Mikey D

I am the first one into school in the mornings, so I usually have the entire building to myself for a good half-hour. It's very peaceful, and as you go through the school it's hard to imagine the chaos that is about to envelope the building in less than two hours. But being in my solitude, I do a lot of good thinking.

Today I got to thinking about my life and school, and how I ended up as a teacher. I know part of the reason I became a teacher is because I like working with kids. I always felt that is my main reason for choosing teaching as a profession, but I have struggled come up with secondary reasons. I mean, do I teach strictly because I "luv da kidz"?

I most certainly don't teach for a lot of the reasons others do...like be a good influence...to make a difference in childrens' lives...and so on and so on. I mean, if that's the byproduct of my teaching, fantastic, but it's not a goal I've set out to achieve (I'm sure I've mentioned that multiple times in previous posts).

So what is a secondary reason for me being a teacher? Today, in the early morning school hours, I got to wondering if it was because I fear change. I've always like routine and the predictable. I like to plan ahead and I like knowing what happens next. The unexpected and surprises are not for me. Perhaps a secondary reason for being a teacher is that I am used to being in a school building, in a classroom, excelling in mathematics, and with a firm understanding of the teaching profession. Maybe that "other" reason I became a teacher is because I knew what to expect out of the career, and I'd be in an environment that was comfortable and predictable.

Just a thought that occurred to me that I felt like putting down.

***

Moving onto something completely different, at the end of the year teachers get some pretty decent "thank you" gifts from students. Today I got a Staples and iTunes gift cards. I mean, they were 10 and 15 bucks apiece, so we're not talking about extravagant gifts here, but you get a few of those bad boys and they start to add up!

So here's my other thought for the day: Can I somehow manipulate my students mind in some way that I could influence the potential gift they buy me at the end of the year?

Here's me out. Next year, before I start every class, I am going to say "Home Depot gift card" and nothing more. I'm just going to move right along into the lesson and not answer any questions from my students about why I keep saying it. Soon, it will become part of the classroom routine...and ingrained in their minds.

And so, when the parents ask their lovelies what to get that teacher Mr. D, they will reply without hesitation, "Home Depot gift card".

What do you think? Perhaps that's the slightest bit wrong of me to do...perhaps =)...but I think it would work.

Maybe I should shoot for something really out there...like a Fisher Price basketball net for my classroom. Awesome.

~Mikey D