Just Us

Growing up as a teacher's kid, you would think I would have wanted nothing more than to follow in my mother's footsteps.  I even remember people saying, "Aw, you could just be a teacher like your mom!" You may be surprised to know....I honestly did NOT want to be a teacher from the beginning.  Of course growing up with three sisters, we played school A LOT.  But as soon as I saw the day-to-day life of my mom, an elementary school teacher, I quickly learned that being a teacher wasn't exactly as glamorous as our young minds had imagined.  Being a teacher was much more than making red checkmarks on a page and giving directions to my willing, well-behaved sisters. I would frequent my mom's classroom after school. She was always working long after the last bell and always had a full bag flung over her shoulder as she left school each night.  She would travel to one of our many school events, then come home and open her school bag to begin her work again, even in...

You don't know me, but I am but one in the great army of teachers that wake up each morning ready to take on the challenges that face our public schools today. You don't see me, but I arrive at school early to make sure I have everything in place so that not a minute of precious learning time is wasted with these dear little ones. However, my morning of planning is often interrupted by an ever-swinging door. The door swings open several times every few minutes to former students stopping by to share their latest successes, to show me their new kicks, or to just grab a hug before the day begins. Every once in awhile the door swings opens to a parent wanting to discuss his/her child's progress or a concern that needs my attention. The door also swings open to my colleagues, just checking in to remind me of a deadline or to ask a question about our new curriculum or assessments.  And....then my teaching day officially begins. As I prop open that ever swinging door, the real ...