Here’s a new memory for my imaginary first year of teaching treasure chest: a fellow teacher called me unpatriotic today! I was so wrong in assuming that the patriotic police ceased to exit when Bush left office. But I digress… We were having a planning meeting for the school assembly, and a teacher suggested cutting…

Now that the test that shall no longer be named is over, my kids love me again. They were all really into drawing me pictures this week. And now I’m running out of room in my class to post their masterpieces. It’s adorable. And the project I have them working on, in which they’re planning…

The idea of going through another TAKS season is vomit-inducing. I went running for the first time in three months yesterday, and it was a nice way to celebrate the end of a very stressful and unhealthy period in my life (candy drawer, I am locking you!). And today I started my first long-term project…

Everything I’ve worked toward this year comes down to this upcoming week. All of my students are taking the TAKS test. I spent most of March and April in a frenzied panic, cramming information down my kids throat and drilling the hell out of them, but at this point I’m finally calm. I know I…

Let’s be honest, the real reason I like teaching is my ridiculous interactions with the kids. A few highlights from the last week: -S having a conversation with the characters in the book “Muppetts Go to Manhattan” during Drop Everything and Read time: “No Miss Piggy, don’t eat that.” and “Kermit, what are you doing…

My 8th graders are taking their math TAKS test next week. Gross. Yucky. I can’t wait till this is over and I’m on a cruise. I’ve never wanted to go on a cruise, it seems like a lame way to travel, but I bought a car this summer and it came with a free one.…

A few weeks ago, my fellow CM and I decided to discuss sexual harassment and bullying with the kids. After our lecture, which I believed to be effective, R shouted out “I’m sorry girls for everything, the whole class is sexy! MISS, you’re sexy too!” I don’t think he got it. And this is not…

April is upon us (not to mention a week of vacation next week), and I’m ready for my TAKS rant. Please ignore any praise I gave the test before, I’m taking it back. Maybe I’m a little wound up, with the test just around the corner, but how would you feel if your administration was…

If you asked me to choose my favorite thing about teaching, it would definitely not be breaking up fights. But I do it. A lot. Today it was another girl fight, my personal favorite. It happened across the hall, as the substitute teacher just stood there gawking. One of my kids was smart enough to…