Teaching Tip #88

Teacherscribe’s Teaching Tip #88

The dreaded teacher’s lounge.  Some see it as a sanctuary; others avoid it like the plague.

I’m right in the middle.  

There are times I look forward to visiting with my colleagues and getting recharged.  There are absolutely some colleges that when we get on a great topic, there just isn’t enough time to cover it all.  Our lunch hour (not nearly an hour at all) passes like it’s just five minutes.

But there are other times when lunch degenerates into a bitch session.  And I’ve been guilty of this as much as anyone.  I wish I could go back and recapture the wasted time I spent complaining and put it to much better use, which is why I will just as often bring a lunch and eat it in my room.

One thing I did a lot when I was younger but for some reason haven’t done in awhile is eat lunch with my students.  This is a tradition I need to renew again.

Thought I’m split on the issue of eating lunch in the staff room, there is one thing for certain: if you’re new to a school, you can learn a ton about the school’s culture during lunch in the staff room.