Tips & Tricks

I am NOT a Super Teacher

Despite the fact that I tell my students that I have Super Sonic hearing, and that I have eyes in the back of my head, I am NOT a Super Teacher! I am simply an educator who is dedicated to her students…. I want my 3rd graders to succeed… I want them to love coming to school… I want them to have fun learning… I want to make a difference in their lives!

However sometimes I feel as if I’m expected to BE a Super Teacher, a feat that might be possible if I did in fact possess super powers. You see every year I feel as if the education system asks me to jump through more hoops, complete more paperwork, repeatedly test my students although many assessments have yet to be checked for validity, and the list goes on and on all with the justification that it’s in the students best interest.

However, what about the Teachers? Who’s going to look out after us? Who’s working hard to make sure that exceptional teachers don’t leave the profession?

Although I may NOT be a Super Teacher, what I lack in powers I certainly make up in heart, drive, and determination.

I love to create…

I love to explore new ideas and teaching strategies…

I am not afraid to be different…

I get bored reading the basal week after week…

I like routine, but not monotony…

I do NOT always stick to the pacing guide (although I try)…

I am not afraid to show my students I love them (even though we’re told to keep our distance)…

I am not afraid to test out different classroom management techniques when I see that pulling cards does not work for me or my kiddos…

Sometimes I go to sleep at night thinking about my student that didn’t quite understand the days lesson…

Many afternoons as I drive home on autopilot, I think of new and interesting ways to teach tough concepts…

I willingly make a fool of myself in front of my children, as long as it means that they’ll remember what I was teaching…

I spend money on snacks, supplies, McDonalds, ice cream, materials, anything that I think will motivate them…

I sell resources I create on Teachers Pay teachers…

I blog about my triumphs and failures (well, honestly I’m too embarrassed to tell you about some of my flops so those I keep between myself and my classroom walls)…

I accept that sometimes my “genius” ideas don’t turn out to be so great after all…

I acknowledge that some of my students fall through the cracks (although I try my best to avoid this)…

I accept that at times although I try desperately to help some of my angels, fate has different plans.

Although I may NOT be a SUPER TEACHER,

I AM a DEDICATED TEACHER…

and that is enough for me!

Written by

Melissa

A third-grade teacher with a passion for creating time-saving classroom resources. She enjoys sharing her attempt to juggle it all... grading papers, lesson planning, student referrals, parent communication, test prep, and so much more all while managing a busy home life with two active teens.