10 Things I've Learned From Teaching Linky Party

I have been without cable and Internet for about a week due to my move to a new apartment. I have never been so happy to see a cable man in my life. I literally wanted to give him cupcakes when I heard the first sound of trashy reality TV blaring in my living room. I don't even watch that much TV but silence is deafening. I definitely need the background noise.

Needless to say, I spent a lot of time this past week working in my classroom. Exactly 8 days left of summer vacation. Can you believe how fast the summer went? I will hopefully post my classroom reveal later this week. :)

In the meantime, I saw the 10 Things I've Learned From Teaching linky party and thought it was too cute not to join. This will be my fourth year teaching and these are the

1. I really like teaching math. I was not a fan of math when I was a kid, but I absolutely love teaching it. The manipulatives, interactive notebooks, games... love it.

2. The classics I enjoyed as a kid are completely irrelevant to my students. One of my students was tattling gently informing me of another kid's misbehavior, and I told her to "Hakuna Matata".  She looked at me like I had three heads o_0. I then asked her if she ever saw the Lion King. She said no. I then, surveyed the class and only 4 out of 22 children have seen The Lion King. Four!!!! What a wasted childhood! Therefore, the following Fun Friday we watched the entire movie.  Common Core aligned activity, nope. Much needed activity, absolutely.

3. I am pretty in the eyes of most eight year olds. I have relatively adequate self confidence, but my students really make me feel like a model. I don't complain. Keep the compliments coming!

4. I have horrible grammar skills. I cringe when I have to teach grammar. I know that seems to be blasphemy as a teacher, but sometimes I just don't know the appropriate use of drink, drank and drunk. Don't judge me.

5. I don't like when students stand. When other students are sitting and one is standing, I have a small freak out. Standing gives me major anxiety. Weird? Yep.

6. My classroom is my place of solace. I think I love being there more than my own home sometimes. Glad I'm not charged rent. haha.

7. "The best laid plans of mice and men often go awry". I am a compulsive planner. I literally have the first 3 weeks of school lesson plans already created and copies already copied. I know, however, that 30% of those plans won't happen. Got to love erasable pens!

8. Your coworkers are your friends and therapists. My "outside of work" friends underestimate the stress that teachers have. I am glad to have wonderful coworkers who just get it.

9. If I start any lesson with a story, video, or a joke, I have instantly hooked most of my kids into probably the most boring lesson ever (i.e. layers of soil.  Really, my third graders could really care less about this.)

10. I influence about 9 months of a child's life. Doesn't sound like much in the grand scheme of things, but 9 months can change a child's whole perspective on life, friendship, school, and responsibility.  I will never take those 9 months for granted.

I am exited to learn more as I continue on my teaching journey. Head to Miss Kindergarten's blog and join the party.