Ahh, the art of writing report card comments. None of us love, but we all got to do it! When teachers are asked to write report card comments, we know we must oftentimes sugarcoat the reality of a child’s performance as much as possible. There must be a nice, productive way of saying even the …
Jane Morris, Queen of Commiseration
Jane Morris is the pen name of an ex-teacher who would really like to tell you more about herself but is worried awful administrators will come after her for spilling their dirty little secrets. Jane has taught English for over 15 years in a major American city. She received her B.A. in English and Secondary Education from a well-known university and her M.A. in Writing and Literature from an even fancier (and more expensive) university. As a professional queen of commiseration turned published author, Jane’s foremost passion in life is to make people laugh through the tears.
She has written several highly acclaimed books unpacking the reality of teaching and life inside the school system. You can view her full library of works here.
A new teacher’s first day in the classroom can be incredibly overwhelming. So much can go wrong! What if the kids play up? What if they bully me out of the classroom?? What if I lose my cool and throw an eraser at their heads??? Stahp! Your first day of teaching a new class doesn’t …
At Teacher Misery, I like to rant about bad students, bad administration, bad work culture…. But what about bad teachers? Today, we’re talking about the worst teachers in the world. Not everybody who gets into the teaching profession has a heart of gold and a deep passion for education. Some of them just have a …
Kids just say the funniest things. Maybe it’s their sincere curiosity or maybe it’s their lack of contact with the world of logic. Either way, they say the most wholesomely hilarious things all the time. All kids do is talk smack and they don’t even realize it! So imagine the smack you must hear as …
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I am always trying to find new ways to make fun of educational jargon. I really dislike words like “differentiate,” “scaffold,” and “unpack” because they take a fairly simple concept that most teachers do anyway and turn them into complicated, irritating non-sense. Even worse are condescending phrases like “Remember your why!” This is meant to …
The government requires you to obtain a license to drive, own a gun, fish, hunt, teach, practice law, practice medicine, fly a plane, sell alcohol, get married, and even operate a forklift. Some lesser-known things that require a license are breeding dogs, babysitting, having a garage sale, performing in public, building a garage, opening a …
I get asked a lot about teacher appreciation gifts. Usually, the question is something along the lines of “What are the best gifts for teachers?” Now, while I have a lot of thoughts there, I much prefer to answer in terms of gifts that we teachers DON’T want. Over the years colleagues and I have …
I was done being a teacher. I had said that I was done with teaching as I cried hysterically in my car many times before, but this time felt different. This Was Different I’d had bad classes before, with kids who seemed to get a kick out of making the teacher cry. But I never …
Being a teacher in current times is considered to be the most stressful job there is. The workload is unreasonable, the behavior is unmanageable, and administration has ridiculous demands. Now imagine trying to handle all of that while you undergo aggressive treatment for cancer! I interviewed 6 teachers who are undergoing or have recently had …
Teachers are used to having to beg, borrow, and cry for much needed classroom supplies. And these aren’t just cute decorations they’re trying to get their hands on. We’re talking about classroom essentials like paper, pre sharpened pencils, and even books. While people might realize that school districts don’t always give teachers school supplies, they …
Either you’re a teacher who has decided that it’s time to change careers, or you’re just examining your options after a particularly hellish day in the classroom, I have lots of ideas for jobs for former teachers. I have ideas for a former teacher where you will use your teaching skills, like writing lesson plans, …