• 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
×

August 5, 2015 Featured

Love Us, Love Our Teacher Eccentricities

  • About the Author
  • Latest Posts

About Paula Kay Glass

Paula has a Masters degree in education with an emphasis on child development and child behavior. She has been an educator for 22 years. She founded a private elementary school in 2003 and is now working through the Moore Public School District in Moore, Oklahoma as a special education teacher. Paula is also a contributing writer to The Huffington Post and has a children's book published. Paula has three grown children and resides in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. You can contact her at glass foundations@sbcglobal.net or paulaglass@moorepublicschools.com.
  • Staying Within Law: Special Education Teachers and IDEA - September 1, 2020
  • Teaching With Minecraft EDU - April 3, 2019
  • Self-Care Is Priority One for This Teacher - February 13, 2019
  • Preparing Students For Teacher Absences - February 12, 2019
  • Respect in the Classroom: Earned, Not Expected - February 11, 2019
  • Dissing the Family Crazies: A Christmas Story - January 6, 2019
  • Band-Aiding The Mental Health of Our Children - November 23, 2018
  • We Must Love Them - November 5, 2018
  • Take One For the Team: The Need for Self-Care - August 19, 2018
  • The New Teacher Smell - August 19, 2018

Teachers are weird creatures. We wear so many hats and flip back and forth so many times during a day that it can leave people we encounter wondering what kind of alien being has overtaken our bodies. Think about it: we save the most random stuff, come up with ideas off the tops of our heads at a moment’s notice and can turn from parent mode and spouse mode into 'teacher mode' quicker than the copy machine at school can get claimed.

But seriously, although our loved ones know we are a bit quirky and they have learned to live with it, even embrace it and ‘play along’, what about those on the outside who we come into contact with on a not-so-daily basis who have no idea that we are teachers? Our teacher persona carries out of the classroom, out of our homes and into our everyday lives. It's who we are, not just what we do. We live and breathe teaching; it’s second nature for us. But sometimes we step into others’ ‘UN-comfort’ zone without even knowing it.

So here's my top ten list of some of the things that leave others shaking their heads, and even becoming a bit concerned, at our eccentricities:

10. Asking adult friends, when we are out in public enjoying dinner together, if they flushed and washed when they return from visiting the bathroom.
9. Reminding random children to 'use their walking feet' when we encounter them in a store, even if the grown ups are around.
8. Bending down and tying a complete stranger's child's shoelace like it's no big deal while the grown up stands there, mouth agape, probably thinking we are a child predator.
7. Asking our own ADULT children if they are 'making good choices' in their lives when they come to visit us.
6. Randomly coming up with lyrics to teach concepts with to the tune of 'I'm a Little Tea Pot' or ‘Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star’ And singing it in the shower. All. Week. Long. And then catching your spouse humming it while he is getting ready in the morning.
5. Picking up and saving 'classroom teaching materials' such as sand, rocks, sticks, interesting leaves, pinecones etc. when we are on family vacations.
4. Asking every child you run into if they are reading when they are out of school on extended breaks.
3. Posting on Facebook and asking everyone to save milk jugs, juice cartons, toilet paper rolls, two-liter bottles, Pringles cans and other random supplies to use for school projects.
2. Making your family members act as guinea pigs for a new game, craft, or science experiment before using it in the classroom. And doing it over and over until it’s perfected.

And the number one thing teachers do out of the classroom that makes people who don’t know we are teachers think we are crazy...

1. Telling the clerk, waiter, mailman and every other service provider that they are 'doing an amazing job!' and 'thank you for your hard work!' in front of everyone, in your teacher voice, with no shame.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Related posts:

Default ThumbnailTeaching Children How To Make a Difference Default ThumbnailTake a Moment to Stop - And Enjoy the End of the School Year! Default Thumbnail10 Ways To Deal With The Negative Teacher Default ThumbnailSummer Planning and Pinterest
« What to Consider when Tragedy Occurs during the School Year
Who is Making Educational Decisions? »

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

  • "Let's Make This Happen": Following Student Interests to Interest-Based Mentorships
  • Want to Keep Special Education Teachers? Try Mentorship
  • An Idaho teen who won his school board election has a message for educators
  • Moving Beyond Diversity to Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging: Lessons from a Sunday Sermon

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.