Weekends were made for relaxing, and the creation of summer break was designed to allow students and teachers to recharge. In an effort to follow this philosophy my family and I spent a wonderful day together out in the summer sun. As the temperature hit its peak we decided to head to the pool to cool off. As we slipped into the water we moved to the middle of the pool to find a comfortable spot to "chill out." Moments later, a ball tossed from some frolicking kids landed just past us. A loud mouthed girl came to retrieve the ball and then threw it back to her loud mouthed friend. Not three tosses later the ball came our way again, so we decide to move further away from the action. Our attempt was in vain, because no sooner did we find our new safe spot, then the ball came soaring over the girl's head and hit my wife.
There are many ways to handle this type of situation, but you can always spot a teacher from a mile away. My wife grabbed the ball and glared at the child who was making her way over to retrieve the wayward toy. With ice in her voice she said, "If this ball comes this way one more time, it's mine." The little girl stopped in her tracks, and looked as if her teacher had risen from the depths and now stood before her.
Every teacher has experienced the curse that comes from spending hundreds of days correcting students. We sometimes find ourselves slipping back into that role. For others of us, teaching is who we are, and we don't stop when the school bell rings.
As we hit the middle of our summer break I hope that you are finding time to relax and enjoy life. And if in the course of this enjoyment you should encounter some restless young hooligans, don't be afraid to let them know that school can still be in session.
(Tell me of a time when you slipped into teacher mode in public. Did it go well...or not so well?)
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