Some Explanations

I’m a teacher.  It occupies more of my brain than a typical profession might.  I call my students “my kids” and I am fiercely protective of them.  I fight with administration and support staff to try to get them what they need.  I call home more often than any teacher you probably know.  I dream about problems that my students are struggling with, both in their lives and in my class.  I send home Remind 101 reminders all the time.  I go out to the bus circle even when I am not on duty, just to connect with my kids.  I produce, record and send home a weekly video newsletter.  So, yeah, I’m a bit obsessed.

And I blog about my life, and my job is a lot of my life.  But “my kids” haven’t given permission to be on my blog, but my concerns for them, their struggles, their humor – it is so much of my day that there is no way that I am going to not include that in my blog.  So, they all have pseudonyms.  Yeah, I make up fake names for them.  And it is not just here, on the blog, I actually use these names for them in life too.  I call them by their fake names in the teacher’s lounge, and even in my home.  My daughters (who have pseudonyms too) are one grade higher than my students and one grade lower.  I don’t want them knowing all of their fellow students’ business, so fake names are my solution.

Sometimes the fake names are based on an aspect of their personality, or an interaction with their parents and sometimes it is based on their physical appearance.  My names for them are usually in jest, never derogatory.  I love my students.

More and more, I am learning that the stories I hear and experience with my students are not necessarily unique.  There may be something I write about that sounds like a situation that you know about.  I may have a fake name for a student that makes you think of a cousin, or sibling, or child that you know.  Chances are, it is not them.

And I frequently have opinions.  BIG opinions.  Opinions that have to do with politics, and families, and parenting, my fellow teachers and my administrators.  Not revealing who I am, where I am, who my students are and who I am criticizing talking about, is in my best interest.

Additionally, I don’t publish anything in real time. I may write something in February of one year, and not publish it until January of the following year.  Again, this is for the protection of my students.  Something that I write about that my students are struggling with today will not reach readers until many, many months later.  I go to great lengths to try to protect their identities, not just because my district strongly suggests that, but also because I believe that it is the right thing to do.

Thursdays are the New Mondays

I hate Thursday mornings.  I know that most people hate Mondays, but seriously, I DESPISE Thursday mornings.  It is my worst morning of the week.  I consistently have a hard time waking up and think about calling in sick, but

This morning, it is at least partially my own fault.  I drank WAAAAY too much Dr Pepper (aka nectar of the gods) and so I knew I would have a hard time sleeping – so I drank some Sleepytime Extra tea, and it WORKED!  I slept hard!  But I didn’t want to get up this morning.  When I finally dragged my butt out of bed got moving, Judith didn’t want to get up either.  She said –

Wake me up when it’s Friday, maybe I can get up then.

Princess wasn’t much better, but she is getting an award at school today (that I won’t get to see, because the school schedules everything when parents can’t possibly go the students are already there) and is allowed to dress up, so that got her going.  But then, of course, she wanted fancy hair and put on too much lipstick, so I didn’t have much time for breakfast, but got the Princess dropped off on time.

Judith fussed at me on our way to our campus, worried that we were going to be late.  We weren’t, but as I got out of the car I realized that I had forgotten my lanyard.  Yep, the lanyard that has my classroom key and ID card on it.  No time to go back, so I just had to suck it up.  Two meetings during conference today, so no time to go back to get it today.  Had to get the principal’s secretary to let me into my classroom.  Whoohoo!  Impressing the boss now!

I did manage to get the video newsletters recorded, but my Spanish speakers “no habla” this morning, so I still have to get one more part of that video recorded.

I had a parent conference, and then a phone call that interrupted the beginning of my fourth period class.

The vending machine is stealing dollars.  There are no Twix in it anyhow.

Seventh period claimed not to understand the quotation on the board.  And one of my “good” students has been assigned to the Alternative Campus.  Either for skipping or for fighting.  Ugh.

I’m ready for Friday!

 

 

Things that Make Me Happy

Today, one of my students answered a test question “Gladmir” Putin.  For some reason this has made me think of the Russian President with an extremely large smile.  It makes me laugh.

A fellow teacher down the hall brought doughnuts for her first period students.  She brought extras!  Is there anything better than an unexpected hot, fresh doughnut?

We’re starting to study the Middle East and students always are intrigued by the name of the country Turkey.  One said that he thought that in Turkey, the Turkeys were cannibals and ate each other.  They make me laugh.

A sweet student (who I secretly call Harry Potter) bought me a chocolate bar! 

Two of my girls came in early to give me a hug and tell me I look pretty!  Awwww!

An answer to a homework question – the Persian Gulp!

And after that someone told me it was the prison golf.  I think autocorrect “helped” them on that one.

Sometimes it doesn’t take much to make me smile!