LAUGH
Teachers are a quirky bunch, perhaps the result of having a job akin to herding feral cats. Some of us like things a certain way, and not only in our classroom. We often have unique hobbies that perplex our students, as well as our friends and family. If you’re a teacher and derive insane amounts of pleasure out of any of these things, either at school or in your spare time, you are not alone! Here are some things teachers like doing for fun.
1. Making seating charts and rearranging furniture
Whether in the living room or the classroom, there’s just something invigorating about reconfigured seating. New room, new me!
2. Organizing like a Mo-Fo
I’ve yet to meet a pile o’ stuff I didn’t want to organize. I’m talking color-coding, alphabetizing, sorting and sizing! Unkempt spice racks and disorderly bookshelves don’t stand a chance around me.
3. Labeling ALL the things
One may think labeling is a form of organizing, but one would be wrong. Labeling is another term teachers use for foreplay. You wanna see us get excited? Two words: Label. Maker.
4. Telling cheesy teacher jokes just to get the eye rolls from your students
I’d like to make a motion for teacher jokes to become part of the curriculum. If you’ve never said, “Parallel lines have so much in common. What a shame they’ll never meet,” are you even teaching math?
5. Loitering in office supply stores
We all know there’s no better feeling than getting brand new supplies! New Expo markers! Notebooks with crisp covers and stark white pages! OMG new books! Go ahead, sniff the pages. You know you wanna. And when we’re not filling up our Amazon carts, you’ll find us salivating in the sticker aisle and weeping at the dollar bins.
6. Shutting yourself off from the rest of the world and hibernating on days off
As far as introverted – and even many extroverted – teachers are concerned, Fridays aren’t for Happy Hour and socializing. By the end of the week, we’re so mentally exhausted and done with people-ing that the only place you’ll find us is on our couch eating Ramen noodles with our fingers.
7. Putting inspirational quotes everywhere on everything
Whether wallpapering the classroom, covering our doors, or plastered on our favorite casual Friday t-shirt, teachers love us some inspirational quotes. “Whatever the mind can conceive and believe, it can achieve.” Bet you have that on a mug somewhere, too.
8. Turning others’ trash into treasure
Teachers are bosses at hoarding and repurposing stuff. We know one can never have too many empty coffee cans—tell everyone in your family to save theirs! And watch the mad dash to the colleague who’s getting rid of an old, rusty filing cabinet—we will fight to the death for that thing! There is no shame in our second-hand game.
9. Adding something to our to-do list just so we can cross it off
Did you add something to your list just so you could cross it off? Of course you did! Why? BECAUSE IT FEELS GOOOOD.
10. Laminating ALL the things
Laminating gives me life. Posters, passes, photos! Banners, book covers, bookmarks! Charts, cards, certificates! *breathes into paper bag* ANCHOR CHARTS! *faints*
11. Sharpening pencils. Yes, seriously.
You can’t deny the mind-numbing satisfaction of sharpening an entire fresh box of pencils.
12. Addressing other adults like they’re children
If there’s a good one-liner that works at school, teachers will use it everywhere. If you’ve never told your spouse, “Do it nice or do it twice,” then you’re a better partner than I.
Sure, some of what we find entertaining, relaxing, or enjoyable may confuse non-teachers, but that’s okay. We’re teachers—we’re used to others not understanding what we actually do!
What other weird things do teachers do for fun? Come join us in the #teacherlife community!
