A Teacher's Journal 21: Nanny 911 to the Rescue!

Every morning at 7:00, 27 students with different interests and abilities step into my world. From 7:00 until 9:40, it is my responsibility to keep all of them motivated, interested -- and learning! Sometimes the lessons that I've planned are a great hit, keeping everyone engaged for 30 or 40 minutes straight. Of course that means I still have two more hours to fill, but anytime one activity "works," I feel pretty successful because I know that my students are enjoying themselves and exploring the world at the same time.

Sometimes the lessons that I plan flop miserably and I have to make changes on the fly to keep chaos at bay. It's an uncomfortable feeling when this happens, that's for sure. I draw from twelve years of hard-earned experience to make it through these moments. Sometimes I can make small changes to the existing activity to make it more meaningful and entertaining. Other times, I have to scrap the entire task and design something new on the spot that might -- or might not -- work. Either way, there are 27 sets of eyes staring at me during this "rain delay" and if I don't work quickly, my classroom can spiral out of control.

I get a five-minute break at 9:40 as classes are changing. Generally, I use that time to sprint to the bathroom and to grab a Coke. Then, it's back to my classroom -- and a second group of students complete with different interests, abilities and needs that are my responsibility until 12:35!

Any teacher will tell you that working with students is the best part of our jobs. We love the connections that we develop with our students, we love the creativity that goes into our daily work, and we love the content that we teach. Watching children discover and grow is almost magical, and knowing that we are a part of that magic is humbling.

But it can also be overwhelming and exhausting too! Teachers work alone, knowing that they are responsible for everything that happens during their class period. They make thousands of split-second decisions and handle hundreds of different challenges every single day. Meeting the individual academic and social needs of incredibly diverse young people for hours on end takes a measure of patience, skill and workplace stamina that few other professions require.

There is no surrendering for classroom teachers -- and no Nanny 911 coming to the rescue!