Reddit: The Unlikely Resource Every Teacher Needs
Educators, especially those new to teaching, are incredibly resourceful at finding information and advice from fellow teachers. By reading blogs, scouting Pinterest, finding mentors, and buying lesson plans from other teachers, an educator can gather useful information to prepare herself for managing a classroom. But there is one resource educators often overlook that is incredibly helpful throughout the school year: Reddit.
Reddit is a website full of forums on just about anything and everything under the sun. Seriously, almost everything is discussed on the website. from Star Wars to conspiracy “facts”, television to shower thoughts, every subject, profession, and religion are discussed on the website. This includes teaching!
The various teachers forums on Reddit are a great way to crowd-source for advice from other teaching professionals, get lesson plan ideas, find valuable resources to make school fun, and to vent about the less enjoyable aspects of the job. Below is a list of popular forums on Reddit (called subreddits and abbreviated as/r/forumname) all teachers should know about.
1. /r/Teachers
The subreddit simply named Teachers, is loaded with educators from across the country asking questions, telling their stories, and discussing common frustrations. Occasionally, students will also pop-up on the forum. They often ask for advice on how to handle a situation with their teachers. The forum provides a safe space to ask questions, get answers, and brainstorm ideas outside of the classroom.
Sample discussions include:
Considering a class pet, do I need to be talked out of this?
So…I smacked a kid in the face today
When your “trouble student” is pretty funny
2. /r/TeachingResources
The Teaching Resources subreddit is just as valuable to teachers as Pinterest, if not more. Teachers share the lessons and presentations they made for their classes, deals on school supplies, and articles about education.
Sample discussions include:
Bulk high quality pencils (432/$25). I get them every year
How to Create a Jeopardy-style Game in Google Spreadsheets
6 Tips for Creating Effective Student Groups
3. /r/CSEducation
This subreddit is dedicated to introducing and using Computer Science in the classroom. Be warned, this forum covers Computer Science for all ages and some of the material may be too advanced for K-12 students.
Sample discussions include:
Collaboration and Problem Solving with Computer Science for Primary Grades
4. /r/ELATeachers
Teach English or Language Arts? This subreddit is for you.
Sample discussions include:
7 Resources for Essay Writing That Make a Teacher’s Life Easier
This is What English Actually Sounded Like 500 Years Ago
5. /r/HistoryTeachers
Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it. And those that do not read the History Teachers subreddit are doomed to have a more difficult school year.
Sample discussions include:
Remember the Ladies – A podcast discussing women in history
Stamp Act/acts against the colonists
6. /r/ScienceTeachers
This science subreddit covers chemistry, Biology, Physics, Astronomy, and General Science for K-12.
Sample discussions include:
What is Your Go-To Source for Demos/Experiments/Videos?
Websites for middle school science research?
7. /r/SpecialEd
Special Education is a hard subject and one that can also raise a lot of questions. This subreddit seeks answers.
Sample discussions include:
Special Ed assistant/diaper changing
Advice for a student teacher going into a Special Ed school for the first time?
8. /r/Education
Lastly is the subreddit known as Education. This is your go-to source for news articles about America’s education system, from Pre-K through PhD. It’s smart for teachers to keep up with this forum so they know what legislation, rules of conduct, and state-wide programs may be headed their way.
Check out the latest Education articles here.
Did we miss your favorite education-themed Reddit for teachers? Let us know in the comments below!
