Ms. Rogers Smoking Show Stopper!

The next first year teacher story is in! Check out this new teacher cartoon and Ms. Rogers story that reminds us that no matter what happens in the classroom, “the show must go on!” Have a first year teacher story that we can glean some wisdom from? Want to star in a 180Dayz comic and be part of the 180dayz book? Submit your story to 180dayzcomics@gmail.com

As an educator, I spend countless hours planning my lessons for my students. As every teacher knows, the famous quote that states people “don’t plan to fail, but fail to plan” is spot on in our field. We spend our days before school and late nights pouring ourselves into every detail of the lesson, envisioning how it will unfold. We think of possible questions students may pose, typical misconceptions that need to be addressed, areas that may prove difficult, various learning styles and needs that need to be accommodated for, and so on and so on. However, despite our diligent preparation, it is inevitable that at some point in the school year (often at several points in the year, and sometimes on the daily basis!) there will be a monkey wrench thrown at us. As every veteran educator knows, we can expect to be blindsided at some point with the unexpected, and often the unthinkable. From projectile vomit to fights; fire drills to windows falling out, Murphy’s Law is always at work within our school buildings. Though tempted to through in the towel and pick up where we left off on tomorrow, teachers know that we need to brush off even the most extreme cases of classroom disruption and learn to role with the punches. As Ms. Rogers puts it best, “the show must go on!”

“One thing I realized during my first year was that the show must go on!

One day I had a student smoke a cigarette in my classroom. I was very frazzled and when I finally got the situation settled, there was still thirty minutes left in class and I had twenty students looking at me to continue the lesson! Even though I was distracted and frazzled, I still needed to finish the class. Even though it was not my best lesson, I realized that no matter what happens during the period, I still need to do my best to complete the lesson/period.”

-Regina Rogers