How teaching is better than working at Disney World!

Recently my husband read an article outlining why people should quit their job to work at Disney World (http://www.disneyfanatic.com/7-reasons-you-should-quit-your-job-and-become-a-character-at-disney-world/). When he finished, I replied, "That sounds a lot like my job!" He snorted, and I went on to explain to him why my job is even better!

7. I get paid to smile. And I do. Often. I try to make my classroom fun and engaging. I want the kids to look forward to coming back and learning something new.

6. I get paid to dress up. Maybe I don't get to wear a costume EVERYDAY, but I choose to often. After reading A Christmas Carol, we have a Dickens Christmas Day in which my students and I don period costumes, drink wassail, and eat mince pie (it is pretty good). When introducing Greek mythology, I channel my inner goddess and pull out my toga. This year I am teaching The Great Gatsby, and we most definitely are having a lawn party in 1920s attire. I also keep a variety of hats in my closet to pull out as needed. Yes, I teach middle school and high school. Yes, they love it as much as elementary students.

5. Every day is different. Anyone who works with children knows this is true! You never know what a kid might say or do. I also try to make my classroom different each day by using a variety of teaching methods.

4. No office to work in. I have a classroom that I can make my own, and it is rather homey. I have
area rugs, lamps, a rocking chair, an oversized chair, reading pillows, etc. This relaxed environment makes me a better teacher, and hopefully it relaxes the students.

3. I work at the happiest place on earth. To the current students, this may not always be true. But their laughter fills the hallways between classes, and they are making memories that will last them a lifetime. One day they will look back and realize how special this time in their life really was.

2. Discounts and free passes. Absolutely! I get to go support my students at all sorts of athletic events and after-school activities. They love having teachers there to support them and cheer them on!

1. The ability to bring joy to guests. I help students gain the skills they need to make their dreams come true, and I have the ability to make it a great experience or a terrible one. I choose to work hard to make it great!

What about you? How is your job like working at Disney World?


Http://www.disneyfanatic.com/author/kristina/. "7 Reasons You Should Quit Your Job and Become A Character at Disney World." DisneyFanaticcom. N.p., 2015. Web. 27 Sept. 2016.

How do you plan to get better?

I recently got to sit in on some interviews at our school. One question that I made sure to ask was, "What do you plan to do to get better at your craft?" Too many teachers are complacent with their methods and lessons. I want a teacher that wants to change, grow, and get better!

I am far from perfect; I have months and even years when I feel like survival is my goal. For the most part, the last half of this past school year had me in survival mode. I pledge here that I will do better this year! The start has been reading a new PD book called Kids Deserve It and participating in the summer challenges that are on their blog.

My question to you is the same. How do YOU plan to get better?

How do you feel about summer?

If you live in the South, you are feeling my pain today. Summer is more than half over; teachers come back to school on July 27. Where has the time gone? I am especially nervous about this school year because I will miss the entire first quarter for maternity leave. While this is a special time, I will be very anxious about what is going on in my classroom and excited to get back. I think of this as a positive thing; I must love my job! This is definitely the right profession for me.

So how do you know if teaching is right for you? Are YOU in the right profession? Here are some questions to ask yourself:

1. Do you get excited about the upcoming school year or do you dread it? I know we will all miss our summer break, but some part of you should relish the excitement of a new year. What other profession gets a fresh start every year?

2. Did you go into teaching because you didn't know what else to do? When you made your decision to teach, I hope it wasn't because you weren't sure what else to do. "I've always loved -------, so I guess I will be a ------- teacher." "I'd like to be off when my children are, so I guess I will be a teacher." These are not viable reasons for going into a career that profoundly affects so many lives.

3. Do you want to be better? Do you constantly look for ways to improve? Does the thought of new methods, technologies, ideas, etc., get you excited about how you could be better in the classroom or do you roll your eyes when someone mentions learning something new?

These are just some things to think about as you prepare for the rapidly approaching school year! After all, we require our students to work in the summer (via summer reading at our school), shouldn't we be doing the same?

Eeek....I'm behind!

If you scroll and see my last post, you can see it was in April 2015! Eeek! I have definitely fallen off the wagon. In my defense, it was a crazy, busy year. I started coaching the Varsity Cheerleaders (in addition to Student Council, being a part-time assistant administrator, mom, teacher, etc.) and found out in November that we are expecting baby #4.

I want to start fresh, and I am doing so as part of a summer learning challenge series. I did this series a couple of years ago and it was very beneficial to my personal growth as a teacher. I challenge you to do the same!

The first challenge this summer is to post about our favorite classroom activity of this past year. I have to pick just one? That is tough! My students love Plickers, so that is always fun. Just reading with them in class and seeing them GET it and discuss is fun. I have to say that my favorite activity was using our new TouchJet TouchPond projectors. They are like smart boards, only cheaper. Actually, they are more like smart phones that project on the wall. The students were amazed and wanted to participate every time I used it. I love to see them get engaged, and this little device helped with that.

If you are interested in joining the summer learning challenge, you can find out more here: https://youtu.be/Uese-Dc-YJI.