- call parents about behavior and/or grades;
- consult with other teachers;
- check and gather supplies;
- prepare activities;
- meet with administrators;
- write lesson plans;
- prepare power point presentations;
- record grades;
- prepare progress reports;
- learn new technology;
- fill out paperwork on special needs students;
- attend meetings;
- read and answer emails;
- grade papers;
- etc.
4. I would love for you to be a fly on the wall or peek into my classroom door window to see how your child is behaving during class, especially if I have contacted you about his or her behavior. Most parents have no idea how their children behave at school, and they tend to believe what their children tell them, rather than what their teachers tell them. Many parents would be embarrassed at the behavior of their children.
5. Just because you send supplies with your child doesn't mean he or she will make it to school or my class with them. I can't tell you how many pencils, pens, and sheets of paper I have given to students who show up to class without them. I have tried everything I can think of to help them be more responsible, such as making them pay for supplies, making them trade personal items, sending notes home, etc. Holding their personal items in exchange for supplies seems to work the best.
6. I can give a student a pencil every single day and he continues to come to my class without a pencil! One day I got so frustrated I emptied an entire box of pencils on his desk and told him that he now had enough to last for awhile. Did it work? It made me feel better, but he still came the next day without a pencil!
7. I don't hate your child or anyone else's. Teenagers love drama and they will tell their parents that the reason they are failing or have detention (or whatever) is because the teacher hates them. Don't fall for it.
8. I would protect your child with my own life if it came to that. The news media is continually amazed that teachers will put themselves in harm's way to protect their students from gunmen or storms or whatever. I know of no teacher I ever taught with who wouldn't do the same thing. Your children become our children when they enter our schools and classrooms.
9. I spend my own money on student supplies, classroom supplies, and decor. If activities require scissors and glue sticks and journal notebooks, I will purchase them myself to make sure every student has them. I decorate my classroom to make it a welcoming and comfortable place for me and my students, and I spend my own money and time to do so. There is no money in the school's budget for decor and very little for supplies.
10. I did not choose teaching as a last resort. I chose teaching because I wanted to be a teacher. I wanted to be a positive influence on the world, and even though it is frustrating, maddening, exhausting, and draining, it is the most rewarding career I could have chosen. I am proud to be a teacher.
