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Humor
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 …
OTE: This is a comedic article. Thousands of teachers are in need of basic supplies for their classrooms. Please view the list the Teacher Misery followers have contributed to and help if you can. I’ll Tell You What I Want Most teacher wish lists include chart paper, decorative paper for bulletin boards, sticky notes, book …
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. …
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 …
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 …