Teaching kindergarten is planning for Halloween 'academic games' and changing 29 children into costumes for a 20 minute party, solely for the amusement of her principal.
Hobo Teacher laments a colleague's use of "The Math Pimp" persona. I suggest announcing it over the P.A. system.
Mrs. Bluebird uncovers yet another reason to preview materials before passing them out to children...and it involves the male reproductive system.
Mrs. Chili writes a letter to her students' parents about laziness and apathy, and receives a single response.
John Spencer creates a video debunking the danger of "Denim Day". I would argue that certain teachers wearing certain jean styles could be, in fact, dangerous and may cause temporary blindness, but point taken.
The Bus Driver tries out some logical consequences for Puke Girl and Poop Boy.
Mystery Teacher poses for a school picture...and "the office" requests a re-take.
One of Tattle Teacher's students learns to shape up, or go back to Mexico and take care of the goats.
Sarah contemplates writing "See diploma. See resume." in lieu of filling out tedious lesson plan forms.
Mister Teacher spends a thrilling afternoon uncovering the reasons why his ESL kids don't understand elaborate word problems. Of course, if they couldn't define 'sum' two weeks prior, the outlook wasn't too bright.
I promise to never wear skinny jeans or capris or even low-rider gangster jeans.
ReplyDeleteI don't care for the direction in which this blog has been going. As a new teacher, it used to be so encouraging and an excellent resource. Lately, it's been apathetic and ingenuine.
ReplyDeleteI hope this changes.
It frustrates me when people post mean things anonymously.
ReplyDeleteI like this blog and think it has great resources and I like the fact that you are willing to give an overview of what is on the internet. So, shame on the anonymous person who won't be courageous enough to criticize publicly.
Keep up what your doing. There's people out there who are reading!
There is a time in every teacher's career when you just totally get the stuff in this post. Don't worry if everyone is not there yet. Teaching has to have some humor, or we would melt like the Wicked Witch of the West. And for Anonymous person. I teach my students that if you can't put your name or face on your comment, you should keep it to yourself. Only cowards make comments like that.
ReplyDelete@John: Thanks, I feel better knowing that you won't be rocking skinny jeans. Do you promise the same about stonewash?
ReplyDelete@Anon: Thanks for your comment. The last few posts HAVE had less of an encouraging, positive, upbeat tone, if that's what you meant by apathetic. But ingenuine? I've never posted anything on this blog that wasn't from the heart. And I think it's for that reason that yours is the only negative comment I've ever gotten in the 5 years I've been writing education blogs. Every post is an expression of some part of my personality and perception of the realities of teaching. Some people prefer the upbeat side, some people like the snarkier side. But it's all ME, and I have to continue writing posts that reflect that.
Grammatically Delicious Designs: Teaching definitely has to have some humor. Reading about the outrageous events happening to other bloggers sometimes keeps me sane! It's amazing what stuff teachers encounter in the course of an ordinary workday.
I enjoyed finding some humorous teaching blogs through yours. I agree that reading stories and commentaries by other teachers is a great stress relief. Sometimes I need to know that others out there have tough days. Sometimes I like to hear about the successes of other teachers because it's inspiring.
ReplyDeleteI recently came across your blog and I look forward to reading more!
Katie
www.sneakerteacher.blogspot.com
Incidentally, I'm in the snarky category quite often. It's not that I dislike the profession, but that I want to express every emotion about it - and sometimes it means drawing myself as a robot or making a mocking video about denim. Other times, it's a happy story. I'm sure chicken soup is swell for some souls, but too much of it will make the soul grow anemic.
ReplyDeleteThank you for introducing me to some great blogs to follow! And thank you for the fantastic work you've done on your blog through the years. Angela, you are greatly responsible for helping me have a saner, more productive, effective teaching practice! I stumbled on your old website as I was beginning my second year of teaching and you have truly helped to transform how I viewed my students, my profession and myself. Way to go!
ReplyDeleteI believe my comment came out much harsher than anticipated. I guess I didn't realize how emotionally vested in this site I actually was. Throughout college and into my first year of teaching, I relied heavily on your website, book, and blogs. Honestly, I check them twice a day.
ReplyDeletePerhaps, I don't understand the snarkiness. I apologize for the rude comment, yet I look forward to more uplifting, practical posts and advice.
@KT: Thanks, I recently discovered your blog as well. Glad you have you here!
ReplyDelete@John: I'm so with you..."expressing every emotion I have about teaching". That definitely runs the whole gamut!
@Amelia: That's great to hear, Amelia! Thanks so much for the kind words. :-)
@Anon: Thanks so much for coming back to clarify what you meant. I'm glad my writing has been so helpful to you! I know what you're feeling...I've seen blogs that I *loved* go in a different direction and it is disappointing because I loved the way it used to be! And you're right: you probably just don't "get" the snarkier stuff. Not everyone can relate. But don't worry, I've got a ton of other posts coming up that are right up your alley. There's one called "I saved the life of a child (a true story)"...I hope to finish it this month. Thanks for sticking around. :-)
Hi Angela,
ReplyDeleteThank you so much for reading my blog and for the link. As soon as I finish this latest round of testing, I'm looking forward to exploring your site more. I tried posting earlier last week, but it disappeared. I wonder if there's a compatibility issue with Apple Snow Leopard.
Thanks again!
TattleTeaching