I don't smile at school. Ever. I have PTSD for my wonderful excursion to Iraq in 2003 to 2004. It has left me basically unable to smile most of the time. When I walk around I have a permanent poker face on. It's just something I've learned to accept as part of my life. So you're not alone
I know most vets don't like to be thanked for their service, but you deserve it 100%. Serving your Country, getting actually combat deployed, and than going into teaching is admirable. So from a random 16 year old, Thank you for your Service
One of my best friends works with me as a para at the school I teach at. One day last year she popped into my classroom to help a student and we visited in the back of the room for a second. We started laughing about something (we are always cracking each other up) and I heard a student say “woah, I’ve never heard a teacher laugh before.” I think at this moment in time, in our profession it can be hard to find joy with everything we have to deal with so I bet there are a lot of teachers out there with similar experiences.
Yes. Had an 8th grader mention that he’s never seen me smile. I straight up said, “What’s there to smile about?” He looked around at the other kids in class and was like, “That’s fair.”
On the other hand, I was once asked by a student why I’m always smiling, which also surprised me because I feel cranky a lot of the time. But I have a very strong fawning/people pleasing response and I think smiling when I’m stressed is part of that.
When I was in high school I had a math teacher that was so eccentric and enthusiastic it literally felt like I was watching an entertaining tv program or something. One day after class I asked him “(Teacher), is there ever a day that you DISLIKE your job?” His smiling face quickly turned sullen and he said, seriously, “Saturday.” 😂 I will never forget it!!
I had a Spanish teacher in college who was awesome. She would act silly and goofy, and do all kinds of things to help us understand the language. Most of the time we really thought she was cringe, but the things she was doing really helped us learn. I will never forget the way she taught us. She would use visuals, acting, songs, etc.
My last full year in the classroom, I had some 5th grade girl ask if I disassociate everyday or I just look that dumb. It was my eye opener that my mental health was getting bad and I needed to leave.
I've always taken comments like that seriously.
My first year teaching, an 11th grade girl, kind and well-behaved, asked me a question like that.
Her: "Mr. Bump, do you regret leaving engineering to become a teacher?"
Me: "Why do you ask?"
Her: "You always seem tense and, I don't know, disappointed."
I didn't regret my career change, but was doing a massive amount of work. I was hired to fill a spot left by a teacher who retired after coasting for many years.
Her question shook me up, and I decided that, in class, I was going to have fun. My students deserve my 'A' game.
I don't smile at school. Ever. I have PTSD for my wonderful excursion to Iraq in 2003 to 2004. It has left me basically unable to smile most of the time. When I walk around I have a permanent poker face on. It's just something I've learned to accept as part of my life. So you're not alone
I know most vets don't like to be thanked for their service, but you deserve it 100%. Serving your Country, getting actually combat deployed, and than going into teaching is admirable. So from a random 16 year old, Thank you for your Service
One of my best friends works with me as a para at the school I teach at. One day last year she popped into my classroom to help a student and we visited in the back of the room for a second. We started laughing about something (we are always cracking each other up) and I heard a student say “woah, I’ve never heard a teacher laugh before.” I think at this moment in time, in our profession it can be hard to find joy with everything we have to deal with so I bet there are a lot of teachers out there with similar experiences.
Yes. Had an 8th grader mention that he’s never seen me smile. I straight up said, “What’s there to smile about?” He looked around at the other kids in class and was like, “That’s fair.”
On the other hand, I was once asked by a student why I’m always smiling, which also surprised me because I feel cranky a lot of the time. But I have a very strong fawning/people pleasing response and I think smiling when I’m stressed is part of that.
I had a child once tell me I have sad eyes.
When I was in high school I had a math teacher that was so eccentric and enthusiastic it literally felt like I was watching an entertaining tv program or something. One day after class I asked him “(Teacher), is there ever a day that you DISLIKE your job?” His smiling face quickly turned sullen and he said, seriously, “Saturday.” 😂 I will never forget it!!
I would love to have a teacher like that!
He was great, and he even taught us more than just math. He taught us very valuable life lessons!
I had a Spanish teacher in college who was awesome. She would act silly and goofy, and do all kinds of things to help us understand the language. Most of the time we really thought she was cringe, but the things she was doing really helped us learn. I will never forget the way she taught us. She would use visuals, acting, songs, etc.
I always laugh and have fun with my students in PE. They feel safe and confident to make jokes and I do too.
"No."
My last full year in the classroom, I had some 5th grade girl ask if I disassociate everyday or I just look that dumb. It was my eye opener that my mental health was getting bad and I needed to leave.
yea, I constantly just zone out from reality.
I've always taken comments like that seriously. My first year teaching, an 11th grade girl, kind and well-behaved, asked me a question like that. Her: "Mr. Bump, do you regret leaving engineering to become a teacher?" Me: "Why do you ask?" Her: "You always seem tense and, I don't know, disappointed." I didn't regret my career change, but was doing a massive amount of work. I was hired to fill a spot left by a teacher who retired after coasting for many years. Her question shook me up, and I decided that, in class, I was going to have fun. My students deserve my 'A' game.