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what it's really like to be a teacher (RSS)
How’s that for an appetizing post title? But that was my day, in a nutshell. I figured out why this year has been so hard, and is going to be hard for a while longer: my students are the least-prepared group I have taught in years. They are not traumatized,
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On the one hand, spending a morning with preschoolers can be lovely and simple. Read stories, play, follow routines, talk, play outside, learn about interesting things. On the other hand, spending a morning with preschoolers can be made frustrating and
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I was out sick on Friday (with, naturally, a migraine). This morning when I greeted the kids at the door, one little boy looked at me with interest and a little relief. “I see you’re feeling better,” he said, sagely. ********** At the art table today
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I work in a pretty great school. We have a warm, supportive environment, and our school is welcoming to adults and children. I don’t have any plans to leave, and that wasn’t true of the first three schools I worked in. On the other hand, we have our flaws.
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Everyone is aware of the teacher’s strike taking place in Chicago, but I wonder if I am alone in feeling frustrated by the media coverage. Everything I read about it contradicts something else I read , and not one article has given me the whole story.
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The beginning of the year is hard. Don’t let anyone tell you differently; starting off a school year is hard work . I might even dare to suggest that it is particularly hard for early childhood teachers, since we are often the child’s first teacher ever.
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I did wake up with another migraine, but it went away and hasn’t come back. My morning crier came back, and true to his word, wasn’t scared, and didn’t cry at all. He even rode the bus to school with no troubles. My end-of-the-morning crier, on the other
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It’s funny teaching with other adults in the room; they are watching you! This rarely bothers me, but today I feel like my new assistant teacher and my new Americorps volunteer got to see me starting to lose my cool. Which is embarrassing. It was a good
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I need to be at work in 25 minutes, but I am still on my couch, in my pajamas. I’m foggy, tired, and full of random thoughts. Do I still remember how to do this? Did I plan enough things to fill the morning? I wish we hadn’t had a homework/organization
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I am in pajamas as I type this, and while I am exhausted, it’s more of a good/content tired than a frantic/despairing tired. The room was, after all, ready in time, and it looked great. A few colleagues, including one I hadn’t seen since May, came by
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But Open House is tomorrow! Now check out the current state of my classroom, and tell me how on earth I will be ready by then?! It didn’t help that I was in trainings all day long, and had only an hour during my lunch break and an hour and a half at the
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No, teachers don’t cry the night before they report back. At least the ones who love teaching don’t. My summer is over, but it’s okay. I had a great summer, and I feel rested and restored. I don’t see how my room will get ready for Open House on Thursday
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I sat outside on my neighbor’s lawn tonight, chatting with and meeting newcomers to the neighborhood (the two young women in the rental across the street are both teachers!), drinking wine, and relaxing in the cool breeze. But tomorrow I go back to work,
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I have been stumbling upon the teacher version of the Ryan Gosling “Hey girl” meme on Pinterest, and think it’s very amusing. I showed this one to my 7th grade son, and he totally didn’t get it. This next one really appeals to me, because I am a bit of
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One day last week I sent my class to the local library for story time, along with a sub provided by the Princess, my assistant, my Americorps volunteer, and our special ed teacher. I stayed behind to meet the kids I will have in the fall, who came with
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