A few years ago, I wrote a post that went viral about teachers going back to work after Christmas break. I was sitting on my couch in my pajamas feeling the familiar pang of Sunday anxiety and wrote the post quickly and posted it without much thought. Soon, I was getting emails from teachers around…
Category: Education
Purple Puke and Teacher Burnout
I hit my burnout point last week even though I did everything I could to avoid this. I followed all the “wisdom” to avoid teacher burnout: -I got enough sleep. Ask my husband. I am OBSESSED with getting enough sleep every night. I am so worried about getting enough sleep that many nights I lie…
Empty Mugs & Full Hearts
About a month ago, I published a post declaring it was going to be the best school year ever. I decided then that I was going to be positive and happy and encouraging at all times and focus on all the little things that I loved about my job. But that was a month ago,…
May is for Superheroes: The Teacher Homestretch
I’m exhausted. Last week I had a student ask me if he could play me a song on his nose. Befuddled, I nodded. They didn’t teach me how to answer that question in college. He proceeded to place a finger on the side of his nostril and create a rattly humming sound as he “played” me…
Using Cheese to Encourage Engagement and Participation in the Classroom
If someone told me a few years ago that I would eventually possess the ability to get a group of sixth grade boys to curtsy like princesses during a lesson on fairy tale vocabulary, I would have asked just what kind of black magic I got myself into. It must be some sort of wizardry….
Why I Don’t Want a ‘Normal’ Job: 11 times teaching is the best, even when it isn’t
About 39 times a year, I question why I went into teaching. It’s a crazy life. A life that one can only understand once in the trenches: tying the shoes and wiping the tears and teaching the words. There are some days where on my way home, I am convinced that I am never stepping…
Count Your Blessings, Not Your Chins. 