Another Day One

Somehow we're about to start a new school year. Again. As in, I'm still teaching. How? Who knows. I thought it would be interesting to take a little stroll down memory lane today and look back on the beginning of each school year I've taught, since they are all documented here. There are also some…

Thoughts on Active Shooter Training

Once upon a time, when I first started teaching, Active Shooter training was different. In fact, my first school didn't have anything of the sort. But once I was teaching public school there was a 15 or so minute video we all had to watch and take some little quiz on, and that was that.…

You Know You’re an Elem.Ed. Teacher When…

You get grammar songs stuck in your head. Overnight. You arrive at work in the dark, and leave in the dark, and are still taking grading home. Eating alone is a privilege. You carry your phone in your pocket as much as possible because it counts your steps and that's the most exercise you're ever…

I’m a little plum…

Today in class we were taking science notes on sound. The portion we are looking at today is about the human voice and vocal cords. The information we were discussing was that part of the reason men tend to have lower pitched voices than women is that their vocal cords tend to be longer.  This…

Amusement

I'm always amused by the things that come out of my students' mouths. Today: Kid 1: "Last night I told my mom about how sound waves have crests and troughs and when there is a high frequency there is a higher pitch. And she said where did you learn that?! and I said at school! and…

November 17th

I may have accidentally convinced my third graders that I am retiring during Thanksgiving break and not returning. They keep bringing me stuff to try to bribe me not to leave. Or in other words to prove their love to me. Yesterday I got a potted plant. Today I got a vase of flowers and…

November 15th

The other day they were thrilled that I was such a nice teacher who drew them a picture.  I wonder what they'll think tomorrow... I'm ready for vacation. Are you?

Is it still only Wednesday?

Well, I made a kid cry today. I swear, all I did was say her name in Teacher Voice. Some kids are unduly sensitive, and I may have to take it upon myself to change that. But still, I don't make kids cry on purpose.  I know it's still week one (HOW IS IT STILL…

My First Day of Third Grade

I survived my first day of third grade, for the second time in my life. The difference is that this time I wasn't the awkward new kid coming in in the middle of the year. This time I was the awkward new teacher coming in the day before Day 1 and pretending to be in…

Being Done

I've never been so pleased to call myself unemployed in my life. Don't get me wrong, I've come to love teaching. It's just that the particular teaching situation I've been in for the past year and a bit has been pretty sucky. But as of six hours ago, I'm a free woman! As I was…