Only a teacher can know the exact joys and torments a school environment can hold. I have had some great experiences during the last year at my current school, as well as other schools, but there are a lot of things that go on that make the job overwhelming. There are so many hoops teachers have to jump through to keep our licenses: the standardize testing is not only ridiculous but it is commercialism at it’s worst, run by private companies only there to make money; the budget cuts, the ever increasing class size and the huge lack of respect among students, parents and sometimes administrators.
Sometimes it is nice to just take a break and have a laugh at something cute related to the job. Below are a few of my favorite teacher related videos.
All About Those Books
This is a Parody of Meghan Trainor’s “All About That Base.” I love the tune of the original. This remake is so fun, too. I like the concept and
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=g2pu8nsUtCQ
Word Crimes
I love the tune and beat of the original song, but I hate Robin Thicke’s “Blurred Lines.” I hate the lyrics, I hate the video and I don’t like his artistic choices in general. Not that everything I read, listen to or write is clean, but it isn’t demeaning of my gender or anyone else’s. What Weird Al did to this song is brilliant and it is also educational. If I was still teaching English, it would be relevant to show to my students.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Gv0H-vPoDc
Snow Day by Mary Morris
Mary Morris is a school teacher whose parody of Adele’s “Hello” went viral recently. Ironically, I watched it during one of the snow days my school district experienced. This is especially funny for teachers, but I think a lot of kids got a kick out of it too. I was so happy about all those snow days my school had. I sent a lot of time writing my new series, “Womby’s School for Wayward Witches.” The one consequence of snow days is that we had over a week of them. We only get two “free” days. We get to make up a week at the end of the school year! It’s going to be a long second semester.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YnIRfvFLiWQ
I Like Big Books
Years ago, one of my colleagues sang his version of sir Mix-A-Lot’s Baby Got Back aka I Like Big Butts. He called it, I Like Big Books. I found several versions on You Tube with similar ideas. My colleagues really was best, but this is the best I could find on the internet.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9adWTyeWrsg
I knew that eventually I would write about what it is like being a teacher, but in a funny way, rather than the depressing reality we actually live in. That, combined with the fact that I have always wanted to be a teacher at Hogwarts, got the wheels in my head turning. I used to teach an after-school class called “Myth, Magic and Muggles” and dressed up as a witch and so did my students.
My dreams have finally come true (in a sense). I am writing about a not-so-magical teacher at a magical school. So much of the conflict in the story comes from real world problems like standardized testing, budget cuts and other issues teachers face, while the magical problems are comic relief.
I am having a lot of fun writing this series. There’s a lot of humor teacher can relate to, as well as fans who have always wanted to go to Hogwarts. My novella in this world is available as a free read on Smashwords and Nook. Unfortunately, Amazon isn’t very good at price matching books for small authors. It is my hope that if enough people complain they might do so. Feel free to get a free download from one of the retailers below, or you can purchase it for 99 cents at Amazon.