Posts Tagged “middle school”

A class of teachers

One of the things I do to keep me amused during the summer break is attend a water aerobics class. I was mildly surprised to see how many other teachers used this particular class to liven up their break as well. Approximately 80% of the class are a mix of Elementary, Middle School and High School teachers, including the instructor for the class. She is a middle school PE teacher. Perhaps this is why she remains unruffled by the behavior of her students.

Teachers have to be the worst students to instruct. The talking is non-stop. This is not really an exercise class, more a wonderful time to catch up on all those family and life type conversations you can’t have during the school year. “Is your daughter home for the summer from college?” “Are you planning a big vacation?” “How are your kids’ 4H projects coming along?” “Did your road finally get blacktopped?” Oh, the variety of conversations is unconstrained. I have learned new dessert recipes, discussed world events and been asked to volunteer at 4H judging; all while flailing milk jugs over my head to work my triceps.

Of course, it’s not just talking; the talking out of turn or talking back is rampant as well. Remarks are made intermittently to the instructor throughout the class. “Good lord, what did YOU eat last night that WE are paying for this morning?!” “Hey, let me guess, Jumping Jacks are next, right?!” “If we pay more for the class, can we do less?” These outbursts are interspersed with: “Uh, what did she say? What are we supposed to be doing? I wasn’t paying attention.” “Whoops, I missed that last “GO” part!” “How do we do that one again?” There is giggling, laughing, catcalls across the pool , and commonplace unruliness. Before you know it though, the hour is up and we are all on our way. Funny, we all hear her when she says, “That’s it!”

It’s a good thing our students don’t attend this class, if they saw how we behaved, we would never get them under control!

Homeroom® Teacher’s Blog is pleased to introduce you to Franki, our new contributing blogger.
In her own words:

“My name is Francesca Hutchins-Huff, Franki to my friends. I didn’t grow up with the desire to be a teacher. In a way, it happened by default. In my previous professional life I was a consultant for Texaco Refinery, teaching interpersonal skills to a diverse, international group of people. During a period of down-sizing, I went from there to working with the senior population, assisting them in understanding their medical benefits under the latest Medicare system, advising on living trusts, and most importantly, how to take their medical care into their own hands. Although this job was rewarding, there was no room for advancement. At the time I decided I would take some classes until something better came along. It did. I just didn’t know it at the time. I decided that I wanted to work with children. I took a leap of faith and I didn’t look back. 

For the past 4 years I have been teaching 1st and 3rd grades as well as middle school in Long Beach, California, and Las Vegas, Nevada.  Since I began teaching, I got married, relocated to Ohio, and became a step-mom. Learning how to be a mother has been its own rewarding challenge. When I moved I also became a private tutor. Although classroom teaching and tutoring may seem very different, I could not say one has been more rewarding than the other, they are just different. Each day that I work in education I learn as much, if not more, from my students as they learn from me. The experience and the knowledge I gain from life, teaching and my interactions with others inside the classroom or out are an invaluable gift to me. As my grandfather used to say “If you don’t learn something new every day of your life, you might as well cash in your chips and go home because you just wasted a day.” That is my motto exactly.

I look forward to sharing my thoughts, insights and experiences in teaching and I look forward to hearing from you”

Great Gifts for Teachers