First Thoughts...

It’s the end of another school year. The years seem to be racking up at a quicker pace than I’m ready to admit. Eight years in and I have had my fair share of awkward moments, surprising challenges, and generous rewards. Having come to a new school this year, I think there is a copious amount of reflecting to be done to be followed by an equally generous amount of journaling. So, in light of that, I thought I’d start my reflection process off with something a little lighter. Teaching is good because it is hard and it is hard because it is good. So, when there is a chance to bring some levity into it, I welcome it. See, levity allows me to scrape through the surface to where the real gems of the year are located, but it does it in such a way that I don’t hesitate to go a little deeper and look a little longer once time really allows.


That said, here are 10 interesting things I learned from my school year:

1. No matter how hot the classroom gets, keep the windows closed.

When this does not occur, some 18 year old male might throw his glasses into the courtyard “just because.” Not good.


2. Have your homeroom class help you put sandwiches together to feed the homeless.

Then, you get to hear kids who used to say “the homeless can feed themselves” come back four months later and say “When can we help with that again? I think I want to make them brownies or something.”

3. Don’t sit too still in a classroom.

This makes you a prime target for cockroaches. They are small and non-threatening, but it’s creepy when they crawl across your keyboard.

4. Share your strengths and weaknesses with your kids.

This way, you can eventually find out that one of your male students has secretly been keeping a list all year of all the things you said you weren’t good at. On the last day, he’ll give you this list titled “Miss Storm’s Bad Traits” and say, “I just thought you should know.”

If you’re lucky, he might even put a nice trait on there too.

5. Know that if you’re weird and kind it gives your students license to be their weird selves too.

Then you’ll have that day, when you look around the room and think “Wow, we’re all really weird… And strangely comfortable with that.”
As a side, if you’re weird and mean, it doesn’t seem to work out as well because then you’re just the crazy teacher that doesn’t like kids.

6. Definitely ask your kids how their day is going.

Even if during the first few months of doing so you continually get an agitated response of “I’m doing my work!”

I know you’re doing your work darling. I just wanted to know how your day is going.

By the end of the year, they’ll actually answer the question.

7. Anticipate “the day”.

Every year, “the day” happens. That special day with each of your classes when, for whatever reason, your class becomes truly yours, your kids become family, and you know that this set of kids was meant especially for you.

(Warning: this may or may not happen on the same day that you all realize you are weird and okay with it.)

8. Keep a spray bottle on your desk and label it “Tears From Students”.

There is no need to ever actually use this bottle… Just simply slide it to a place where the kids can see it when they’re thinking about doing something ridiculous.

9. Tell your students early on what kinds of baked goods you like.

Otherwise, you end up having your pants be tight for stuff you didn’t like all that much in the first place. :)

10. Always leave a little space for students to write and reflect at the end of a test.

That way you get the pleasure of reading things like this: