Being a teacher is challenging and amazing at the same time! I am sharing some teacher musings with you today.
Stuff My Students Say…
1. “Even though you are really old; probably too old to have kids of your own, I think you’d make a good mom!”
(Such a wonderful back-handed compliment. Also, I am only 35… how old do they think I am?!?!?!?)
2. S1: “I am bored”
S2: (without missing a beat) “She’s not our cruise director!”
Me: *turns around with a completely caught off guard look on my face*
S2: (with a wink and finger guns) “My mom’s a teacher; I got you!”
3. “Morning, Mrs. Teacher, do I have some facts about cheese for you!”
(This was literally the first thing this kid said to me as he walked into the school; we had never talked about cheese before that –but we did for the next 15 minutes. Gotta say, he should host a podcast! It was AMAZING! Also, he has no idea that I LOVE cheese)
Hacks…
1. Wordle Warm Up/Reward
Capitalizing on the popularity of this site/game; we start our ELA period with the Wordle. If we are too chaotic during the day (three strikes) we don’t get to play the next day. OR, in non-ELA classes, you can also create your own with Wordles using key vocabulary from the unit you are studying. Each time you introduce a new word, get the kids to write down the definition, come up with an example, an ‘anti-example’ and draw a visual. They can create a master vocab list to study off of throughout the unit.
2. Hall Pass
Our students are notorious for LONG bathroom breaks; they just love to wander the halls. So now they have to carry around something large and seasonal. Example: a pumpkin in October, a sled in December, a pot of “gold” in March, etc. They hate it, but we enjoy it.
3. Getting Rid of Annoying YouTube Distractions
I don’t know which genius to thank for this; or even if I am super late to the game on this one, but; if you add a hyphen to the YouTube link (ex: yout-ube), students will be able to view the video without being interrupted by advertisements or get distracted by the inappropriate or extraneous video suggestions.
Latest TPT Buy…
The Princess Bride Movie Guide Activities & Answer Key
*I made the questions from the quiz into a Kahoot and the top three players got movie candy to enjoy during the next movie we watched in Film Studies. The kids LOVED making their own Fire Swamp Signs and creating a Miracle Max inspired recipe.
Rewarding Story…
I try to bring economics to life for my students; we do a scarcity activity with food; in the hopes that they take only enough for themselves to ensure that everyone gets some; recognizing that the amount of our resource (the food) is limited, why it may be limited and what is the best way to achieve public good (cooperation or individualism). Sometimes we play Monopoly and discuss capitalism, rules and regulations in the economy, consumer fairness, supply & demand, competition, pros and cons of monopolies. Yesterday, we wrapped up our Monopoly game and a kid who really struggles, yelled out to everyone: “SOCIAL IS THE BEST CLASS.” Watching the kids play really warmed my heart. Everyone was engaged, having fun, learning (even though they won’t admit it) and even kids who had conflicts with each other were able to forget them and come together and connect. It’s always nice when a lesson works as you intend.