personal and professional growth.

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One point that stuck out to me was when a teacher spoke about having different work experiences not necessarily being a bad thing and how it was important to explain how the skills from that different field could transfer over to teaching. I agree with that statement, and I think having diverse experiences can lend to being a teacher. The reality is that most students will not become teachers, and teachers being able to speak to different experiences can be helpful to students. The same teacher made a point about also only controlling what you can control. While it is unfortunate that people will be rejected because they don't have enough experience, that's how it is and it is not in our control.

I also liked hearing about the Jenga game. I've done activities where I tried gameifying the classroom before, but this one sounded super cool. I can totally imagine my students getting really excited about this activity.

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Like Alice, I enjoyed hearing about Jenga as a way to gamify ELA concepts. I think that the students at my current placement would be really receptive to this idea.

Overall, I found this workshop hugely beneficial. It's always so interesting to hear how people become teachers and what advice they would offer to those of us just beginning the job search. I found it reassuring that many of the panelists spoke about instances in their own practice where they learned and changed their minds. I often feel really intimidated at the fact that soon I will be the adult in the room for my students, so it's nice to hear that other people feel the same way.

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This was a super helpful and interesting workshop. One thing that really stuck with me was studying/internalizing the standards, especially the AP standards (which, according to the panelists, are precise and clear (I must admit, a lot of the standards read like garbage)) -- and using the standards as "entry points" for teaching different lessons. That never would have occurred to me, but now I think I'll be doing it regularly. I also loved the Jenga game idea.

In addition, I appreciated the advice to listen to your gut when deciding what teaching environment to enter. I have accepted certain jobs (in other fields) despite distinct misgivings, and have never been able to last in those jobs. In fact, I don't think my gut has ever been wrong.

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As someone who's starting to think a lot about my process of getting a job for next school year, it was reassuring to hear a variety of perspectives on what that experience was like for each of these teachers. I like how they noted that their success in finding their jobs was a combination of preparation and luck, as it reminds me that not everything about this process is in my control and there's a good portion of it that involves hoping for the best and keeping my options open.

It was also really interesting to hear teachers talk about how they deal with aspects of their schools that they don't like, such as the standardized testing focus. Since I know it's inevitable that even my dream schools will have some things that don't jibe with my values, it's good to hear some ideas about how you can find a way to work within that system while still being true to yourself and your teaching philosophies.

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I found this workshop to be engaging, refreshing, and acutely relevant. Amidst my own anxiety about carving out my own classroom space, I immediately felt grounded by this workshop and the array of perspectives it offered on pathways in the teaching world. Presenting various teacher perspectives solidified what I know but sometimes feels hard to trust: there is no right way to continue my teaching career, no singular path that guarantees happiness or fulfillment. From the discussion of individual journeys, to interviews, to mentorship, to school culture, each panelist expressed the joys and hardships of teaching. I appreciated each of their vulnerability and willingness to display the raw intricacies that make up the web of education. As this workshop drives my thinking, I am left holding onto what Maggie said in closing when reflecting on why she chose to become a teacher. She articulated how she "has always loved the institution of school," but part of her practice works to create access points for students who do not feel that way. Maggie put words to much of what motivates me to teach and continue being in schools; I have always loved school and felt excited by its bounds and my desire to teach cannot be separated from this feeling. The fact that this is not the case for many students, however, defines my teaching practice and motivates me to continue expanding my ways of being present in classroom spaces.

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Like many others, I found this workshop to be incredibly engaging and informative. The best way I found to grow in this field is to connect yourself with other teachers with various experiences, career backgrounds, opinions about teaching, and attitudes. By listening to the feedback and experiences from a diverse body of teachers, I am able to glean different nuggets of information and perspectives about education, which in turn helps me form my own stances within this field. From this panel, I most deeply value the advice the speakers gave about interview questions, such as asking hiring committees' questions about their school's culture that you observed, SEL, and equity questions. I also liked how the speakers gave different experiences regarding how to handle equity and inclusion within different school communities. Lastly, I will now further consider how various power parties (ie. school board, parents, admin), play a role in a school's culture in order to better navigate it as a new teacher. Furthermore, I greatly benefited from attending this workshop. It was fascinating to learn about the journeys of educators and gain insights for starting our own careers. I was comforted by the panelists' stories of learning and growth within their own teaching experiences. As I prepare to step into the role of an educator, it's reassuring to know that others share similar feelings of apprehension.

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I found this workshop to be both reassuring and helpful. It's always nice to listen to other teachers talk about their first years teaching as well as their job search, because both situations can be pretty stressful and isolating. It always makes me feel less alone (although still sad lol) to know it is often a challenging process for every new teacher, so it was nice listening to an accomplished group who has made it to the other side.

I also loved listening to the variety of perspectives and the tips were very useful (the idea of asking the interviewer about something you notice on the walls of the school=genius). I would honestly love to listen to this panel answer 10 more questions :)

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This was so useful for me to hear from five different people about their perspectives and experiences in the field. We are all about to be (or are in) the process of looking for a job in education and it can be an immensely stressful time, but I will say that hearing their processes and individual journeys was very reassuring. I would also say that hearing about the things they dislike about their jobs/schools was very useful. As I am quickly learning, there are aspects of every school that are unlikable and no place is going to be a perfect experience for everyone, but learning how to navigate those times with grace and dignity is more important.

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I loved this workshop, both because I learned so much from these professionals, but also because I felt it created a really safe space for young teachers to learn about the parts of teaching that they might be scared to talk about. I certainly was. I love my host teachers, but I find that asking them questions on the fly while we are at school doesn’t allow them to give me the most attentive answers. It’s not their fault, by any means. But, since there is so much going on, and there always seems to be a student or admin nearby, I never really felt like there has been a chance for us to really sit down and get into the nitty gritty about the logistics of teaching from their perspective.

What I really valued coming out of this meeting was the variety of perspectives that were present, and how they all complimented each other to give me a much better sense of what it means to be a teacher in the US today. Navigating through complex issues, picking your battles, and finding the right fit with administrators are so key in making yourself happy in a volatile profession, and I really appreciated how truly sincere the presenters were.

I’ll most definitely be taking the Jenga exercise with me and adding it to my toolbox, as well as the anecdotes about when/where to stand for what you believe in. I am a pretty outspoken person, but need to learn how to regulate the when and where, so that was personally very helpful 😂. I will also walk away with the overall message that we as new teachers should be avoiding complacency at all costs, both for ourselves and our students. I feel this is so important, especially since I can already feel myself falling out of touch with my student’s lingo and pop culture, even though we are in the SAME GENERATION (crazy lol). I am hoping to do some exit tickets to get to know them better, and let them teach me about something for a change.

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It was really helpful to hear about the experiences of other teachers who are already far into their formal roles. I felt that I could ask a lot of the questions that bothered me that didn't have as much of a place in past workshops that had a set theme or focus.

Of the things that I learned during this workshop, I think that learning about a school's culture and what it has to offer is an extremely valuable concept. Though this may be true of a myriad of jobs, I think that it is especially important for teaching. While we learned in this session that we shouldn't feel the need to stay in a school where we may be stagnating, we might still be at a school for quite some time. In such cases, it is crucial that we understand where we stand within the school. How does the school see us? What is it willing to allow for us? What does it restrict for us?

I have a lot of things that I want to do as a teacher; for one, I have never had an Asian American teacher in the traditional classroom. As such, the way my future school sees teachers of color is going to be incredibly important for me. I also want to leverage my own experiences in learning and teaching to provide a nuanced learning experience for students that might require some flexibility. Understanding the school that is right for this, and leaving if it doesn't mesh have been incredible ideas that I wasn't as sure about before attending this workshop.

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This workshop ended up providing a lot of helpful advice and insight on my prospective career. Not only is it refreshing to hear the perspective of one active teacher, but the words from five different with different experiences was extremely useful. It can be easy to get trapped in an echo chamber of the teachers around you - every once in a while you need to hear the thoughts of others. Often teacher discourse can either be unrealistically positive or overwhelmingly negative and it can be hard to find balance. However, I enjoyed the nuance that each teacher gave in their responses. It's okay to not always be happy with your career and it's okay to struggle. My main takeaway was that we don't have to beat ourselves up over these feelings. It's okay to leave a school that isn't satisfying, it's okay to not have a lasting relationship with every student you will have. Overall, it was a relief to hear their opinions and experiences.

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This panel was SO helpful - it was both inspiring and grounding to hear from so many real teachers. There was so much practical advice given (I especially appreciated the advice given to look at the bulletin boards in the school not only to figure out if the environment is right for you, but also to bring up during the interview) as well as invaluable wisdom and reassurance. I also loved the advice to "have guts;" to check out what sort of interdisciplinary projects may be available; to find a mentor in the building; and to always put student interest, inquiry, and voices first. I can't emphasize enough how helpful it was to hear from teachers who went through the interview process relatively recently.

It was also a joy and relief to hear the honest and candid accounts of first years in the classroom. Hearing these teachers speak about their experiences soothed my own anxiety about "messing up," and reminded me that one of the reasons I love teaching is because I love learning.

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It was a precious experience to hear from all the experienced teachers. To see how they found their way into being a teacher and what kind of difficulties had they coped with it’s really helpful and encouraging.

One thing left me with deep impression is how you should find your own voice in your teaching and things you have passion for. I always think that being a teacher means responsibility and tons of work. And I don’t really want to become a teacher who only cares about exams and scores. As a teacher, I want to grow together with my students and make them fall in love with school and studying. Therefore, the insights the teacher-panel have shared really reminded me of how I should stick to my passion and find my own voice in teaching.

And I’m also encouraged by how teachers as a group would always work together and help each other. This made me feel that I’m not alone and I can always learn from other excellent teachers before me.

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This was my favorite workshop that we have had this year. It was wonderful to get insights on a variety of topics from practicing teachers outside of our placement schools, and even outside of the NYC DOE. It was invaluable to learn from a variety of perspectives and experiences. I loved the approach of having a few different teachers respond to each question, because together they provided such a wide range of insights that would be helpful in so many different scenarios. Much of the advice that they had was geared towards providing guidance for specific scenarios that are still generally applicable to any school or teacher -- answering the kinds of questions that many of us wouldn't think to ask until we were facing them ourselves. Now we have different bits of knowledge to pull out of our back pockets if we ever run into these questions in our own practice.

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I thought this workshop was so impactful; it was great hearing from young, experienced teachers! Some advice that I hope to bring to my future classroom is considering what it would be like as a student in my classroom. Even taking a moment to sit in a student desk and taking in the classroom decor might influence the way we set up our classroom. In considering students' experiences, we might refocus class time for student led discussion and inquiry. I also loved the idea of seeking the Venn Diagram of student and teacher interests. When I was student teaching for undergrad, I worried that I would have to sacrifice my own interests in the attempt of engaging students. However, I was able to find the sweet spot where students and I shared hobbies or common interests. These were some of the most memorable and exciting moments of teaching!

I love listening to experienced teachers talk about their daily struggles and triumphs of teaching. While subbing, I often spend my free periods in the faculty lounge learning from older staff members. They often struggle, as Tina mentioned, the teacher-parent dynamics that are crucial in our field (in some school districts more than others). If you have the chance, I recommend asking similar questions to your mentor teacher or spending time in common rooms and listening in on what the teachers discuss; it has truly soothed many of the fears I have about entering the field!

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I learned that asking for previous teacher resources is a good way to start off in a new position. No need to reinvent the wheel from scratch, but use what came before and make it your own. I also resonate with the idea of collaborating with other teachers in the building to help meet the needs of every student. No one is an island. Overall, there were a bunch of good tips in this workshop.

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I thoroughly enjoyed this workshop, and did find myself wishing that we were more directed in a lot of our discussions towards the practice of teaching as told by teachers. I was grateful to hear about the experience of young teachers looking for that foot-in-the-door job and to hear how things with their own admins had either worked or failed over the years. I don't really have much to say other than what's already been said here - this was just a super helpful experience.

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Each of these teachers presented a unique point of view regarding their teaching experience. I particularly enjoyed hearing from teachers in different school districts as I was able to gauge similarities and differences. This workshop was extremely practical as I was exposed to point of views regarding teaching practices, navigating administration, and resources available for new teachers. Some of the more hyper-specific advice applied to specific situations that I believe any teacher will encounter as they progress throughout their educational career. My main takeaway is school culture as this is a main factor in ensuring the success of both students and teachers. I am lucky to be in a school district where the community of teachers is tight-knit and the student population prides themselves in school spirit. The better the school culture, the better learning outcomes there are for students. Overall, I found this workshop to be inspiring and relevant to the overall experience of teaching.

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This workshop was great to offer us so many diverse perspectives from across the field of teaching. To hear people who are working today speak so informally not just about the highlights of the job, but also the roadblocks that they still try to navigate brought a certain amount of calm. Especially with how they try to navigate expected pace and standardized tests in their curriculum. I think often about branching out from NY and taking my talents to another state (often I think about Chicago and their hot dogs) and to know that there are people out there who are building their confidence and career is great for keeping my head on straight. And as someone who loves adding games and new ways of engaging students, the talk of how to gamify certain elements of the classroom was very fun. Overall, this was a calming workshop.

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What an immensely valuable hour-and-a-half! This workshop drove home how important a school's administration is in one's teaching experience. Since this panel, when people ask me what grade I'd like to teach, I respond that I'm just seeking out a responsive, supportive school administration. I loved hearing that all of these teachers have landed at schools at which they're happy... some of which after a little mid-career turbulence. Lastly and importantly, I hear so much talk about teacher burnout and professional, dissatisfaction, that it was buoying to hear from teachers around the States who are not only driven by their teacherly mission, but energized enough to volunteer their time to such an online panel. I found myself thinking that I'd enjoy every one of the teachers who spoke.

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I found this workshop o be very useful and practical. I especially liked hearing about the interviewing advice as that's something I need to start thinking about. I appreciated hearing about what questions different teachers thought were important to ask during the interview process and will be asking about something I notice when entering a building. I have also been trying to imagine what it would be like to be a student in my class. I've found it useful to do their homework, assignments, and read books with them for the first time instead of in advance to help me predict possible points of confusion. Lastly, I also liked seeing how other teachers bring games into the class. I always liked games as a student and will be buying some

Jenga games.