We all have our days.  Good days. Bad days. Days that sparkle and shine. Days that you would rather forget.  But putting all extremes aside, what kind of teacher are you? To some, building relationships is the primary goal, while others prefer to focus on academics.  Administrators and Politicians have joined forces to make academics a focus, while pushing a relationship agenda. It sounds good, but in essence it is just pushing more responsibilities onto the shoulders of the classroom teacher.

The majority of teachers chose the profession because they love children and love teaching them. Teachers are, by their very nature, nurturing and maternal.  This doesn't mean that we love all the kids that pass through our classes. There are some that try our patience. Every single day. And, there are those that are easy to love. And, there are those that break your heart.  Unfortunately, some of the demands and the extended responsibilities make it difficult for a teacher to have time to build meaningful relationships. We get caught up in the push and shove of testing, meetings, and paperwork. We find ourselves stretched beyond our breaking point. We have no energy left over for forming lasting relationships with every student.

Speaking from experience, there were days that passed in such a blur that I found myself at the end of the day, wondering where the day had gone and moaning over the stack of work left to do. I didn't have time to finish what had to be done so I let my relationships suffer. I just wanted to finish what I had to finish and go home.  Those days robbed me of the joy of teaching. Some years were better than others. Some were pure torture. I just muddled through a day at a time. We've all been there. It is hard to admit that we are human and just can't always come shining through like a hero.

So, what kind of teacher are you? What kind of teacher do you want to be? I wish I had put my stress and sense of responsibility aside more frequently so that I could have spent more time getting to know my kids. When I see them now as adults, I wonder what are their memories of me?  Do they remember the laughter or the stressed out teacher with too much to do and too little time? Do they remember me as someone who cared? Did they even know how much I cared about what they learned, as well as, what they felt?

Academics and relationships are both important. You just need to find a balance between the two. Not easy to do in the current educational environment, but something that you won't regret.


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This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on June 5, 2015. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at kimberlyfrencken@gmail.com

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They are so cute. It would be just like playing all day.  They say such adorable things. They are precious. They are so tiny. That is until you are left alone in a room of 28 of them. Then they aren't so cute.  They are exhausting. At first, the charm hadn't worn off, but after the first 20 minutes, I found myself in 'no man's land'.  "No, my mom didn't come with me today."  "Yes, I'm older than 10."  "Don't put that in your mouth."  You get the picture. Chaos. Charming, but still chaos. An on-looker would have (and should have) laughed. I was way out of my league. I thought teaching public school for over 20 years had prepared me for this. I thought the only qualification you needed was loving kids. I was wrong. Nothing prepares you for kindergarten!

First, I need to apologize to my kindergarten teacher and her family. I was incorrigible. I confess, that I didn't drink my milk. I poured it down the drain, and yes, I marked on another student.  I did not sleep during nap time. I did try to tell you how to do your job. I did talk. Constantly. But, hey! I was cute. I could tie my shoes. I loved the snack time cookies. I was social. This older me couldn't have handled the younger me. Now, I know why my mom has gray hair. Sorry, Mom!

Come to think of it, any primary grade is exhausting. Being a teacher does not qualify you to be in a room full of little humans under the age of seven. Being a mother doesn't qualify you. Being a warm, breathing being doesn't qualify you. I am convinced that it takes special qualifications (of which, I do not possess) to face this ordeal day in and day out.  And, they look so happy. Every primary teacher (well, almost) that I have encountered has that Perpetual Smile on her face. They just ooze happiness. I think they drink sugar instead of coffee in the morning. They are also perky, cute (to match the little people), and love to sing. Did I mention that I hate to sing. Singing is not my thing, although I do a lot of it in my car and sound remarkably like Adele.  Speaking of singing... I'm going to sing myself to sleep. I could sure use a nap after today!

Have an awesome week-end!

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This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on June 5, 2015. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at kimberlyfrencken@gmail.com

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You might be a teacher if you correct grammar on texts. I resisted texting for years. I hated texting. I could not text.  For one thing I was soooooo slow. It took a long time to spell out every word and then go back and correct the auto-correct.

Have you ever corrected kids screaming and throwing  a tantrum at the store?  What about the child that insists on bouncing his basketball inside the grocery store?  Yep, I said something. Just couldn't stop myself. And, of course the parent made excuses for her son. He had trouble listening and following instructions. She knew the grocery store wasn't the best place to play basketball, but he was just a kid (only 13 or 14 years old) and he just had a little trouble with discipline. Whatever.  I would call this enabling.

Do you alphabetize the items in your pantry?  I haven't gone that far, but my pantry is organized AND the items in my freezer are alphabetized. Sounds a little OCD (and probably is), but it really helps speed up the dinner process. Especially on crazy, busy school nights!

Do you use callbacks with your spouse?  I haven't gone that far (in fact, I resist using call backs anywhere), but I have used my "freeze!" phrase on my husband. I found that using the word "freeze" worked wonders with my students. When I said freeze, they would stop what they were doing and wait for further instructions. I can't say that my husband was as receptive. Stunned would be a better word for his reaction.

Do you tell people to use an inside voice? Sometimes I want to tell loud, obnoxious people to lower it a notch, but I don't.  Unless... they are interrupting the movie or causing a major disruption in a restaurant.


No matter where I am or what I'm doing. I just can't seem to leave the teacher in me at school. I'l bet you can't either.

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Privacy Policy

This blog does not share personal information with third parties nor do I store any information about your visit to this blog other than to analyze and optimize your content and reading experience through the use of cookies. You can turn off the use of cookies at anytime by changing your specific browser settings. I am not responsible for republished content from this blog on other blogs or websites without my permission. This privacy policy is subject to change without notice and was last updated on June 5, 2015. If you have any questions feel free to contact me directly at kimberlyfrencken@gmail.com

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Two years ago I made a difficult decision to leave public school. Not sure what I wanted to do, except do something in education.  I ended up in private education with time on my hands (something that I hadn't had for over 20 years) and a good friend with an idea. She encouraged me to put my lessons and ideas on a teacher's site that she frequented, Teacher's Pay Teachers. Fast forward and I have my store,  less time on my hands, busier than I've ever been.  My store is growing. Slowly. Too slowly for me, but I am learning patience.  The main thing about this journey is that I am having fun! I find the feedback rewarding, especially when I find that something I created has been helpful. And, that is the push behind my passion. I want to create lessons that are helpful. I remember how little time I had when I taught public school full time. I remember how precious my home time was, but how important it was  to find good lessons that would reach my students and motivate them. My goal is to provide challenging, engaging lessons that are teacher-friendly and affordable.  Reading is also my passion, as is non-fiction. So.... most of my resources are informational text resources that (I hope) are high interest!

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Chocolate 4 Teachers