Survivor by Destiny’s Child “Thought it would be over by now, but it won’t stop. Thought that I would self-destruct but I’m still here. Even in my years to come, I’m still gon’ be here.”
This is the perfect song to play at both the beginning and the end of that crazy Monday that you thought was going to kill you. You’re a teacher, you’re a survivor. This leads me to number two…
Crazy by Gnarls Barkley “Bless your soul, you really think you’re in control? I think you’re crazy. Just like me.”
Because we are, right? We were crazy the day we decided to become a teacher and even crazier that we’ve stuck with it…and we actually enjoy it! But that doesn’t mean we aren’t…
Stressed Out by Twenty One Pilots “Wish we could turn back time to the good old days, when our mama sang us to sleep…But now we’re stressed out”
I know I can’t speak for everyone, but I think it’s pretty safe to say that being a stressed person is a prerequisite for teaching. I mean, we sign up for it knowing the stress that awaits us, yet here we are…Coffee in hand, a lanyard around our neck, objectives on the board, and ready to teach through the stress. At the end of each day, we know we just have to…
Shake it Off by Taylor Swift “I’m dancin’ on my own, I make the moves up as I go…”
Once upon a time, I had perfectly developed lesson plans all typed out on a fancy little document. We’re talking Pinterest perfect, people. But as pretty as those lesson plans were on paper, that wasn’t always the case in real life. As a teacher, we know that we get side-tracked, and notice opportunities for interventions, and teachable moments outside of the lesson plan. We have to think on our feet. We have to “make the moves up” as we go. We make more minute-by-minute decisions than any profession out there! That’s why we deserve more…
Respect by Aretha Franklin “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”
That’s it. That’s the lyric. Just give the educators in your life some respect. We lose sleep over other people’s children. We celebrate the successes of your struggling teen. We cry when their hearts break as if it were our own. We fight the battles that our students don’t even know they’re fighting. We do all of this in addition to teaching our kids. Because that’s what our students are… our kids. Does that mean they’re always perfect angels? Oh no. That’s when we have to remind them they don’t want…
No Problems by Chance the Rapper “You don’t want no problems, want no problems with me.”
There are just some days that our students have to be reminded that they “don’t want no problems with me.” I set high standards in my classroom and I fully expect my students to reach those standards. When they forget how they’re supposed to act, I push play on another favorite reminder…
Knuck if You Buck by Crime Mob Ok, this one doesn’t seriously make the list…but sometimes…
I’m Still Standing by Elton John “You know I’m still standin’ better than I ever did. Lookin’ like a true survivor, feelin’ like a little kid.”
Even when the days get long, the kids get loud, and my nerves are completely shot, when the school day is over, I’m still standing. Now, sometimes it’s metaphorically as I’m too tired to literally stand…but you get the point. Why do we do it? Why do we stand in front of a class of reluctant learners and do everything we can to engage them in our lessons? Because we love our kids, we love education, and…
The Show Must Go On by Queen “The show must go on, inside my heart is breaking, my makeup may be flaking, but my smile, still, stays on.”
If only parents and students knew just what exactly the heart of a teacher looked like. They would know that between the hours of 8:00 and 3:00, we paint a smile on our faces and let our students believe that the world is picture-perfect. We don’t let them know about the trials we are facing outside of the building. We smile and remind our students that life is hard, but “the show must go on.” Through the struggles, the heartbreak, the tear, and the strife, we show up and we show our students we love them.
Bonus Track:
The Lazy Song by Bruno Mars “Today I don’t feel like doin’ anything…I just wanna lay in my bed.”
And that’s a-okay! When the weekend rolls around, leave those papers in your bag, turn off your email notifcations and crank up the volume on that cliche Lifetime Christmas movie. You deserve it.
taking back teaching 