“I can’t wait for Friday!”, “This kid in my class is so frustrating!”, “I don’t feel that parents appreciate all that I do.”, “how many days until summer vacation?”,”I’m not allowed to do that at my school.”
Many of us (me included) are guilty of spouting off the above negative quotes. Teaching is a hard job. We have long hours and there is a constant need for patience and flexibility. It’s hard! I couldn’t agree more. Sometimes I need to remind myself as to why I got into teaching and focus on the positives. Last week we had a dance party in my class just because we wanted to… and then we did a flash mob in the class next door. I know that we weren’t covering the curriculum, but it made it easier to cover the curriculum later that day. I laugh when the kids say funny things and we all laugh together. On Wednesday I am throwing down a lip sync battle for the last half hour of the day, because kids can be creative and do spectacular things when you let them be kids. (We can call it music class, right?)
The reason I got into teaching is because of the kids. Yes, I love to meticulously organize (and colour code) things. Yes, I enjoy creating cool and engaging lesson. Yes, I like the smell of fresh school supplies. But the reason I love teaching has nothing to do with that. The reason I love teaching is because I think kids are awesome!
Tomorrow, remind yourself of why kids are awesome! Do something fun that allows them to see that “sharpening the saw ” is just as important as reading and writing. Show them that you are human and you want them to be too. Remind yourself why you love teaching.
Please comment below and tell me what you did!
I love this post, Paige! I agree, teaching can be a tough job and it is easy to get pulled into the quicksand of negativity. Sometimes the choice to forget about curriculum and the To Do list is the best choice of all. Your suggestions are the perfect antidote for all of us, and I am looking forward to having a little fun with my class tomorrow because of them!
Awesome post Paige. Kids are definitely awesome. I think learning should all be fun but, today, we will do something fun non-curriculum related just because!
I am slightly disappointed in myself that we didn’t do anything non-curriculum related fun. It was a crazy day and kids were off but that is no excuse. Tomorrow I must up the game!
So, I found this through clicking on your name after you retweeted a tweet of mine! Whew, crazy world we live in, but so glad I did. You think a lot like me. I love this post. Have you ever done Go Noodle? I taught 1st grade this past year, but even my 2/3 grades LOVE it. We use this and Just Dance as our hourly brain breaks. I love dancing with these kids! Kids are awesome. Thanks for sharing this reminder of why we all got into this business in the first place!
Thank you so much for your comment, Bridget! I love Go Noodle! I use it a lot with my kids. This year I especially used the cool down activities to help get kids to refocus after activities like assemblies. Dancing with the kids can be really fun. When I did the lip sync battle, I saw a completely different side of the kids. One kid did the worm on the ground during his performance :). I hope you are enjoying your summer and will be refreshed and renewed for the new school year!
That is awesome! I am loving my summer! I will be a Literacy Intervention Specialist starting next year, but I will get the great opportunity to go into all classes K-5 and work with kids and teachers. I have some great teachers that should totally connect with you and your class through a Mystery Skype or Connect 4 game or something?! I want to be right in there when it is happening. 🙂 You have the enthusiasm and love of learning that we have and it is so amazing we connected. I am totally going to check in with you when school begins! Have a fabulous summer!