Once a teacher, Always a teacher

Two years into retirement I am still as coping with the physical detritus of 36 years of teaching: papers, lesson plans, tests and student-work. (Hint to teachers – scan, save, then toss!!!!) As I skimmed each document deciding to scan and save or trash, I found myself actually reading many and being amazed at the variety of assignments I have created. I have become impressed with my creativity.

Two years into retirement I am still as coping with the physical detritus of 36 years of teaching: papers, lesson plans, tests and student-work. (Hint to teachers – scan, save, then toss!!!!) As I skimmed each document deciding to scan and save or trash, I found myself actually reading many and being amazed at the variety of assignments I have created. I have become impressed with my creativity.

Over the decades, my students were required to stretch their capabilities and imaginations as they completed the following:

·       To facilitate their comprehension of the idea that “ubiquitous” and “diversity” are corollaries, each student was given an assortment of pebbles and asked to explain how each pebble reflected a person in the class.

·       As a characterization exercise, students had to match a character to one aisle in the grocery store.

·        In Hamlet, Ophelia gives “flowers” to others. To understand the concept of Flower Language,” create a bouquet of 12 blossoms given from a television show character to a movie character.

·       Give a speech on the similarities and differences between how you celebrated your 16^th birthday and how one of your grandparents celebrated theirs.

·       Explain how your day is normal.

·       Rationalize why you have watched one movie or listened to one song more than 20 times.

·       What movie will be the first you watch with your own child?

·       Using the first 20 songs in your player, create the Soundtrack of your Life.

·       Squander $20 million. Your grade will reflect how closely you adhere to the definition of “squander.”

·      Explain how each astrological sign applies to a character from the novel you read.

·       Finding Motifs: create an “Everything I Need to Know to Succeed I Learned From…” poster based on the work we just completed.

·       What television show would you like to include you as a character?

Those are a sampling of what I have found. A task I anticipated taking a week or so is now in its second year. I am having a really good time enjoying an ego-trip centering on an array of imaginative assignments.

I still have that vibe going on in my head. I read a passage in a book, hear a song lyric, look at a photo and an assignment pops into my head. It pleases that the ideas still flow.

You can take a teacher out of the classroom, but you can’t take the classroom out of a teacher!