As I was planning my upcoming spring break(3 weeks from now), I noticed some very unusual things on my Spring Break Bucket List. That made me begin thinking about how teachers are definitely a breed of our own for so many reasons.  Today, I think I will share my quirky teacher habits in Jeff Foxworthy fashion.

You Might Be Teacher If:

1. You get excited when you can go to the bathroom any time you want!  Let’s face it, teachers are on a bathroom schedule. Those students of our cannot be left alone, so we get to go to the bathroom on a schedule. For me, those times are 7:45 a.m., 11:20 a.m., and 2:40 p.m.  If I ever have to go to the bathroom in between times, forget about it. I can’t.

 

 

• One day of your spring break is filled with all the doctors’ appointments that you cannot fit in during regular school weeks. We teachers keep crazy hours and have so many meetings after school that we often cannot get in to see a doctor. If you plan well, you can probably see 4 doctors in one day over spring break!

 

 

 

• You plan at least one lunch with your teacher friends at a real restaurant during vacation from school. During school, teachers are lucky to get 20 minutes to eat. Sometimes teachers have to supervise children with disgusting eating habits while trying to consume their own lunch. Eating out with our friends over spring break makes us feel human! We can eat slowly, talk lots, and ignore everyone else around us. Ah, the bliss!!

 

 

 

• You get excited to read a book just for fun…and not a children’s book. Oh, it’s so nice to meet you, Beth Moore and Ted Dekker! Oh look….there’s James Patterson, too! I’ve missed you all so much!

 

 

 

• You avoid Wal-Mart and Target in July because you might see school supplies WAY TOO SOON!!! Enough said.

 

 

 

• You geek out over fun office supplies such as colorful pens, cute post-it note holders, and Post-It filing tabs! I personally have enough colored pens to last a lifetime…but that won’t stop me from buying more!

 

 

 

• You have one wardrobe that you don’t mind getting paint, chalk, or slightly snotty fingerprints on….and another wardrobe that you wear out with “grown ups.” Let’s face it, there are lots of gooey things involved in teaching elementary students. Dress for success.

 

 

 

• You view every empty jar or plastic container as a future art project or storage solution. I can’t throw away a nice plastic lunch meat container or those cool plastic containers that Crystal Lite comes in! Oh, and don’t get me started on those large cool whip containers! I love those!

 

 

 

• You can tell the moon phase just by people watching. People act and drive the worst during a full moon.  Ugh.

 

 

 

• You cheer like you just won a huge lottery jackpot  when you hear the announcement, “The faculty meeting for today has been postponed/cancelled.” We dearly love our administrators, but please put it in an email. We’re exhausted. If you ever want to hear a collective cheer, be in a school when that announcement is made. We really do sound like we just won the super lotto jackpot!

 

 

Now that’s just a hand full of the endearing little quirks that we teachers possess! If you know a teacher or are related to a teacher, I think you’ll see some familiar things on this list. If you happen to be a teacher, embrace your quirks because that’s what makes us a special breed! We are wildly wonderful wizards of wisdom and whimsy! We make the world go around a lot better than it would without us! I am thankful for all you teachers out there! Happy Spring Break!