10 Things Your Teacher Wants for Teacher Appreciation Week

This week is teacher appreciation week! I treated myself to a much needed pedicure to show myself some appreciation, and my school’s administrators are treating teachers to lunch tomorrow. For me, that’s more than enough. I have thought more about planning out the rest of the year than worrying about just how much I am appreciated this week.

Today I had one of my favorite administrators in my classroom, and he asked my students what they had done to show their appreciate of me during the holiday week. They were surprised to hear that it was teacher appreciation week, and wondered why I hadn’t told them so they could appreciate me appropriately. I joked that it wasn’t my style to demand their appreciation, but they encouraged me to tell them what I wanted. This post was born from that request.

10 Things Your Teacher REALLY Wants for Teacher Appreciation Week

1. Happy Students
I love when my students come into class and greet me with a, “Hi, Mrs. McNally” and a smile. Please say hello and be happy!

2. Engaged Students
I work hard to come up with lessons to enhance your knowledge and skills. Participate in the lessons all week, and give me your undivided attention.

3. Compassionate Students
Be nice to one another. I like you all and you all should like one another.

4. Funny Students
If you can follow all my above requests and make me laugh, you will have the happiest English teacher in the world!

5. Food
Gifts of food are delightful at all times of the year. Tacos are appropriate for teacher appreciation week as it coincides with Cinco de Mayo.

6.  A Parade
I would love a parade worthy of a Super Bowl winner or Stanley Cup champion. Some of the things I get you students to do, trust me. I deserve it!

7. A Massage
Not from you. A gift certificate will do. Grading is stressful!

8. Food
You all know how rough lunch C gets. I’m starving! Better bring buffalo chicken dip to go with the tacos.

9. Jewelry
Back to the Super Bowl and Stanley Cup… don’t they get rings? Yeah, I’m thinking a big ring will do just fine.

10. A Thank You
Sometimes a kind word is plenty.

 

I kid, I kid. I don’t need food, a massage or jewelry to know my students love me and appreciate me.

 

Saying thank you to your favorite teacher is a great way to show your appreciation. If you’re still in class with that teacher, greet him with a smile, be nice to your classmates, and work hard while you’re in class to really show you care.

Welcome, Students!

 

Break Into Blogging

Students,

I’m so excited to introduce you to my blog! I have been anxiously anticipating introducing blogs to our classroom activities. Instead of writing an old school persuasive essay, we will be using lots of persuasive methods in our blogs to practice writing every day. I will be writing along with all of you, and I am so excited to see how we grow as we explore many topics and interests. This is a great way to show off our hard work and excellent writing skills in a modern and 21st century way.

Your first blogging assignment is to set up your blog. If you’re seeing this post, you’re already checking out my page. Explore my blog as an example of what you can do. Click all around, and I’m sure you will find some examples of work you and your classmates have already done this year. You may even see your own picture! You should upload an avatar picture and create an “About Me” page like I have. Be sure to follow safe online procedures we spoke about in class and do not share too much personal information. I want to see YOU shine through your blog. Consider creating a theme or  making your blog customized toward your interests. You can check out the “learn more about getting started” link at the top, right hand side of your dashboard for some guidance. Don’t forget about the “help” tab in the top right hand corner of the page for additional assistance. I encourage you to explore and find your own way of setting up your blog which is unique to you. You will learn and connect more when you problem solve and figure it out on your own. Once you have the basics figured out and you have your blog set up, move on to your first post.

Your First Post

We just finished reading The Book Thief, and I want to know what you think. Please write an academic book review of the novel.

My tip? Use persuasion! Why should your reader pick up this book immediately, or why should they avoid this book forever?

Don’t forget to add a picture and proofread your work! Spelling and grammar always count, just like any assignment you would be turning in traditionally. When blogging, you should pay special attention to having a well written post since so many people can see your work. You can always save a draft of your post so you can revisit later and revise before you actually publish.

Here are some websites that can offer you tips on what to include in your review and give you a good example of an academic book review.

http://writingcenter.unc.edu/handouts/book-reviews/

http://101books.net/2013/04/17/book-55-the-sun-also-rises/

To start your first blog post, you will click “Posts” on your dashboard and then “Add New.”

My name is Stacy, and I’m more than a teacher.

What happens to teachers after the last bell of the day rings? Do we crawl into a coffin hidden in the front of the room, sleep through the afternoon and evening, and rise again with the morning sun to teach once more? Do we travel hours away from our school to live in a remote community alone and far from students? Oh, I know! We  go home, lock the door, and never leave again.

Last week I made a pit stop at the bank before heading home. Shortly after beginning my transaction, one of my students got in line behind me. I didn’t notice him right away but when the teller called me by my first name, he spoke up.

“I’m going to start calling you Stacy,” the student announced.

I was a bit caught off guard and I wasn’t sure what to say at first. I always try to be relateable to my students. As a coach, my players all knew that my name is Stacy and often would refer to me as Coach Stacy. I use twitter with my students and my first name is clearly seen there. But for this student, my first name was a mystery. It seemed that when he learned my first name, I became more than Mrs. McNally. I became relateable to this student as a person outside of my classroom.

How did I miss this student? How have I not made a connection with him outside of the walls of my classroom? Why was he so shocked to see me beyond JMHS? I know about his life. I know where he works, his educational history, his work habits, his writing styles. I know the type of music I can find on his iPhone and the friends he talks with at lunch. I know where he prefers to sit in class and even his favorite way to eat chicken nuggets. I was successful in getting to know this student, and I’m confident he can tell you about Mrs. McNally. But last week at the bank was the first time he met Stacy.

Stacy and Mrs. McNally have a lot of the same characteristics, but they’re different too. We are both outgoing and outspoken. We both love to laugh and have a good time. Mrs. McNally and Stacy both like to dress up and look nice, but Stacy is much more likely to be in a volleyball t-shirt and sweat pants than Mrs. McNally’s typical heels and dress clothes. Mrs. McNally wakes up at 5am each day to have herself ready for work and to take the boys to daycare. Stacy can sleep in and lounge in bed all weekend with a good book. Mrs. McNally’s classroom is decorated in zebra and bright colors. Stacy’s home is more reserved and favors a country decor.

Some teachers may believe they need to keep their school persona and their personal life separated. I understand the need to keep my personal life personal, but I need to merge my two different people into one person in the classroom. It’s okay to let your students see a little more of the real you within your room. They can know you shop at the local Kroger and bank at the same place as they do. Our students will connect with us and work harder for us once they see that we are more than teachers. We are mothers, we are little league coaches, we love the same things as they do, we both order the same burger at the same burger joint, and we even know all the words to their favorite song. We can connect with our students on a fundamental level as people and still maintain the professionalism we all need to have by letting our walls down just a little. Let your students see the you behind the teacher, and I think you will see your connections become more meaningful.

 

I’m going to give it a shot! Let’s see if Stacy and Mrs. McNally can coexist in New Wing 2 South and form one really amazing person.