The Secret Life of a Teacher

So where do we go, all the teachers, when the bell rings at 3 o’clock? Students don’t really think we go anywhere. Except home, maybe, to grade papers and plan lessons and think up pop quizzes.

And when students find out otherwise, it’s a strange experience. Many people remember it vividly: the disorienting feeling of encountering your teacher in the grocery store, or in the line at McDonald’s, talking and acting just like other grownups. A jarring reminder that teachers have lives outside the classroom.

But of course teachers go off and do all sorts of things: They write books and play music and run for office and start businesses. For some, a life outside the classroom is an economic necessity. In many states, more than 1 in 5 teachers has a second job.

I currently don’t have a second job. I used to teach adjunct at a local college, but because of cutbacks and changes in administration, I no longer teach there, though I’d very much like to be in the college classroom once again.

However, one thing my students don’t know is that I do actually have a social life. I sometimes go to the movies, I go shopping (when I have the money), and I write this blog. Through this blog, I have friends all over the world, which is something hat would shock my students to no end. I also read a lot, which is something my students expect of me. Many though would be surprised to know that I cook nearly every night. I love cooking and it’s one of my hobbies, so is occasionally doing arts and crafts.

To be honest though, my life is often pretty boring. School takes up a lot of my time. Even when I’m not home, I really am sometimes grading papers, making quizzes, and preparing lesson plans for the week. Being a teacher is not an easy job, and we have to find our own rewards for it. More often then not, students don’t see the work that goes into balancing a life and being a teacher that does their best to provide them with the best education possible.