Apparently, they don’t teach email etiquette in school because teachers get emails every day from students and parents that are shockingly rude. While I would think that how to email a teacher would be common sense, there are basic aspects of this that many people don’t seem to know, such as starting with a greeting. …
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.
Imagine what a traditional parent teacher conference was like 30 years ago. The child’s teacher would discuss what goes on during the school day, the child’s performance in academics and behavior, how the child interacts with others, grade level expectations, the child’s strengths, etc. But these days, parent teacher conferences are much less predictable. The …
Professional development is defined as “a variety of specialized training, formal education, or advanced professional learning intended to help teachers improve their professional knowledge, competence, skill, and effectiveness.” I honestly don’t think most teachers would have a problem going to these trainings if we actually learned something from them. Instead, they are almost always a …
I never taught an AP class, mostly because of the workload. Your average AP student is going to turn in every major assignment, and in AP English class, that would mean a ton of essays to grade. I never would have thought that kids would write funny wrong answers on their AP exams, mostly because …
Do you need to know how to write a resignation letter for teaching? You’ve had it with being a teacher. You’re done. Maybe you’ll try another school or district, or perhaps you never want to be within fifty miles of a school again. Both are understandable. However, you’ll need to write an official letter of …
After I quit teaching, I had to send my husband to school to pick up my “belongings.” It’s shocking to see how much stuff I had in my classroom; it’s way more than I thought. But it’s 17 years’ worth of “stuff,” and most of these objects and papers hold an enormous amount of emotional …
One of my favorite parts of teaching is the ridiculous excuses that students and parents try to throw at me. Sometimes they are so detailed and specific that I wish they would tell me less or just lie to me altogether. During a normal school year, students try to use excuses to leave early, not …
NOTE: This story is from my first year of teaching, which was in 2006. At that time, “furries” was not a concept that was widely known. (I’m not sure that it is now, but believe it or not, I still get some comments that ridicule me for not knowing things like that.) Pansexual was also …
A Difficult Job Gets Even Harder So much about what and how teachers can teach kids is under tight control, including what is on school library shelves and classroom shelves. The curriculum in most school districts is practically scripted, which goes against the reason most people become teachers in the first place. A huge aspect …
Happy Kindergarten Teacher Needs Living Wage “Sally” happily worked for Detroit Public Schools as a kindergarten teacher for many years. Many schools in the district were closed or taken over by a state-appointed Emergency Manager (the same man responsible for the Flint water crisis), and eventually, the entire district was rebranded from DPS (Detroit Public …
I suppose every generation thinks the next one is moving too fast with their sexuality. When I was in middle school in the mid-’90s, we were just getting into making out, and the few kids who did more than that were anomalies (or heroes, to some). Sex was something you experimented with in your later …
I know I complain about students a lot but yeah, there are some good kids. There are wonderful, sensitive, thoughtful, kind kids who give me back a bit of faith in humanity. Unfortunately, in my experience, these kids are way too hard on themselves. While teachers are doing everything they can think of to get …