Apparently, Summer Is Over #TeacherProblems

Apparently, summer is over. I mean, it is over for me. As I type this, I am procrastinating going to bed, knowing in a few short hours my alarm will be waking me up for my first day back to school for the 16th straight year.

In remembrance of this summer–which ended much too soon–I made some funny memes so at least we can laugh about having to go back to the long hours of endless paperwork and lesson planning. Hope this helps ease you back into your school year!

I am simply not ready! 

(But I never am. Maybe a year off might help me get caught up on summer projects.)

I know I should be happy I have a job. Getting fresh paint (and new carpet this year, too) may have caused me extra work, but I am truly thankful for my job and the wonderful people who work on it all summer.

Sadly, it takes me a long time to get it back in order.

I wish this were the case. :(

Seriously, how do our feet get out of shape so quickly in the summer?

Let's add HOARD ALL the school supplies, too!

Admit it, you've felt this way a time or two.

I hope you all DO have a great year!

How To Spend Your Extra Hour This Weekend

I love getting an extra hour in the fall; it comes at the perfect time when I always feel so far behind at school and need an extra 60 minutes to grade or plan lessons.

But this year I decided I'm going to devote an extra hour just for myself to read a book. Of course, as I sat up late last night reading Insurgent by Veronica Roth–the second book in the Divergent trilogy–I wished I could have an extra hour every single day just to read. (I've been dying to read the final book, Allegiant, but hadn't made the time to read Insurgent.)

It made me wonder... Why do English teachers–the ones who stereotypically love to read literature the most–have the least amount of time to read? Case in point: the day I received Allegiant in the mail I lent it to one of my students knowing I wouldn't be able to read it yet. That same day one of our science teachers came in to my classroom at the end of the day to borrow a copy of Divergent (the first book in Roth's trilogy). Then he came back the next day and said, "OK, I need book two." What!? How did he have time to read an entire book in less than a day? And guess how long it took him to read Insurgent? Yep, less than a day. So he basically finished the entire trilogy in three days. Three school days, mind you.

Wanna know how I spent those three school days and nights? Skimming student responses to the novels we are reading in class, reading and offering suggestions for college application essays for some of my seniors, entering grades into our school's online grading application, uploading my online journal questions, typing up new bell-ringers for the week, and writing test questions for the novels we finished up in class last week. None of which I'd rather do than read.

So last night and today, my friends, I am going to READ. For pleasure. And the papers that need graded this weekend will have to wait one more day. Sorry kids.

So how will YOU spend your extra hour? 

Share in the comments below.

What are you reading, by the way? Share that, too!

Test Time #TeacherProblems

Hey kids...it's called READING. Pick up a book and try it sometime. :)

Do these images look (or sound) familiar?


There's nothing worse than a student who never pays attention in class, doesn't read the book, doesn't take notes or study for the test, then complains that the test is too hard or they didn't have time to study or it's the teacher's fault they fail.

This goes out to all those teachers who've had to deal with unmotivated and irresponsible students. I feel your pain!

#TeacherProblems Humorous Memes Unite Teachers

It's that time of year: parent/teacher conferences are coming up, first quarter grades are due, students are taking fall standardized assessments, and teachers are stressed out! We have so much to do but little time to do it. Our work weeks exceed 50 hours (are probably more like 60-hour weeks) and even though we KNOW this is the trade-off for getting a summer vacation, it's still stressful and frustrating.

To help relieve tension, many teachers turn to humor, making light of the stress with funny memes. It's one way to help us feel united, as though we aren't the only one who is frazzled and exhausted after just six weeks into the new school year. #TeacherProblems is there to let you know you are NOT alone.

But for good measure (and because it's too easy to focus on the negative and neglect the positive), tomorrow I will post about the GREAT things about teaching and what #MakesMyDay!

Tomorrow's Post: What #MakesMyDay as a Teacher

For more teacher humor, visit the following links:
• Classroom Humor on Pinterest
• #TeacherProblems on Twitter
• #TeacherProblems on Pinterest (Let me know if you would like to be added to this group board by leaving your Pinterest link in the comments.)