At the end of every school year, I give my students a 17-item
questionnaire about me – what they liked, what they didn't like, what they'll
remember, and so on. It is always
enlightening for me to read their responses and I take their comments to
heart! I keep these each year, so I have
a huge folder of them from all of my years of teaching, and when I'm feeling
down and questioning why I continue to choose to do this exhausting,
emotionally draining, uphill battle job called teaching, I read these over and I
realize that what I do really matters every single day, sometimes in big ways
and sometimes in small ways.
I thought I would share some of my favorite responses to
some of the questions from my students this year. Some made me laugh, some brought tears to my
eyes, and some made me see a particular student in an entirely new way. These are from my favorite questions, and the
responses are in no particular order. Some
of the responses are comical while others demonstrate pretty deep thinking for fifth
graders! I cherish these questionnaires
because their thoughts and words are priceless and it is always fun to learn
how they see me and reflect on what I can do better as a teacher for my future
students (this year's suggestions are that I should assign less homework, not
be so strict, and let students turn work in late…ohhh, fifth graders!).
I am going to miss these kids!
What are my strengths?
- making people happy
- being there for her students
- being a great dog mom
- math teaching
- mental math
- you're always willing to help me when I'm confused
- being extraordinary
- making people smile
- playing 24
- explaining something that you don’t understand
- loving animals
- knowing about Disney
- pep-talking
- she never gives up
- kindness
- having tons of imagination
- Harry Potter knowledge
- she has magic in her DNA
- your happiness because you are happy almost all the time except when we don't do our work
- Disney trivia
- she makes her students believe in themselves
What is your favorite
thing about me?
- her kind and caring heart
- she believes in us
- that she rescues Dachshunds
- she encourages us
- her personality
- sense of humor
- how she loves dogs
- how much she loves Disney
- she forgives us if we mess up
- how she makes math fun
- that she likes hockey
- she loves unicorns
- her imagination
- she lets us listen to music
- her organization
- she motivates us to never give up
- she is humble
- she never has a messy desk
- she is really good at math
- her classroom is happy
- the way she decorates her classroom
- she loves rainbows
What book/TV/movie character
am I similar to and why?
- Mary Poppins because she is practically perfect
- Judy Hopps because she follows her dreams, encourages others, and is always trying to help people
- Joy from Inside Out because she is always smiling
- Belle because she loves to read
- Fairy Godmother because she always helps us the same way the Fairy Godmother did for Cinderella and tries to makes our dreams come true
- Riley from Inside Out because she likes hockey and rainbows
- Tinker Bell because she is enthusiastic and leaves pixie dust wherever she goes
- Dumbledore because she helps kids figure out their problems
- Bing Bong because she is very magical
- Harry Potter she always knows what to do in any situation
- Hermione Granger because she is always prepared
- Sulley from Monsters, Inc. because she's really nice, but scary when she's mad
What things do I love?
- Disney
- Magic
- Magical Animals
- Math
- Unicorns
- Her students
- Dogs
- Animals
- Rainbows
- Dachshunds
- Disney World
- Disneyland
- Pixar
- Books
- Harry Potter
- Reading
- Traveling
- Colors
- Tinker Bell
- Fridge Magnets
- L.A. Kings
- Teaching
- Starbucks
- Her family
- Having a neat classroom
- Hockey
- The other three fifth grade teachers
- Her husband
- Adventure
- Playing math games
- Sleep
- Her last name (possibly the best answer to this question of all time!)
- Inside Out
- Maddy and Ginny
- Winnie the Pooh
- Happiness
- Dumbo
- Popcorn
- Converse
- Being organized
What am I famous for
saying?
- Why are there are a ton of missing assignments?
- Don’t shout out the answer to the riddle!
- Umm, are you doing something productive?
- Don’t be lazy!
- Oh my word!
- Trust me.
- It’s a good exercise for your brain!
- Are you listening?
- Get your work done!
- Don’t say you can't, because I know you can!
- Good grief!
- You're ahead of the game!
- What is happening over there?
- Show your work!
- Never give up!
- Friends, can we get a move on?
- Take your time.
- Nice job!
- Get it together, friends!
- Did you bring your A Game?
- I believe in you!
I'm only including one response to
this last question because it is the most entertaining answer I've ever
received! Usually I get things like owls
(they’re wise), dolphins (they're smart), unicorns (they're magical), toucans
(they're colorful), elephants (they have a good memory), dragons (you don't
want to mess with them), and dodo birds (they're unique) – all of these plus
countless others have been actual answers over the years! And of course, a wide range of Disney animals
are usually mentioned as well. Some have
made me smile, while others have left me questioning whether the student
knows me at all, but this literally made me laugh out loud. For a very long time!
What animal am I most
similar to and why?
- A panther because she catches cheaters like they're her prey.
Happy Tails to you!