Hey teacher besties, it's just me and Molly this week since Gerry's off doing a show, so consider this a girls' night. I'm coming off a genuinely rough first day back, because my mentor and work bestie of decades has retired, and I had to walk into work knowing she wouldn't be there. I'm now teaching her old class, trying to live up to a legacy I know I can't fully replace. We also do a very necessary lice update (still lice-free, but the vigilance continues), debate the hotel bedbug-checking habits of functioning adults, and Molly gives me a very touching pep talk about becoming the next legend myself.
Then Molly tells me about her professional development, including the incredibly humbling moment she got used as a live example of what not to do with your school laptop, twice, since she's somehow gone through three MacBooks in one year. I also share my first day activity recommendations for anyone who needs a low-stakes icebreaker, and then I tell you guys about the best night of my year: going backstage at a Bowling for Soup and Simple Plan concert, meeting one of my favorite comedians, and somehow introducing myself as "professionally a fan" of him. It did not go how I hoped, but it made for a great story, which Molly says is the lore that makes me fun to talk to.
Takeaways:
I've found that students and colleagues tend to prefer teacher names that are three syllables or fewer, which is part of why I'm comfortable going by "Ms. Forcum" instead of the longer "Dr." or "Mrs." titles.
A simple poster board rotation activity, where students respond to prompts as a group in short timed bursts, is a great low-pressure way to build classroom community on the first day.
Laptops and liquids do not mix, and putting a laptop in rice does NOT work.
Being kind and respectful to your school's IT staff and other support staff will pay off tenfold when something inevitably breaks.
Even a well-intentioned compliment can go sideways under pressure, as my "professionally a fan" moment with one of my favorite comedians proves.
--
Knoword is an online tool for creating fun vocabulary games. Visit Knoword.com to learn how it fits into your classroom.
--
Teachers’ night out? Yes, please! Come see comedian Educator Andrea…Get your tickets at teachersloungelive.com and Educatorandrea.com/tickets for laugh out loud Education!
—
Don’t Be Shy Come Say Hi: www.podcasterandrea.comWatch on YouTube: @educatorandreaA
Human Content Production
Chapter:
0:00 - Intro
1:40 - Losing a Teaching Legend
10:57 - Lice Update & Bedbug Horror Stories
19:56 - Molly's First Day Back at School
23:31 - First Day Classroom Activities
28:13 - Molly's Computer Disasters
36:30 - Backstage at a Rock Concert
RSS Feed