Mr. Teacher Man: Confessions of a Classroom Teacher

I’m not a punching bag …

Mr. Teacherman — Wed, 31 Jan 2007 15:48:30 +0000

In my nearly 10 years of teaching I’ve realized that there are many parents and community members who seem to think that teacher=punching bag, or at the very least that teacher=lower-class citizen.

I think I understand where this line of reasoning originates, but I’m not sure … I’ll write more later, and share some stories too. Meanwhile, have anything to add? Your own ideas about this topic? Or some good stories?

I am a Broken Record …

Mr. Teacherman — Thu, 11 Jan 2007 16:35:01 +0000

Me: Okay, class, next we’re going to work on our Social Studies activities. Tomorrow we are going over activities 1 and 2 as a group, so make sure you have activities 1 and 2 done before you do anything else. After you finish activities 1 and 2 you can work on any of the other activities you choose.

Student A: But you said we were doing Activities 1 and 2 together?

Me: I said we would go over them together tomorrow. You need to have it done by then so we can go over it together.

Student B: So, if we’re already done, what should we do?

Me: If you’ve already completed Activities 1 and 2, then you go on to the next step from the directions.

Student B: So, if we’re already done, can we do a different activity?

Me: You can answer your own question.

………………………………………………
I hate to repeat myself. In fact, I usually don’t. I hate to repeat myself.

It seems that so many students today though are never required to listen to and remember a simple set of directions … they’re constantly bailed out and enabled to be irresponsible. I ALWAYS give every set of directions like that verbally and in writing … you’d think that would hit 99% of the students. The problem, it seems, is that students have a question in their mind BEFORE I finish giving directions, so they never actually get the directions because they’re too focused on their individual question … if they’d just learn to wait, they could get their question answered by themselves nearly every time …

Add one more description to the teacher’s role: Broken Record.

The 150

Mr. Teacherman — Tue, 28 Nov 2006 18:44:27 +0000

I got this from somewhere else, and I’ve forgotten where. When I’ll remember, I’ll link accordingly.

The bold items in the 150 below are things I’ve done:

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication
106. Lost over 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach
133. Eaten fried green tomatoes
134. Read The Iliad – and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Parent-Teacher Conferences

Mr. Teacherman — Thu, 12 Oct 2006 08:40:56 +0000

I actually had a wonderfully written post about parent-teacher conferences written … but when I published it disappeared. I’m not sure if it’s wordpress or the network configurations … but whatever the case, for now, let’s just say I survived.

Are Teachers Overpaid?

Mr. Teacherman — Thu, 05 Oct 2006 05:42:11 +0000

I came across the article … one I had read before and appreciated reading again. I don’t necessarily agree with everything Tamim has to say (for example, late in the article he seems to portray teacher strikes as very common … but even with the “hundreds” he references a HUGE majority of contract negotiations DO NOT end in strike … in fact MOST do not), but overall I think he presents the story well.

You can check it out here.

Should Teacher’s Blog? USA Today says “Teachers speak out of turn…”

Mr. Teacherman — Fri, 29 Sep 2006 20:13:17 +0000

You can read the entire article over at USA Today ….

For starters, I’m a little confused by the title. Maybe my high school journalism class didn’t teach me much, but headline and lede writing these days seem to really be suffering. Oh well. I’m sure it’s some teacher’s fault somewhere down the line …

So, back to the original question … should teacher’s blog?

I think so. Obviously.

The “One Time…” Kid

Mr. Teacherman — Fri, 15 Sep 2006 08:46:43 +0000

Every class seems to have one.

Every year.

And they reveal themselves every day … sometimes more often.

The “one time…” kid.

It doesn’t matter what subject we’re covering, or even if we’re having a discussion. Something will get mentioned, read, or discussed and the “one time…” kid has a story. And the stories typically start with “One time …”

While often related to the current topic of classroom discussion, they’re just as often irrelevant to the other 25 students in the class.

The hand shoots up, and because you encourage questions and discussion, you feel obligated to calll on the student … the problem is that the student usually has another story to share, and their story often reminds another student of their story, and the domino effect is initiated.

It all makes for some seriously frustrating and drawn-out classroom discussions and activities.

One time …

The Honeymoon is Officially Over

Mr. Teacherman — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 08:37:21 +0000

I’ve been teaching for a handful of years now, and every year right around Labor Day it happens. The honeymoon ends.

It’s too bad it’s over.

I Don’t Know…

Mr. Teacherman — Fri, 01 Sep 2006 20:32:51 +0000

It’s one of the most common phrases in the classroom. One of the most articulated answers. One of the most recited responses.

“I don’t know”.

Although it often sounds more like “Ahgnnuh” (I love Jerry Spinelli’s treatment of this in The Library Card, btw).

And today, it’s my response as well.

Can I anonymously blog about my teaching experiences? Ahgnnuh.

Can I honestly blog about my teaching experiences? Ahgnnuh.

Should I anonymously and honestly blog about my teaching experiences?

Ahgnnuh.

But I’ve wanted to for awhile. I’ve pondered and considered the idea … weighed the pros and cons, and I’m gonna try. And, maybe one or two of you will read this and take something from it … a laugh, a cry, or some encouragement.

Ahgnnuh.