r/TeacherReality

I’m a teacher myself, and I’m honestly at a loss for what to do right now. I would really appreciate hearing from other Texas teachers, especially those who have experience teaching in both the public and private school sectors.
I have three children in kindergarten, first grade, and third grade, and all three are struggling significantly with math since our district switched to Bluebonnet Math. Before this, they used HMH. Was HMH perfect? Absolutely not. But my children were generally able to understand what they were learning. Now, I’m seeing a level of confusion, frustration, and discouragement that I’ve never seen from them before.
From what I understand, our district received a financial incentive of approximately $60 per student to adopt Bluebonnet, and it feels like the decision to adopt it wasn’t necessarily driven by what was best for our students and teachers.
What makes this especially difficult is that I’m also an educator, although I teach Spanish at a private school in a different district. I don’t personally have to implement Bluebonnet in my classroom, so I get to see this situation from both the parent’s perspective and the educator’s perspective.
At the private school where I teach, we use BJU Press. Despite its religious foundation, I’ve found the math curriculum and its overall instructional approach to be fairly solid. It’s more traditional and straightforward, but students still work through multistep problems and apply concepts to real-world situations. The lessons feel structured, and the progression of skills is easier to follow. I see students learning without becoming unnecessarily overwhelmed by how the material is presented.
I’m not suggesting that one curriculum is perfect for every child or that private schools have everything figured out. However, comparing what I see in my own classroom with what my children are experiencing at their public school has been eye-opening.
The most discouraging part is the apparent lack of opportunity for honest conversations about the curriculum. From the conversations I’ve had with other parents, teachers, and administrators, there seems to be a lot of frustration, but people are hesitant to speak openly about it.
One of my children’s teachers has more than 30 years of teaching experience. She reportedly went to the principal herself to express concerns that the curriculum was extremely difficult to implement and was negatively affecting students. From what I understand, she was essentially told that Bluebonnet was the required curriculum and that teachers needed to make it work.
I can’t imagine being an experienced educator, recognizing that something isn’t working for your students, and feeling like you have no meaningful say in the matter.
I also understand that a new curriculum requires an adjustment period, and I don’t expect children to master everything immediately. My concern is that all three of my children are struggling, the instructional approach seems to be creating confusion rather than understanding, and the teachers themselves appear frustrated.
I’ve been encouraged by my children’s teachers and even people in administration to attend school board meetings and consider becoming more involved. Some have even encouraged me to consider joining the school board.
Part of me wants to do exactly that. I want to advocate for my children, support the teachers who are trying to do their jobs, and help ensure that curriculum decisions are actually evaluated based on student learning outcomes. I don’t want to be the parent who simply gives up and moves my children somewhere else without trying to make things better for the families and teachers who remain.
At the same time, I’m currently pursuing graduate studies in counseling, teaching part-time, and raising three children. I feel overwhelmed trying to figure out what meaningful advocacy would actually look like, especially when it seems that so many people are afraid to speak up.
So I have a few questions for those of you in education:
What math curriculum does your district or school currently use? What do you genuinely like or dislike about it?
For those using Bluebonnet Math, are you seeing similar struggles with student comprehension, pacing, or teacher workload? Have you found that things improve with time?
For those who have taught with both HMH and Bluebonnet, how do they compare in terms of instructional quality, conceptual understanding, and actual student outcomes?
Has anyone here taught with BJU Press in a public or private school setting? I’d love to hear your honest opinions about its pedagogy, strengths, and weaknesses compared with other programs.
If you’ve experienced both public and private education, what differences have you noticed in curriculum implementation, teacher autonomy, and student learning?
Finally, for those who have successfully advocated for curriculum changes in your districts, what actually worked? Did you attend board meetings, organize parent feedback, request student performance data, or pursue another avenue?
I’m not looking for a curriculum that makes math effortless or eliminates challenging problems. I want a curriculum that builds a strong foundation, explains concepts clearly, supports different learners, and allows teachers to teach effectively without feeling like they’re fighting the materials every day.
I know there are wonderful public school teachers working incredibly hard under difficult circumstances. I’m one of those teachers in my own setting, and I have so much respect for the people trying to make things work for their students.
I’m just a frustrated mom and fellow educator who wants to see children actually learn math and teachers feel supported in doing their jobs.
What are you all seeing in your schools? I would genuinely appreciate your experiences, recommendations, and advice.

Is it just my institution, or does every place have that Principal and Co-Worker duo?

They walk around making decisions on the fly, changing policies like they’re the board of directors, and acting like the rest of us are just lucky to work in "their" building. You can’t make a single suggestion without getting that “That’s not how WE run things here” look.

At this point, I’m just waiting for them to officially rename the school after themselves. Anyone else dealing with the main-character syndrome from management? 😭

Kitchener education workers need to read this article. It provides important political and historical context needed for teachers and support staff to wage a genuine political fight against a hated regime.

The collective bargaining system produced the decrepit state of public education we endure on a daily basis. A successful mobilization requires breaking from this system that are opponents in the state against us. Read more to find out how we can win.

I have noticed that the students always expect their teachers to drop everything and help them first. They call and text at odd hours, come to them for their personal problems and expect the teacher to fix all of it.

How do you remain empathetic and still have strong boundaries with the students?

Hi All,

I’m curious about what any of you’ve experienced or know about paid administrative leave pending an investigation.

It’s been more than a couple weeks, since I was put on paid administrative leave. It’s not disciplinary action, but it seems like it. Feels like a witch hunt as they’re trying to substantiate rumors a couple kids started. There’s more than that based what has said under inappropriate circumstances.

Curious about what’s happening to other TX teachers.

Pulitzer Prize winning journalist Nikole Hannah Jones wrote an essay in the New York Times and reflects with deep regret on her decision a decade prior to send her daughter to a struggling, high-poverty public school for social justice ideals rather than choosing a higher-performing or private school. Her daughter at times had no teacher or substitute teachers, no homework, rarely had tests and what work was turned in was never corrected or graded. This school in New York spends more than 50,000 per pupil one of the highest in the country. What is going on? Why is the money not helping?