Thursday, April 25, 2013

Elevator Up or Down...and Teachers' kids

 I never was a "teacher's kid," so I can't help but wonder how that feels sometimes to my own children.  The "other kids" think it's awesome.  My own children have been informed on many occasions, "You get to stay after school with your mom??"  "That's so cool!"  Although my children would assure them it wasn't all that great, I'm not so positive they were believed.  Just recently my daughter, who was helping me carry a load to my office, and  got on the elevator with me (the cool, but creepy elevator that the teachers get to ride, but not students), a young child commented on how privileged my daughter was for getting to ride that elevator!!  When the doors closed, my daughter said, "Ummm...does she know this elevator only goes up ONE floor, it gets stuck all the time, and it's S-L-O-W-E-R than Christmas?"   :-)  
I guess not! 
This led to my next dinner conversation with my kiddos:  I asked them to share all the PROS and CONS of being a teacher's kid.  I challenge you to have this conversation with your kids if you have any.  It's quite enlightening!  WHO KNEW?  Sharing some of my favorite responses:

PROS:  1.) You have to torture yourself and get up early with us. (*This was positive???)
2.)  When I'm not feeling well, it's nice that you're so close. (Awwww)  3.)  You have the same schedule as us.  4.) If I don't understand something at school, you're pretty good at re-teaching it to me. (*This was ONLY relevant for the child NOT in high school!)   5.) You love snow days as much as we do!  (GUILTY!)  

CONS:  1.) There is NO hiding...grades, homework, behavior...You know TOO much. (*I thought this should go on the PROS list, but this was THEIR list!)  2.) You sometimes think we are your teaching assistants..."Want to help me cut this out?"  "Want to help me grade papers?" (loving their impressions of me doing this)  3.) There are no shortcuts when it comes to school projects...you won't let us out the door unless it looks like it could hang on a bulletin board.  (I told them they'd thank me one day for this!)  4.) How many times have we had to stay after school in your classroom until you got finished working?  (Ouch!)  

The list went on and on, and we had some great laughs about it all as they recalled specific incidents, events, and embarrassing moments.  Despite the CONS list, I did get them to admit it wasn't SO TERRIBLE being a teacher's kid, and the creepy, ever so 
S-L-O-W elevator WAS kind of fun (and SCARY)!
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Product/Elevator-Game-Facts-to-20-672839
In honor of the creepy, old elevator, I have created some games that are great for review, centers, or paired practice.  Kids will enjoy working through the skill cards, and climbing up and down the unpredictable elevator until they get to the top floor for a win.  So far, I have an elevator game for each of the following topics:   multiplication, money, rounding, simplifying fractions, shapes, time, and place value. PLEASE BE SURE TO TRY OUT THE FREE FACTS TO 20 Elevator Game!   There are MORE TO COME soon!  I'd LOVE to hear what YOUR children think the pros and cons are of being a teacher's kid!  If you don't have kids, ask another teacher's kids.  BE ONE OF THE FIRST FIVE TO SHARE YOUR COMMENTS (and email address) and I'll be happy to send you one of the Elevator games for FREE.  Just let me know which one you want! 



Bananas for my honest children and YES, the elevator, which has helped me with BIG LOADS on many occasions.   

12 comments:

Anonymous said...

Your kids' comments are so fun! I'm a teacher's kid and now I'm teacher myself... so it must not be that bad! :)

I'd love to win a copy of the time version!

Thanks!
cathy@missversteeg.com

Angela Nerby said...

Well my son is 3, so he doesn't have a whole lot of perspective, but he thinks it is SO COOL that Mama's school has a GIANT PLAYGROUND!!! LOL! Every time we drive past my school he wants to stop and play!

I'd love the place value version of your Elevator Game!

Angela :)
Hippo Hooray for Second Grade!
angelanerby10 (at) gmail (dot) com

Amber said...

We're in my first teaching year here and so far she's loving it! I'd love to have the simplifying fractions set. Thanks!

amber.mooney@pps.k12.va.us

Unknown said...

My kiddos have teacher parents times two. My husband and I both teach. My students love helping out by grading, cutting, and rearranging the seating. They don't always like that we know everything that is going on, or maybe that their teachers don't do things the way mom and dad do. If I am doing something fun in my room, they want their teacher to do it, too.

I would love the place value game.
terri.carlin@usd257.org

Lori R said...

I would love your elevator game, math facts to 20! Thank you!
lraines78@gmail.com

Lisa Denney said...

This is too funny! My kiddos would say the same things! My son is 16 and I only taught at his elementary school for his last two years there, but my daughter is 12 and on her last year of elementary school. We have been in the same building since she was in 1st grade. It is going to be hard to see her go at the end of the school year. I think they both have a love/hate relationship with my job as a teacher. They're friends used to be envious of my kiddos time after school, but my kids never looked at it as a gift. They used to say (my daughter still is) "Why can't we leave at the same time as everyone else?!?!"

Thanks for sharing...nice to know I'm not the only one!
Lisa
Super Pig and Tyrant King

Michelle said...

Thanks for your comments. Let me know how your Elevator games work for ya'! HAPPY FRIDAY!
Warmly,
Michelle

Michelle said...

Pros from my 3rd grader:
You are always there so I don't have to miss you
I don't worry about money for lunch
You help me with my studies if I don't understand or you help my teacher when you show her a different way. (thats usually math)
I finish my homework at school (except reading)
Climbing out the window when the door was locked, that was fun!
Cons:
I get mad when you have to work more than the others and you get tired.
nothing else, nothing at all

I was elated to hear the first pro and so happy the con list was short! My other children also had experiences with me in school but they are adults now. I wonder what they would say! My eldest went through a rebellious stage in the 2nd grade so I'm sure she would say she didn't like the teachers informing me of every little thing she did.

This will be an interesting conversation to hold later.
Michelle

Debbie said...

I love your kiddos' pros and cons! My four not only had elementary school with me, but went on to high school with their dad!

Deb

debinderry@gmail.com

Debbie said...

I love your kiddos' pros and cons! My four not only had elementary school with me, but went on to high school with their dad!

Deb

debinderry@gmail.com

Unknown said...

Thanks for sharing this wonderful post...
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