The Biggest Mistake I’ve Made as a Teacher

Humans make mistakes and teachers are human, therefore teachers make mistakes. Hopefully not really big or really bad mistakes but there’s no getting around it, everyone makes mistakes. The best of us learn from our mistakes and don’t make a habit of making the same mistake twice, or three times, or four times.

I think the biggest mistake I’ve made as a teacher was right after I started working as a substitute teacher in Methuen. I was assigned a second grade class at the Marsh Grammar School. At 9am I was supposed to line up all my students and walk them down to music.

We finished up our morning activities and I got all the kids lined up single file only realize I was two minutes early. Well, I couldn’t take them early – otherwise they’d be in the hallway outside the music room for two extra minutes and they’d likely disturb another class. I also couldn’t just leave them in line in the classroom for two whole minutes.

Please understand, I do not mean to seem critical of second graders, but their attention span is not exactly unlimited. Two minutes goes by pretty fast for adults but, for second graders, it’s like two weeks.

 So, here’s what I said:

“We’re a little bit early for music, why don’t you find something to do for a couple of minutes.”

OMG.

It was like the sound of an aircraft engine spooling up just before it hurtles down the runway Within 30 seconds the room was in total chaos. Kids were running around chasing each other, pulling out board games, opening Play Doh, and screaming. You name it, they were doing  it.  I swear I think I saw a kid swing off the light fixture.

“STOP,” I shouted, “PLEASE RETURN TO YOUR SEATS.”

Breathlessly, I whispered to myself “Let’s not do that again.”