• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts

The Educators Room logo

  • Start Here
    • Impact Statements: Teacher Expertise
    • Newsletter
  • Browse Topics
    • Content Strategies
      • Literacy
      • Mathematics
      • Social Studies
      • Educational Technology
      • ELL & ESOL
      • Fine Arts
      • Special Education
      • Popular Topics
        • Teacher Self-Care
        • Instructional Coach Files
        • Common Core
        • The Traveling Teacher
        • The Unemployed Teacher
        • The New Teacher Chronicles
        • Book Review
        • Grade Levels
          • Elementary (K-5)
          • Middle (6-8)
          • Adult
          • New Teacher Bootcamp
          • Hot Button Topics
            • Menu Item
              • Principals' Corner
              • Charter Schools
              • Confessions of a Teacher
              • Interviews
              • The State of Education
              • Stellar Educator of the Week
            • Menu
              • How to Fix Education
              • Featured
              • Ask a Teacher
              • Teacher Branding
              • Current Events
  • Podcasts
  • Courses
    • Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout- An 8 Week Course
    • Becoming An Educational Consultant
    • Teacher Branding 101:Teachers are The Experts
    • The Learning Academy
    • Books
    • Shirts
  • Education in Atlanta
  • Teacher Self-Care
  • The Coach's Academy
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Advertising
  • Write for Us
  • Job Board
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact
    • Consulting
    • Advertising
  • Shop
    • Books
    • Shirts
×

September 7, 2016 Featured

23 Times I have Questioned My Sanity While Teaching

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Alice Trosclair

Alice has been teaching for fourteen years. She currently teaches English I, English III, English Language and Composition AP, and English Literature and Composition AP. She lives with her husband and son in south Louisiana. She also has hundreds of "adopted" children.
  • Teaching in a Pandemic: Help Teachers, Help You - February 2, 2021
  • The Importance of Feedback in Distance Learning - October 9, 2020
  • What a Teacher Wants: One Teacher's View - March 25, 2018
  • Artist is Not a Dirty Word - March 18, 2018
  • The Death of Reflection in English/Language Arts Classrooms - March 9, 2018
  • More Than A Teacher - March 4, 2018
  • Real Teaching Resolutions - January 5, 2017
  • 23 Times I have Questioned My Sanity While Teaching - September 7, 2016
  • Part 3: Adventures in Real Word English/Language Arts - Let Them Be Great - August 23, 2016
  • Part 2: Adventures in Real World English/Language Arts: Making Them Care - August 4, 2016

People go above and beyond for their jobs every day, but I am willing to bet teachers are the BEST at doing absolutely EVERYTHING they possibly can to make to make their jobs work. Sometimes we may come across as a little nutty, but it is because we are absolutely devoted to our jobs. I mean, why else would we teach? Sanity is overrated. Here are a few times that I looked a little crazy in the line of teaching…

1. I wear all black on test days, but that is not the worst of it. I have three preps, and I laugh at my students trying to figure out if theirs is the class with the test.

2. I hoard school supplies. (It’s not an exaggeration)

3. I have twenty different mugs from various students over the years but only drink out of the one I bought the day I first started teaching.

4. Speaking of coffee, each of my classes has a student that knows how to make my coffee, and I send them to the office to make it for me.

5. I am covered in various shades of pens and expo markers.

6. I have literally pushed my husband away when it tried to kiss me on school campus because I have to be an example.

I am covered in various shades of pens and expo markers. Click To Tweet

7. My entire wardrobe is school colors, and everything is too big because I teach teenagers.

8. I have at least three different pairs of shoes in my room: Flip-flops to teach in, black ballet shoes in case of observation, and heels in case someone from the central office or school board appears on campus.

9. I have stood in ice for thirty minutes for the coolest teacher award because I refused to lose to a coach.

10. I use slang terms at completely inappropriate times.

11. I have kicked and cussed the copy machine once or twice. Okay, at least seven… this school year.

12. I take notes at the faculty meetings because if I don’t, I will drift off into wonderland.

13. I had trouble naming my son because I did not want to name him after a student I taught and by the time I had him I taught at least 500 students. It was an intense time in my household.

14. I can recite “The Raven” from memory.

15. I still cry at the endings of The Great Gatsby and The Crucible even though I have taught each of them at least twenty times.

16. I turn off my lights, lock the door of my classroom, and hide under my desk so I can have fifteen minutes of peace while I read a book by flashlight.

17. Once one of my homecoming girls broke a heel as they were walking to be presented so, I gave her my shoes, and I had to walk on the track, barefooted in front of the entire football stadium.

18. I have been kicked out of a home improvement store for taking too many paint chips. ( I use them for various projects besides they are free…)

19. I have shredded a stack of papers that had no name on them in front of my students to teach a lesson. (The papers were from the year before, but every paper after that had a name on it).

20. If students “shoot” paper in my class, I take off five points if they make it and ten points of they miss it.

21. I practice my lessons in the car on the way to school. Yes, I lecture to myself.

22. I have to consciously think about what I am going to say to make sure it cannot be twisted into some perverted way. Again, teenagers. Sigh*

23. I always look like a “hot mess.” My hair is wild, mascara is smeared, I have non-existent lipstick, my clothes may or may not match and have one or two coffee stains. If I am dressed up, my students assume something is wrong- I mean shouldn’t that be switched?

I love my job, and I love that I can act crazy. Not everyone can act over the top every day, so I take complete advantage of it. Remember not everyone has the chance to do what they love. Act crazy, goofy and ga-ga over your career; the kids will love you for it, and it is all about them.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Preparing For Success: Helping Students Prepare For What Comes Next Default ThumbnailQualities of the Ideal High School Teacher Default ThumbnailThe Power Of A Teacher Teaching the Kids We Have Right Now: LGBT+ Youth in the Classroom
« How To Make Writing a Priority in Your ELA Classroom
Math Standards in Middle School »

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

The Educator's Room was launched in 2012 to amplify the voice of educators. To date, we have over 45+ writers from around the world and boast over twelve million page views. Through articles, events, and social media we will advocate for honest dialogue with teachers about how to improve public education. This mission is especially important when reporting on education in our community; therefore, we commit our readers to integrity, accuracy, and independence in education reporting. To join our mailing list, click here.

What we do

At The Educator's Room, we focus on amplifying and honoring the voice of educators as experts in education. To date, we have over 40 staff writers/teachers from around the world.

Popular Posts

  • My Union Showed Up for Me, and I'll Never Forget It
  • Your Students Deserve a Diverse Classroom Library. Here's How to Set It Up.
  • You Don't Have to Watch the Tyre Nichols Video, But Be Ready to Talk About It
  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships

Featured On

Buy Our Books/Courses

How to Leave Your Job in Education

Practicing Self-Care to Avoid Teacher Burnout

Using Your Teacher Expertise to Become an Educational Consultant

Check out our books on teaching and learning!

The Learning Academy

Footer

↑ back to top

About

  • Privacy Policy
  • Disclaimer
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact
  • Services
  • Media Kit
  • FAQ

 

Copyright © 2021 The Educator's Room.