Tales of a Teacher

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Bullies have always been around. Of course, now we have the internet that makes it much worse. Nobody likes to be bullied. It is not a good feeling. But I feel that everyone has experienced a little bit of bullying in their lives. I was bullied in high school. I was kind of nerdy, but I made it, and funny thing is that my bully and I still talk on Facebook. Time marches on, I guess.  I have seen kids be bullied in schools where I was a teacher. There was a boy who would get bullied by being ignored. He would try to play with the other kids at recess, but they never let him. And in class when I would assign partners, the kids never wanted to be his buddy. I asked why one day when this boy was absent. I asked the kids why they excluded him. Their response was that he was weird and different. We had big talks about acceptance and being a friend. For a while, it would work but eventually they would start to ignore him again. It was always a constant struggle.  There were other stu...

Problems   Classroom problems are nothing new. There have always been challenges with students, however, I feel that things are getting worse. Of course, there are the problems that teachers face, such as, lesson planning time and coming up with exciting fresh ideas. That takes a lot of planning and research, often done on your own time. Other problems that teachers face are different levels in the class, unmotivated students who don't pay attention, and children that are belligerent and defiant. These days there are also the students who have trauma which may cause them to act out. Do you discipline or shrink them? And if you do cater to the trauma and try to analyze these kids, then how do they learn right from wrong? And aren't we teachers? I mean, I don't have a degree in psychology.  It just seems that teachers are required to do so much more than just their job of educating. They must write fresh and exciting lesson plans, make sure that each child learns at their own...

When I was a kid in school, many moons ago, there was no such thing as a police officer in school. Sure, they would come once in a while to visit the class and talk about stranger danger, but other than that, there was no need for a cop in the hallways. Well, unfortunately, times have changed, and a police office or school resource officer is common these days. In one school I worked in, there was a resource officer who was always there. She was a great resource, and the kids liked and respected her. Usually, when she was around, the kids were behaved. The only time things got tense was when we were on the playground and there was a strange man circling the fence. He seemed to be impaired. She ordered us all inside and radioed for backup. The man was arrested and taken away. My most recent school was pretty rural and for most of the time I was there, we had no police presence. The last year I was there, it changed. We did have a police officer who would come every morning and walk the ...

Recently, the cell phone issue has been discussed at schools around the country. There are many schools initiating cell phone policies where the students do not have access to their phones during the day. As a teacher, I'm all for the rule. Cell phones are a huge distraction during class.  I have had parents tell me that they want their child to have a phone in case of emergencies. I understand this, especially in the age of school shootings. But we do have phones at the school and each teacher has a cell phone. I would usually keep mine on my desk during the day. There were also issues of cheating by using a cell phone to look up answers.  Cell phones in schools are definitely an issue but when I was a 1st grade teacher, I had issues in my class revolving around the parent's cell phone use. Several kids would tell me that their moms were glued to their phones all night long. I heard stories of parents texting while driving or playing games in their beds instead of cooking din...

Just recently, the south suffered through Hurricane Helene. The damage is still being accessed but we know that a hurricane can cause major destruction and, sometimes, death. It is serious business! When I was teaching and living in Florida, we went through 2 pretty big hurricanes. It was definitely an experience that I will never forget.  One year, we were expecting a category 3 storm. I was living in an apartment about 10 miles from the coast, so I did take it seriously. School was closed and many people were getting prepared. I had bottles of water, flashlights and candles, and food that did not have to be refrigerated. We made it through the actual storm, but it was scary. The power went out pretty early in the storm and then the winds came. I remember watching the tops of the trees touch the ground. Shingles started falling off the roof, but we hunkered down. Our power was off for about 5 days, and it was hot! We used ice to cool us down. People stood in long lines for food an...

Being a teacher is tough, especially when there is no help from the parents. I have had classes where parent involvement was extremely low. We had open houses where no parents showed up and during Covid, I hosted Zoom meetings where the only people who attended were the principal and me. That makes it a tough year.   Parents should be involved in school, and they should also do what they can to help the teacher. It really makes a difference in the child's education and also creates a smooth year. So how can a parent help a teacher?  * Be involved and know what is going on in your child's classroom. Most teachers send home or email newsletters. Don't throw away the papers in your child's backpack.... read them! * Pack a healthy lunch and snacks. You would be surprised at what I've seen in lunchboxes. A child who is eating nothing, but junk or lacking food will have trouble learning. Choose fruits and veggies and limit sweets. * Listen to your child after school. Ask ...

I have recently started a tutoring company. It's always hard to get started but I am hopeful that it will all work out. I started tutoring because I felt it would be more beneficial to the students. I would be able to give them more one on one time and be able to make it easier for them to learn. There are also online tutoring programs and actually one that I am a part of, but to be honest, I feel that in person tutoring is best. I am actually tutoring a couple students now who come to tutoring with their chrome books. That is not their fault. They are doing what their teacher has assigned, and I am helping them to understand it better. But it dawned on me that most of the work that they do is actually on the computer. I get it, really, I do. That is the world we live in now. And the kids need to be prepared but what happened to communication and pencil and paper? Children are bombarded with tech. It's everywhere. They have phones, homes have Alexa, everything runs on Wi-Fi. It...

Did you know that over 9 million people have been homeschooled as of February 2020? (nheri.org) More and more parents are turning to homeschooling rather than traditional schooling and I wondered why. One of the facts that I saw actually said that homeschooled students score better in state tests than students in school. Wow, I guess that makes sense because there is more targeted instruction and more one on one learning, but I wanted to find out other reasons why parents decide to homeschool. According to the National Homeschooling Research Institute, there are many reasons why parents homeschool. One of the most popular reasons is that parents can customize the learning environment and the curriculum for their child based on how they learn. This can help them to do better than they would in a traditional school setting. Other reasons include providing a safer atmosphere where kids don't have to worry about bullies and outside dangers and being able to impart your own family belie...

We all need a break sometimes. Whatever your job may be, not just teaching. And it's just not adults who need a break, kids do too! Sometimes as a teacher, you just see that it may be time for a break. The kids are losing attention and getting restless, or you feel that the lesson is going nowhere. Whatever the reason, breaks are good. There have been some nice days where the weather is perfect. That's tough when you are stuck in the classroom. Once I would see the kids getting restless, I would stop the lesson, grab a book, and lead the class outside. We would go and sit under a tree for a fun outdoor story time. That would usually pep them up so we could go back inside and work on our lesson. Other times, I would just tell them it was time for extra recess because they were having such a great day. Really, it was more because I could see that they needed a break! There are some great brain break games and ideas for teachers. There are also many online resources for giving you...

  Sometimes I think that when you teach little kids, they actually think that you live at school. Many years ago, when my own kids were little, we lived in a small town in North Carolina. The school where I taught was right down the street. As a matter of fact, you could see the school from the house. I would walk to school because it was so close. My oldest daughter was in 1st grade at the time, and she would walk with me. I was teaching 3rd grade. Well, most of the kids in my class lived in my neighborhood.  Kids in my class would come over to play, they would be hanging out in the streets, and some parents forgot I wasn't teaching at night. I had one parent come to my house around 11:00PM to ask me about homework. I had to tell her politely that it was too late and that I was not going to entertain school questions after hours at my own home. That was a little too close for comfort. Other times, we would be eating in a restaurant or shopping at the grocery store, and I woul...

Online vs. in school or in person learning? Which one do you prefer? As a parent or as a teacher? I have worked in both situations and hands down; I would choose in person learning. I just believe that a child does better in the classroom and that they also learn social skills that you just don't get at home. I do, however, know that times are changing in this world. Online is more prevalent now, especially after Covid. There are several homeschool co-ops and groups that encourage social interaction and activities. It does also appear to be safer than going to some schools. I understand that homeschooling is a choice that only a parent and child can make. Sometimes it works for a family. My own daughter did online learning in her senior year of high school. We had just moved and rather than go to a new school, she just finished online. She still made friends in the neighborhood, and we had a huge party for her graduation. It didn't seem to bother her. My oldest daughter graduat...

When I went to college and studied education, I learned a lot. I learned about how to teach reading, math, and writing. I learned how to address a class, do lesson plans, and keep records. The one thing that I didn't learn was how to be flexible. I've always been a little ocd when it comes to organization and study skills. So, it took me a while to learn how to be flexible. When it comes to teaching, flexibility is key! You don't know how many lesson plans were thrown out the window because something else came up. Or how many times I just stopped the lesson and took the kids outside. When it comes to little kids, you need structure, but you also need flexibility. Sometimes the kids need a break and sometimes so do you. Other times the lesson may not go as well as you thought it did and you have to make some changes right then and there. Kids get sick, sometimes they are having too much of a great time learning that you may extend the lesson, and sometimes, there is a surpri...

As a teacher and now a private tutor, I have seen how important it is to supplement a child's education. All children learn differently, and some do need the added benefit of a tutor. With a tutor, the child gets the attention that they need. It is often one on one and there are no distractions like those in the classroom. The tutor can really focus on that child and figure out how they learn. This is extremely beneficial. A tutor can also help your child to retain the information that they are learning in the classroom. One of the students that I tutor comes to me with projects and homework questions that he needs to do for his class. By having that extra hour after school, he is once again able to go over the things that he learned during his day in school. That extra time is helping him to retain the knowledge so that he can be a better student. And last but not least, a good tutor can help your child's self-esteem and confidence. I am constantly giving praise and offering s...

There are more and more teachers leaving the profession than ever before. It got me thinking about why they are leaving in droves. When I first started college way back in the 80's, teaching was still a noble and respected profession. To be a teacher was an honor and privilege. Not so much now.  According to USAToday, more teachers left the profession last year than at any point in the last three decades. Why? Well, the number one reason was stress and low pay. There is also the learning loss that was created by the pandemic. Some teachers have had to double up on learning just to make up for the time lost during Covid. That puts a lot of stress on a teacher. They are expected to have high state test scores even though the students have had a lapse in their learning. Another big reason for teachers leaving the profession is student behaviors and administrations that do nothing. Education Week research states that student behavior problems have increased in the last 3 to 4 years. It...

What do you do when there is no time to teach? If you are a teacher, then you know what I am talking about. As teachers, we are bombarded with paperwork, workshops, grading, in-services, and more paperwork. I have even worked in schools where we were assigned a book to read and I'm talking about the teachers. Spoiler alert: No teacher read the book. I have worked on lesson plans that I thought would be amazing, but I never got to teach the whole thing because I had so much other things to get completed. I have known teachers who purposely threw out the lesson plan and put on a video or had the kids play on their Chromebook, just so they could get done a bunch of paperwork. It's crazy. We are supposed to be teaching, not filling out a bunch of documents that will only go into a folder and never get read.  Let teachers teach and forget about all the endless in-services and workshops that usually are a big waste of time. We know what we are doing!

All of us have heard of school violence. Unfortunately, it happens a lot. From shootings to student fights, teaching has become a dangerous occupation. When I first started teaching, I never worried about that kind of thing. It's different now and I wonder why. What has changed? And why are we afraid to mention it? First of all, in my opinion, there is a lack of family. It may sound old fashioned, but when there is a mom and dad, the kids have more structure. I'm not hating on single parents.... I was one. And it was beyond hard some days. But, like it or not, when a child has two loving parents, they tend to have a more structured life.  Secondly, there is sometimes a lack of safety. Some schools I have worked in have been very laxed with safety and security. I worked in one school where one of the doors was broken and constantly left ajar. The teachers complained that the door was a hazard, but until the school had extra money, there was nothing they would do about it. It too...

Sometimes you just get a bad school. There are times when a great teacher can end up in a bad school. Over the years, I have been in some pretty great schools, but I have also seen some bad ones. Some city schools were in some very bad neighborhoods. And while, I wanted to be able to help those young people to climb out of poverty and have a great life, I also had to think about safety. When the police officer tells you to make sure you are gone by dark, you know it's a bad scene. I also have worked in schools where the teachers just didn't seem to care about each other. Sure, they were good with the kids, but there was absolutely no support to any teachers. They just couldn't be bothered to help or mentor. The kids come first but the teachers need help. The good thing is that there are plenty of schools. Not all of them will be the perfect fit. If you are one of the lucky teachers to find a school and stay there for the length of your career, then yay for you. I've kno...

There was one year when I worked in a dirty school. The custodian team had quit, and they had not been able to find anyone for the job. We teachers were told to empty our trash and try to keep our classrooms neat and tidy. Just another thing put on our list. I watched as one student in my class went into the hallway and threw up on the floor. He said he was fine and that he had just ate too much. I gave him some paper towels and told him to clean up as best as he could. He did his best. This was the day before Thanksgiving break, and I kid you not when I tell you that stain was still on the floor in April.  Schools need to be clean, and they need to have a team to do it. It cannot be put on the teachers. We are educators not custodians. After Covid, you would think that would be a no brainer. This is why so many teachers leave the profession. We can't do it all!

  I have never been a principal or vice principal. I've always been a teacher. I've known many principals in my time; some very good and some worse than bad. One thing that always bothered me was when the principal wouldn't listen to the teachers. I mean, I get it, the school doesn't run without kids, but that doesn't mean that you have to kiss the parent's ass. Your staff is important too. I had one situation when I had a child in my classroom who was clearly suffering from a disability. The parents refused to believe it, and this made it so much worse. I tried to talk to them and eventually, they agreed to have him see the title tutor. The first day she arrived, it only lasted five minutes. That was the longest amount of time that she could deal with him. He would scream and throw himself on the ground. The other kids in the class were afraid of him because he would hit and kick and push them. But I was supposed to deal with it every day with other kids in my ...

  As I sit here writing on a Sunday afternoon, I remember the Sunday Scaries. You know what I mean if you work. And it doesn't just have to be in education. I think that everyone has that feeling once in a while. It's tough for teachers, though. During the weekend, you are able to spend time with your own kids and enjoy the freedom of not having to worry about every little thing. But, come Sunday night, that worry seeps in, and you start thinking about lesson plans, meetings, and that one student. Sure, we laugh about it, and we all know that we have to work. We chose that profession. But sometimes it can get pretty serious. I've work with teachers who would literally get sick on Sunday nights. The stress and overload of work would get to them and affect their health. Some teachers have also left the job just because of the Sunday Scaries. As one teacher told me, "I would rather work at the gas station. At least I don't have to take home a bunch of work and deal wi...

  After I left the classroom, I started to see things all over social media about other teachers leaving the profession. It got me thinking about the state of education in this country. What are we doing? Behaviors are out of control and like it or not, covid pretty much destroyed education. Do I know how to fix it? Not really, but I do have some ideas to make it better, if anyone is listening. First of all, let's stop rewarding bad behavior. Do kids really need a prize for walking down the hall, doing their homework, etc.? No, that is expected and should not be rewarded. In the real world, you don't get rewarded for showing up and doing your job. We are raising a bunch of privileged kids who expect a prize. That is ridiculous.  Secondly, most of our professional development in the last few years has been about trauma. We are so concerned about feelings, that we are forgetting to do our jobs. Teachers are not therapists, and it is not their jobs to figure out why a kid is acti...

If you were raised Catholic, then you were taught to respect the priest at your church. Back when I was a kid, the priest was someone that really was unapproachable. When I went to confession, I was always scared to death, even though I wasn't a bad kid. It was just that he was the priest, and he was holy, at least in my young eyes. Working at Catholic schools for most of my career, there was always a priest in charge. In some schools, the priest was always present, visiting classrooms and getting to know the kids. In other schools, we barely saw the priest, except for Mass.  I worked for a priest one year who was not involved much at all. He had a reputation of being mean and gruff. Many of the parents and parishioners were not fans of this priest. But he was the boss, and I had to listen to him. At the time, our school had very little kids. I only had 4 5th graders, and a field trip was coming up. We would be going to a play in the local theatre. My class was the only class invit...

  When I was a teacher in the classroom, people would always ask me how I could do it day after day. I would get comments on how cheerful I was, and people would always say, "You always have a smile on your face, Donna." Well, let me tell you, somedays it was tough!  I consider myself a pretty joyful person. I am a glass half full kind of girl, and I try to remember my blessings every day. But sometimes we all have a bad day. For teachers, that can be a lot. The stress of managing a class, dealing with parents, and answering to higher ups can certainly take the joy out of your job and your day. When it gets too much, you just have to take a breath, put on a smile and remember why you do the job. There were many times when I told myself to stop worrying about the meeting and the paperwork and just focus on those kids. Fake it till you make it or until your mood catches up with your smile.

  I have been reading about kids all over the country doing crazy things in schools and I'm wondering what is going on. After the horrible shooting in Georgia last week, there seems to be a trend of kids doing scary and dangerous things while in school. This is very troubling to say the least. A news report mentioned that after the Georgia shooting, there were numerous calls and threats made to schools around the state and country. A 14-year-old boy was arrested for going on social media and making threats and the list goes on. A good teacher friend who works in a high school told me that she worries every day and recently had to take a knife away from a student after he stabbed another in the leg. This needs to stop. Is it lack of discipline at home? Or is it the fact that everything is about feelings now? As a teacher, I had to take an in-service all about trauma and how we, as teachers, should remember that kids have it rough. We should be more worried about their feelings then ...

  As you might be aware, there was another school shooting this week. I often wonder what possesses a person to want to shoot up a school. What are they getting out of doing something like that? It just makes me sick and sad. When I was teaching and we would have a lockdown, the kids would have to go in the corner and be silent. I would lock the door really quick and turn off the lights. It could be very terrifying, especially for little kids. After the lockdown was over, the kids would ask me a million questions and a lot of them were hard to answer. There was one question that I'll never forget and that was, "If a guy came to our classroom with a gun, would you protect us?" Wow, I answered yes and then I thought about it. I really would die for those kids, and I know just about every teacher would do the same.  School shootings are a fact of life that shouldn't be. I feel like there is a lot of mental health issues in this country that need to be addressed. I also t...

  I recently just went on a mini vacation, and it got me thinking about how much we all need a break. How much we do and how much we worry. I got to thinking about the sacrifices that not only teachers make every day but also every hard-working American. A vacation, even a mini one, even a backyard - at - home vacation is sometimes needed. I can remember when I was a kid and I would hear my Dad say, "Thank God it's almost vacation time. I really need it." Now, I totally get that. When my husband and I go on vacation, we like to explore. Explore the town, check out the tourist activities, and a lot of times, just drive around and people watch. Of course, if there's a beach, we are there. We are not the kind to sit at a hotel all day. But some people enjoy their hotel and stay there during the day, especially if it's a big resort. For us, it's not the hotel room, we even traveled in a camper for a few years. It was a blast! So, whatever you do and however you do...