As I’m sitting here on my first day of summer break drinking
my coffee, I figured it would be fun to look back on this first semester of my
teaching. Looking back on it all, there
are so many valuable lessons that I learned, things that I would change, and perspectives
that I have gained. Here’s a list of some of the things I learned:
1)
On the first day, be MEAN. Everyone told me this, and I thought I was,
but I was wrong. Nowhere in any teaching
manual, college course, or seminar do people tell you to be MEAN on the first
day, but veteran teachers will. You
think you’re going to walk in and have a happy little family for three months,
but especially being a young teacher, the kids seem to think that you are one
of them, and that they can get away with anything. So next semester, I will act as a mean, evil
teacher on the first day, and maybe, just maybe, scare some kids.
2)
Hand sanitizer, rubber bands, paperclips, and
staplers don’t belong on my desk, but rather in my desk. I’ve had my high school students and their
desks drenched in hand sanitizer. I’ve
seen a student staple his own arm on purpose; staplers are also like a weapon
they like to use against one another. I
also know firsthand that rubber bands are the worst thing to ever allow
students access to – I have been snapped, they go shooting across the room, and
who knows what else. I have also found
my paperclips all hooked together. OH,
and I’ve had my scotch tape stretched clear across the room.
3)
Along with classroom supplies, when running out
of Kleenex, the kids will usually steal a roll of toilette paper from the
bathroom to blow their runny little noses with.
However, some kid always decides to try and TP the classroom…
4)
Watch your keys or they will end up in the ceiling.
5)
Hide your dry erase markers…hide them well!
6)
Turtle-ing someone’s book bag? What’s that you ask? Well, I got to learn firsthand. They turn a kid’s book bag inside out, put
everything back in it, zip it up (so that the zipper pulley things are on the
inside, and my students managed to secure it with some form of wire). Needless to say, I had to get a hold of wire
cutters to free a student’s belongings from this turtled bag!
7)
If your directions are not clear as glass, they
will purposefully try to misinterpret them.
8)
Students will say the nicest things and make
your day, and they will also say the most hateful things that you secretly take
home at night.
9)
Every class wants to be your favorite
class. They are like children – each class
has a different personality, with both redeeming and damning traits. It’s important to look for those redeeming
traits in every class.
10)
Your students will make you feel old and
unpopular in no time at all. I had to
discover the meanings to “twerking,” “turn up,” and all of the proper ways to
talk about twitter.
11)
Along with this, students think that teachers
have no lives, no friends, no dance skills, nothing. I mentioned cooking dinner, and they accused
me of not being able to cook – how would they know? It’s so funny, but looking back we felt the
same way about our teachers.
12)
Bribery works- especially at the end of the
year. Jolly Ranchers are glorious. The best part is when they bite down on them,
getting their teeth stuck closed for a glorious 30 seconds of silence, and as
soon as they free their jaw, it hurts, which provides ample entertainment for
me.
13)
The students actually want to learn – they will
make it near impossible some days, but if it’s well within their range of
ability, they give it a shot because they want to learn.
14)
When you least expect it, your students will surprise
you. They will stand up for one another,
sympathize and empathize, have mature discussions like an adult about difficult
topics, and ease up when they realize they’ve pushed things too far. It’s moments like these that make your
classroom getting TP’d worth it.
15)
Procedures and documentation. Do it. Do it well.
16)
Students will notice EVERYTHING about you. In my case I have students for 90 minutes
every day, so when you realize that they stare at you most of the time, they
start to notice things. They will
comment on the state of your nail polish (I’ve had a boy ask where my sparkly
nail polish went because he liked it), your makeup or lack of, your shoes,
hair, clothing, and about everything else you could ever think of. God forbid you wear a shirt that is somewhat
loose, and they automatically assume that you are pregnant. And clearly, students don’t have much of a
filter on their mouths.
17)
Students like to be told when they’re doing a
good job. Never underestimate this.
18)
If you don’t give up on students who seem like a
dead end they may surprise you and pull through. Perhaps everyone else had given up on them
and thought the student was a lost cause, and the power of suggestion is
strong. When you make it clear that you
don’t accept this attitude from the student, they actually start doing their
work, talking, and trying to succeed.
19)
Having a student draw you a picture feels like
winning a Grammy. I love each of the
drawings they have created for me!
20)
No matter how old students are, they love to
pass out papers, run to the office, or do whatever it is you need help with.
Well, I’ve reached 20 things, and I could probably write 100
things, but that would take too long, and I must go find myself a summer job
now!
