Teacher Memories

Because my boys are in bed and I have some peace and quiet...

Because today I packed up my classroom...

Because yesterday I had my students from last year and this year sign my year book...

Because I went to dinner with my team for the last time...

Because I am a little nostalgic...

And because today I turned in my letter of resignation, here are a few memories from my three years as a teacher. I don't want to forget them. They'll probably be boring, but they're for me.



My first day I was so nervous I couldn't eat and was shaking. I practically had a script to get me through the lesson that first day. It was the most terrifying moment of my life when those 23 7th graders took their seats 1st period and just stared up at me waiting for me, the TEACHER, to teach.



I remember the first time I felt like a teacher, the first time it hit me that I was indeed a teacher was a simple moment. I was carrying a stack of freshly copied papers from the copy room to my classroom and one of my students walked by and said, "Hi, Mrs. Wilde." I was Mrs. Wilde. I was a teacher walking the halls of a school with authority. I don't know why I remember that...



During my first year I had a student call me a very bad name. In front of the class. I, of course, referred her to the assistant principal. On the referral I wrote that the student called me an "F***ing B*****" and turned it in. I was given the referral back and told I had to actually spell out the words. That was the first, and only, time I have written those words. To be clear, I did nothing to warrant being called such a name. I just asked her to be quiet.



This is a shameful teacher moment. But one of my favorites. I had this student. Brad. Little scrawny mousey kid, pretty annoying most days. Always up and not on task, kinda whiney. I liked him, but we had our moments. One day I was attempting to teach a lesson. He got up maybe three times to sharpen his pencil, each time the sharpener would make that deafening grinding noise that only Glenn sharpeners make. Finally, when he stood up the fourth time to sharpen his pencil, I all but screamed out, "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" "He replied, "I need to sharpen my pencil." I, in a voice barely under a scream said, "You will not." He then says, "But..." And I interrupted him blaring, "I don't care if you have toCUT YOUR FINGER AND WRITE IN BLOOD, do not get out of your seat ONE MORE TIME!!!!" That was a bright and shining moment in my teaching career.



I once asked a student out in the hall, "What the hell are you thinking?" Yeah. 'nother great one. He kind of deserved it though...(for my former team members - think Caleb Sh... towards the end of the year.)



One day I sat on my little black stool that was left in my classroom when I inherited it. It was metal and foldey. Well, it decided it had had enough because one day I sat on it and it snapped under my weight and I went tumbling to the floor in front of my entire class. We all laughed hysterically, but the laughter went to the next level when Marisa looked at the bottom of the stool to read the weight limit and then asked with absolute seriousness, "Do you weigh over 250 pounds? "



Only two students have ever beaten me at this fun game I have called Tricky Fingers. Morgan and Shelby.



A student once asked me, about two weeks before the TAKS test, "Do you capitalize a person's name every time in the story or just the first time?"



After the TAKS test my first year, I cried. I broke down. I was ridiculous. Mr. Waters found me thanks to some teachers who I think ratted me out. He told me to leave the school and chill out for a minute. I don't think I have ever been so stressed, embarrassed, relieved, and flat worn out than I was in that moment. Leaving the school was the best moment of that day. It's so easy to forget there is a world outside of Glenn.



This is my favorite. One day last year I was teaching the world's most boring lesson on Business Letter Writing. Doesn't that just sound boring? I assure you it was. Well, about 10 minutes into class, Mr. Waters brings in one of my student's grandparents to watch. Yeah. Thanks. So I just continue teaching. They're super nice and I barely survive my lesson. Well, finally, they're leaving and the grandmother goes, "I never knew you weren't supposed to put a PS in a business letter. He (pointing to the grandfather) does all the time!" I laughed and said something like, "Oh, well, now you know!"

Okay, so about a week later these grandparents were brought up in conversation and Jenni Davidson goes, "Do you know what he does? He is THE LIBRARIAN of CONGRESS. Like the library of congress in DC. Yeah, he's the librarian." So I am thinking "Wow. That's pretty cool..." and I google him. HOLY COW! The man that sat in my room and watched me teach a lesson has been to russia with president reagan!!!! There's only been like 13 people in his position since America made the library of congress! Check him out here. HE was in my room. I told HIM not to put PS's in business letters. You know what's the best part? He wrote me a handwritten letter thanking me for the experience of watching me teach. Bizarre, I tell you. I still can't believe that happened. How stinkin' awesome!



There are a million more things like that, and I'll probably write some more but I just wanted to write about some now. I think I'm going to write something later entitled Goodbye Glenn. And then I'll move on and you will only get happy summer posts.