By Jolie Lindley, guest writer
10. You open your school email for the first time in two weeks only to discover 10 emails from the parent who emails you daily. Just because school paused doesn’t mean they did.
9. You get to school earlier than anyone else to make your copies for the week only to find the copier that needed repair right before break … still isn’t working.
8. There’s already a line for the one office Keurig at 7 a.m.
7. The school nurse has placed a new container of disinfecting wipes in each classroom along with a note that says, “Local pediatrician offices are reporting they’ve seen widespread cold and flu cases over the break. You might want to wipe down your desks every hour.”
6. You find a pile of makeup work sitting on the floor outside your classroom door with a note that reads, “Hey, Ms. Teacher! You were already gone on Friday when my mom brought me back to turn in my missing work. Is it too late to get credit for it?”
5. The office coordinator stops you when you enter the building and says, “I hate to tell you this, but somehow the progress report comments for two of your classes got deleted in the gradebook program. We’re going to need you to redo them. You have them saved somewhere else, right?”
4. You discover the books you have planned your entire curriculum around for the next two weeks did not, in fact, arrive as scheduled over the break, and now you must scramble for a lesson plan 15 minutes before class starts.
3. You open your classroom door to find everything covered in plastic tarps and hear the custodian down the hall calling, “Oh, yeah, did anyone tell you about the water leak last week?”
2. You have an email from your principal that reads, “Welcome back! Don’t forget the faculty meeting after school today to discuss this semester’s PLC work.”
And the number one reason you should have taken a sick day …
1. You check your class roster to see “that” student has been moved to your class for the semester via parent request.
Hopefully, these gave you a good laugh, and none of them will come to fruition. May the force be with you to have a great second semester!
Jolie Lindley has taught high school and middle school for 25 years in Indiana and Nevada, primarily teaching journalism, English, and theater. In that amount of time, she’s seen it all and doesn’t take anything too seriously. In her spare time, she likes to read, write, do yoga, cheer on her favorite sports teams, and go on hikes in the mountains around Las Vegas with her family. She’s the self-acclaimed world’s best soccer aunt!
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