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Tuesday, July 7, 2015

Tell All Tuesday-Top Ten List



Hello, Tuesday!   I am excited to link up with Teach.Talk.Inspire and My Day in K for Tell All Tuesday.  I don't think anyone has ever asked me what I have learned from being a teacher.  This was a hard post to write, but so fun!  I think I could have written so much more than just ten.  

Here we go.....


How many of you think writing sub plans is fun?  Anybody??  No?  I really dislike it! I have learned that taking the day off is way more work than actually going to work sick.  I don't know if you are like me or not, but my sub plans turn into a book with how detailed I get with my explanations.  I can't expect a substitute to teach like me, but I sure do try with my detailed sub plans!   Sometimes I feel like it takes me a whole day to write sub plans (sometimes longer).

My love for coffee started when I worked at Starbucks during my second year of college.  But my true  LOVE for coffee grew when I started teaching. It doesn't matter how much sleep I get the night before, I still need my two cups of coffee!  


Do you ever feel like your students eat their pencils?  Where in the world do all the pencils go?  I don't know about your classroom, but we go through hundreds and hundreds of pencils in one school year. I keep my own stash of sharpened pencils on my desk (just for myself).  By the time March comes around, I feel like we are scrambling to find pencils!


Do you know any "negative Nelly's?"  It's completely normal for people to be in a bad mood every now and then.  But what I have learned is that moods can be very contagious.  If I am in a bad mood at school, my students pick up on it.  So, I feel it's important to be positive as much as I can.  No one is perfect, but I don't like to surround myself with negative people.  It can be a "downer."  So, the more positive I am, the more positive my students and colleagues will be.


Do people sometimes say, "You have the easiest job because you have summers off."?  I hate that comment.  Yes, I do enjoy having summers off.  But my summer is not one large vacation.  Summers are filled with workshops, professional development books, planning, reorganizing my classroom, and reflecting on what went well and what did not work.  Again, I do enjoy my summers.  I just wish people would realize that we, teachers, work to better ourselves all summer long.

I love books.  I love books.  Did I mention that I love books?!?!


Contractually my school day ends at 3:30.  But my teacher-brain does not turn off until I close my eyes and fall asleep at night.  

It seems like there isn't a day that goes by that I teach exactly what is written on my lesson plans.  What happens when there is a fire drill?  Or an assembly?  Or maybe the Title 1 teacher is out sick and there isn't a sub?  Teachers must alter, change, add, or delete their lesson plans.  What happens if your students just aren't understanding the lesson or skill you are teaching?  Do you just move on because you're following your lesson plans?  Nope.  I've learned that teachers MUST be flexible every single day.

I teach third grade in Ohio.  So, my third graders have the pressure of The Third Grade Guarantee.  This means my students cannot go to 4th grade unless they meet a minimum score on the state reading assessment.  I do not agree that one piece of the puzzle determines an eight year old's future to the next grade level. 


At the end of the day, what do we all need?  Love.  I think we can make a difference in anyone by the amount of love we spread.  Encouraging words and affection, I think, are important when developing a child's healthy emotional outlook on life.  To quote the Beatles, "All we need is love..."



5 comments:

  1. I LOVE your list! Amen to #9 and #5. You can never have enough coffee OR picture books as a teacher! Thanks so much for linking up with us!

    Jayme
    Teach Talk Inspire

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  2. Numbers 3 and 1 are so true! Sometimes is hard for me to be flexible but with kinders it's a must! Building relationships and loving our kiddos is so important! Thanks for sharing I love your top ten!
    Jill

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  3. #10 and #5 are SO spot on! I can't tell you how many times I've gone to school sick because it was more work to set up for a sub. Ugh! And I may have a picture book addiction! Thanks for sharing.
    Andrea
    Always Kindergarten

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  4. Great list! Love, thanks for that reminder as I gear up for another year.
    Alyce

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  5. Sarah, I enjoyed reading your list! I couldn't agree more with #5, I am a picture book addict. I can't get enough. You couldn't be more right about #10 and I also have to drink at least two cups of coffee to get my day started. Thanks for linking up with us! :)

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