re: A few questions from a 26 y/o with little to no financial knowledge.

Kudos to you for digging yourself out of a financial hole, and double kudos for being a teacher. It's such an underappreciated profession.
--first, make sure you understand your pension/retirement benefits offered by your job. Is it a defined benefit plan or a defined contribution plan? Does the district allow you to make additional contributions? Go learn what you need to know so you can think about retirement planning as another piece of this puzzle.
--Do you like having roommates? Are roommates easy to find in your area? BC the relatively low housing costs to purchase could be offset by renting your spare room to a roommate.
--DO NOT buy a house until you have a healthy cash reserve. Every house is inevitably more expensive than you think it will be. Roofs leak, plumbing gets clogged, driveways crack: every first time homeowner always underestimates the carrying costs of a house. Be prepared up front by having cash (that is NOT dedicated to a downpayment) in a reserve fund.
--Set up a payment plan (on paper, in your mind) to pay off those private loans ASAP. They're a millstone around your neck, are not eligible for loan forgiveness, and those interest rates are not great.

Also, BOLO for ways to advance in your career--now is the time to see if your district offers tuition assistance for an advanced degree or national certification. Even if they're only paying 1/2 tuition costs, it's way easier to knock out the MEd or MA before you're married w/kids. In many places, that degree is an automatic boost in your income....