Things That I've Learned

In light of the end of the first semester and beginning of the second semester, here are TEN things that I've had learned these last four months (but don't worry, I've learned more than this.... these are just the fun ones).

1. Always hole punch the handouts that you give. There's a 99% chance the students will NOT have a hole punch, there is a 99% chance that mine will get stolen if I give it out so, therefore, life will be eaiser for all if I hole punch the handouts myself.

2. Always make sure that the pencil sharpener is emptied- pretty much on a daily basis.

3. Be careful when calling on students who hold a pencil up when raising their hand. Most likely they don't want to answer the question, they just want to sharpen their pencil.

4. Always make WAY too many copies. Too much is much better than too little.

5. Never underestimate the mind of a seventh grader. They may pull something on you that will pretty much make you dissolve in laughter and end the lesson right there and then.

6. Boys will probably always play with those little fingerboards in seventh and eighth grade. They did when I was a seventh and eighth grader, they still will when my kids are seventh and eighth graders.

7. You can get yourself a lot of street cred with seventh graders by showing the collection of fingerboards that you've collected from the eighth graders...

8. A look of death can go a long, long way....

9. Practice makes perfect so PRACTICE not smiling, no matter what an eighth grader says about the sexual orientation of Chester A. Arthur ("no straight man is named Chester")

and finally.....

10. Learn to not flinch despite how bizarre a student's haircut might be.... how much cracking a seventh grader's voice might experience..... how ridiculous a girl's outfit may be...... and especially what their hair looks like after they show up in your class after P.E. and/or a very windy day.