Heartfelt and Hilarious Moments from 20+ Years of Teaching
Over the 20+ years I have been teaching, I’ve gathered so many stories about students. Sometimes I wish I had written them all down — I could have published a book by now. Kids are so nonchalant when they say things that make me laugh. They have this way of standing in their truth that we sometimes lose as adults. I thought this would be a great place to share some of those stories.
One of my earliest memories of teaching in the UK was at a school in East London. The headteacher was Canadian. I was supply teaching in a Learning Disabilities classroom — maybe for a week or so. The class was a junior one, with students around grade 3 and 4 age.
That week, there were two budding romances in the room. This meant that at recess, the boys and girls were playing together and calling each other their boyfriend or girlfriend. A couple of days into these relationships, one of the girls came in from recess absolutely devastated. She was inconsolable. She sat in a corner and refused to do any work because her boyfriend had broken up with her.
Now remember, I was fresh out of teachers’ college and still learning how to handle each new situation. I tried talking to her and giving her some space. She eventually settled down, and I sent her outside for the second recess. At this time, I decided to speak to the boy to see if I could support them both somehow.
I remember standing in the doorway leading to the playground with this 9-year-old. I asked him what was going on — why he had suddenly changed his mind about the girl. His response is one I will never forget. With his hands behind his back, head down, and one leg moving back and forth, he looked very forlorn. Then, in a VERY serious tone, he said, “I have nothing to offer her.”
I had to stop myself from bursting into laughter. He was 9 years old! I stood with him and we talked about all the things he could offer. But if I remember correctly, everyone had moved on by the end of that recess — as kids do. Still, I will never forget the look on his face and the tone in his voice.
Another one of my favourite stories that still makes me laugh to this day is a recent one. I was teaching a split grade 3/4 class again. One of the students was the sibling of a former student I had taught for a long time.
During the first week of school, as he was walking past me, I casually asked him how his sister was doing. He replied, very matter-of-factly, “She has puberty,” and kept walking. Not exactly the answer I was expecting — and I still laugh thinking about it. I mean, it does answer the question!
I can’t fit all the stories into one blog post so I will continue with this series in months to come. If you have some great stories, send them my way! I would love to post these stories that give us joy!
