And One More Thing: Teachers are the Reason for all the Extras in Schools

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Music.

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Recording hello hello hello and welcome back

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to the balancing act podcast i am jamie wonko

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here with my gorgeous sun-kissed co-host

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thank you mr joseph aka he prefers

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joe by tally oh it's we're going by first names

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uh it's not that i preferred it's not

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that i prefer joe it's just joseph is so formal and i've

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only you identify as a joe i identify as a joe i've only had

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two people call me joey that would be my mom and i had a

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a ex-girlfriend who used to be like oh joey and

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that's like it just stuck and it i never changed it i never said anything

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um so that's what it was um but yeah here we are another sun kiss thank you

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i mean it's a lot of like sitting at probably baseball games roasting a little

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bit thankfully because you know there's been a lot of days where you're out

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there and you're freezing and i have my battery operated heated jacket on So

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hopefully, I think we've turned a corner.

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You think so? I sure as hell hope so. I thought we were supposed to have like

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rain and rain and rain and rain and rain.

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And that's not what happened. So I like it. Yeah, me too.

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I was pleasantly surprised that we haven't had so much of the rain, rain, rain.

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Yes. I'm also, you know, I'm starting to hear the magical sound of summer in

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the evening, which, as we know, is the ice cream man.

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And it just makes me happy. Like when you start hearing that,

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it's like, yep, it's coming. We don't have that in our neighborhood.

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There's only one or two of them that come around. It's not very often,

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though. We do have Scream Truck, which we've talked about. I love it.

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I scream, you scream, we all scream for Scream Truck.

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So those of you that don't know, Scream Truck is a...

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I think we've talked about it before when we had...

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Who was the woman from Nicholas Creamery?

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I can't remember. Miss Jodi. That's right. So we had Jodi on,

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and we talked a little bit about Scream Truck. Scream Truck.

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But Scream Truck is like, you sign up like, hey, Scream Truck's going to be

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in your area from 7.30 to 8.30 tonight.

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And you immediately order and they come to your house during that time.

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That's the only way you can get them.

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And it's lights and it's music. The ice cream is phenomenal.

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It really is very good. And they got seasonal stuff and all sorts of fun things.

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But I haven't done it in a while. I should do that.

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You know, the only issue with the Scream Truck for people, not me,

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I'm not people, but the issue would be, this has happened to me a couple of

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So I am people, but, uh, you know, I get a message at like, uh,

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11 o'clock and it's the scream truck is going to come to your house today at 3.00 PM.

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And it's like, Oh, nobody's there at three. You know what I mean?

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Like, so that can be tricky.

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But, um, when it is, you know, it is most of the time, it's a very pleasant

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surprise and nobody likes the scream truck more than my dog.

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Pup cups. They do have a very cool... Yeah, they got a whole thing.

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This just in, they're going to be charging $1 per pup cup, but they are going to donate the money.

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I mean... Yes, to worthy causes for animals. Have you heard that the Scream Truck is adding pizza?

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I did hear that. They started testing it where they're going to have a little

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Neapolitan pizza thing that's going to be coming around, which I love that idea.

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What are some other trucks that there should be? In the wintertime,

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there should be like a soup truck that just drives around with different soups.

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But I think the problem is I like soup. What am I going to say?

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Oh, my goodness. I love soup. But there's no like song like soup.

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There's no like soup song. When

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I think of soup, I always think of Justin Timberlake and Jimmy Fallon.

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Right. It was Jimmy Fallon. No, it's Justin Timberlake on SNL.

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Bring it on down to Homelessville.

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No, they did. And I think one of them was dressed up like a, um, like a gift bag.

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And he was like a sack, like a, right. Like a Christmas sack.

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That one to me is like the most.

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When they were like, put your soup in a bowl. Yeah. Let me see your main is strong.

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And they'd be like, yeah, it's, it's amazing. What's really funny is I just

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talked about that like two days ago with, uh, with one of my coworkers who was

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in the cafeteria. We're dismissing kids.

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We're like, okay, you got to clean up. where she's like or you

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could just ignore me and pretend like i'm not a

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person and she just started like she broke into song and then no one was standing

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around her and she was just by herself and it was an amazing moment um because

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we both looked at each other and i just laughed and then we started talking

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about justin timberlake so um sometimes that's you know i mean that is a coping

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mechanism oh yeah that's um,

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Yeah. The other day, the other day now, you know, and I tell the children,

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like, we've been together for nine months and they ask me still,

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like, where are the scissors?

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Where's the glue? Where are the books? You know, where are the books?

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So Jamie took the, Jamie took labeling the cabinets in her room and people would

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just walk in because her room used to be like the junk room.

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It was like, all right, not the junk room, but it was, it was nobody's room

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so like it was everybody's room so like every teacher in

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the social studies department there were like four different teachers in there block

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one block two block three block four so man man man man

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and it was all men and no one took ownership over

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it no one took ownership or like this is the room that we're gonna

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clean it we're gonna organize it we're gonna make sure it's good so like

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jamie got like the room that was

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like the leftover room but she made it her own and

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it's amazing i love it and as she

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like acclimated people would come in because that's where

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all the stuff was for the department they'd be like hey where are the books where

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are the books so she just labeled one of her cabinets and it

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just says all the books um and

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it's just my favorite thing um so it

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was like you know and it's like uh mrs lanco

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where are the scissors or my

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favorite do you have any rulers like we've

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used rulers all year long and everything

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is either in art labeled art which somebody which somebody put an f in front

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of and it's the fart cabinet not like it's in the art cabinet um it's either

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in art or create right so it's like um and you And by the way, you just leave it.

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We're middle school people, all right? Oh, I love that. I love it.

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I mean, you know, and the kids are like, did you do it?

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I'm like, I didn't do it. But I mean, I wish I had thought of it. But no, it wasn't me.

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But so it was just like the song...

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Like everything has been in the same place all year. Yeah. I don't know why you can't find it.

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You know, it was like, I had to go on and they just are like smiling.

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This is what happens. This is what happens when you get to the,

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the middle of the final marking period of the school year. And you have just

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lost all synapses in your brain from firing.

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And you know, you're giving directions and there's that one kid.

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It's just talking. it's like this person's gonna talk the whole time

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and the singing though is the great it really calms everybody

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because then it's like the ones who weren't listening now are

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listening um and the ones who like were

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already listening or smiling you know especially if they

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think as my students do they think that i feel

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that i missed out on a singing career my my

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wonder i actually read a strategy recently that said

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like uh if you can hear me point to someone that's

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still talking and like everybody points it's like i

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loved that idea i haven't tried it yet but i'm ready to try

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it um but yeah that's a

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good one uh what are we doing what's happening what's going on what did she

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say are we working today oh my goodness i have one kid endearingly who comes

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in every day he's like can we watch a movie every day he comes in every day

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to be his day and then one day it will be oh i can't wait for that day i hope

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it's gonna be something great yeah well i I was,

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we were doing like these little activities and, uh.

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He doesn't want activities. He wants a movie.

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No, we were doing a movement Monday activity. It was like a,

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it was like a duo thing. It's like you chose which duo you liked the best.

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And then you did that exercise.

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Yeah. So we do that. We love those. Yeah. So we did one and it was like, which duo.

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And there were like different ones coming up and like Wally and Evie came up

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like Wally, the Disney movie, Wally. And they're like, what movie is that?

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I'm like, it's Wally. And they're like, well, we've never seen,

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I'm like, I've never seen, How have you never seen WALL-E?

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Like WALL-E or Up, which is a hill I will die on.

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Up is the best Pixar Disney movie. I know Cars, Toy Story. I get it. Up. I don't like Cars.

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A lot of people don't like Cars. I thought it was cute.

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But anyway, there were a lot of those movies I didn't see. I'm not really a

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movie shower at the end of the year.

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But my period one, who, shout out to my period one. None of them are listening.

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Are my favorite period this year They're just fun They're like,

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Actually one girl was like My god I'm in this room And it's so cold It was like

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for testing It's like it's so cold in there It's like why are you like Why do

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like old people Like they have to have the room Like so cold And I'm like,

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how old is old? And they're like, Oh, they're like, my mom's 35.

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And I'm like, Oh, I'm so old. And they're like, um, you know,

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it's just saying all these things.

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You're not old till you start caring about your health.

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And I was, I just cracked up. And then one, one of the persons like,

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you're not old until you like, say, uh, your dinner is supper.

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Like they just, and they literally just came out of nowhere.

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I was like, you guys are like a little standup comedy troupe today like

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it was endearing and hysterical and

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i was like oh and there was at one point um the

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same girl we were just talking about something i was like well how old do you

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guys think i am this was a different day she's like 67 she just

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threw out a number and i was so that's what i say all the time i was

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like well when you're 67 and all the kids just start laughing so

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they're just a they're just a fun they're just a fun group

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they're endearing that make me laugh so like maybe we'll do a movie aside from

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singing do you want to know one other thing that i i mean

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i'm gonna tell you anyway even if you said no i would tell you anyway that like

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something that i think really sort of um like disarms

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them and like changes whatever is happening i hope

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you don't you don't crop dust them do you is that no is that this is

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the fartiest class i've ever i mean this is like the 24 25

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i only bring that up because it's been it's been

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a it's been brought up in casual conversation yeah

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it's the gaseous group of children i've ever had and i i

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mean sometimes it's like like oh my god i'm choking like

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are you unwell do like what is happening but yeah so no no it's going off the

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rails okay but here so ask me a question like let's we're gonna pretend um you're

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the try like you're the student and i'm me um and you're uh gonna ask me something hey miss yes.

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Uh, where can I find markers?

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How dare you? How dare you?

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How dare you? Now it only gets better if you look at the kid next to them.

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How dare he? Did you hear what he just said?

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Now, like, everybody in that area is like, and they don't get the Kelly Kapoor.

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They don't get the office reference which is

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like one of my most favorite of all time when ryan comes

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back yes and you know and it's like and she's

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like and he's like okay does anyone have any questions and she's like yeah i

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have a question how dare you she's uh tell you there are some moments in that

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show there's some moments that is another thing that like really does sort of, um,

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I mean, you asked me something that wasn't necessarily like going to cause any

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kind of tension, but I, I often, you know,

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I like to take one from, from actually your playbook.

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Uh, don't say, so I would be like, you know what? We're fighting.

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And I just walk away. I'm like, we're fighting. We are in a quarrel and we are

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fighting. And I just walked away.

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Um, cause a lot of, you know, honestly, a lot of even behaviors, it's, um.

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Like, there's so many ways to diffuse it where it doesn't become a situation.

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Like, my thing is I make up middle names.

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You know, like when you would get in trouble and your mother would be like,

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Jamie Noel, you better blah, blah, blah. That's my real name.

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I know. I know. Usually you call me Jamie Marie.

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I know. So, exactly. So, I, like, make up middle names.

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And I'll be like, you know, Robert Michael. And they're like,

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Michael, where did you? I'm like, I make up middle names.

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Stop it right now. And they laugh. And it diffuses the situation.

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And then everybody moves on. And then every once in a while, I guess it right.

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And everybody's like, oh my God. I bet your odds of guessing are really low. Oh, they're very low.

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They're like, they're almost as good as when I used to work the guess your weight,

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guess your age booth at Fantasy Hall.

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Everybody's getting a prize. Everybody, you get a prize. You get a prize.

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Everybody gets a prize. Yeah, it's pretty bad. It's pretty bad.

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Anyway, we're in rare form today, folks. I will say a throwback to Courtney.

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Hey, it's me. hi hi it's mrs v um to

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courtney varner right oh yes her um and it

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has played in my head so many times since

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we had her on the pod and i think it

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is like simplistic enough in its you

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know in the idea of it but it is so profound

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if you are not having fun and

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remembering that like these kids are kids and you're

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not finding ways to joke and

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laugh and like really sort of make this the

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situations lighter than you really have to reevaluate what you're doing in the

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classroom I don't I do not disagree we're all and we're also all not perfect

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we all have days where we where we just don't have it yes yeah it's like hashtag

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I have nothing left to give I think that's been a theme on here.

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So yeah, but you're 100% right. And that's great advice from Courtney from a previous episode.

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And definitely check out our earlier episodes with some of our great guests

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that we've had. We would love for you to do that.

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So uh so what what is

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our topic today i have uh um you know

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i have a couple of questions for you but you have questions for

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me oh am i all right it was a bit of a like a part of another um show that i

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felt like we weren't finished with oh you know uh let this meeting be called

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to order oh okay so all right isn't it i call a quorum a quarrel a quarrel quorum quorum A quorum.

00:14:49.850 --> 00:14:52.630
What is it called? You got a quorum. That's what it is. A quorum?

00:14:52.710 --> 00:14:54.690
A quorum? And you got enough people in the room. I don't know.

00:14:54.790 --> 00:14:56.210
Parliamentary procedure. Anyway.

00:15:02.770 --> 00:15:03.250
Wait.

00:15:05.710 --> 00:15:09.870
Old business. If you show a movie, what will the movie be?

00:15:10.550 --> 00:15:15.590
I'll probably show something Disney related. Nice. Something like Wally or Up. Or I'll let them choose.

00:15:16.110 --> 00:15:20.770
Halfsies, holesies. please like show it for half the time um

00:15:20.770 --> 00:15:23.490
not the whole time no i can't because they don't

00:15:23.490 --> 00:15:27.590
pay attention right like you only have like that's what i um i'm like a good

00:15:27.590 --> 00:15:32.470
20 30 minutes max and then like we've then i gotta wait till the next day yeah

00:15:32.470 --> 00:15:38.530
i do the same yeah a lot of times like they're i don't know i just i like to

00:15:38.530 --> 00:15:41.290
i mean we all know what half days at school are like right Right.

00:15:41.530 --> 00:15:46.330
So I do make sure that we spend those times and make them as purposeful as we can. Yeah.

00:15:46.610 --> 00:15:49.690
You know, we talk about maybe, maybe I'll have them like do a little survey

00:15:49.690 --> 00:15:51.490
of like, what was your favorite part of the year?

00:15:51.650 --> 00:15:56.190
Or a lot of times we do a mock trial just because they enjoy the mock trials.

00:15:56.390 --> 00:15:58.110
And it's something like, would you rather do this? Or like,

00:15:58.564 --> 00:16:02.184
you know, do something else. Or I've had kids come in and we play board games,

00:16:02.384 --> 00:16:04.904
like little stuff like that. Games, I love to play games with them.

00:16:05.324 --> 00:16:10.264
Wait, so if you, I will say I'm showing a movie right now. I am not anti-movie.

00:16:10.444 --> 00:16:13.524
I'm showing a movie right now. It's the second movie for one of my classes that

00:16:13.524 --> 00:16:16.464
we've watched this year, full length feature film.

00:16:17.644 --> 00:16:23.024
And they are completely and totally glued to it. So we read the novel and now

00:16:23.024 --> 00:16:23.964
we're watching the movie.

00:16:24.804 --> 00:16:29.204
And we did that for the Watson's Go to Birmingham. ham and they were outraged.

00:16:29.384 --> 00:16:32.084
Um, you know, like it wasn't, it was so good. Cause it was like,

00:16:32.204 --> 00:16:34.964
this isn't what we pictured at all, you know, and they were able to make sense of it.

00:16:35.044 --> 00:16:37.644
And I love that. And now we're watching Tuck Everlasting.

00:16:37.984 --> 00:16:42.264
We finished reading Tuck Everlasting and they're even more, um, enraged.

00:16:42.404 --> 00:16:46.804
And I just love like that being able to, you know, compare those two things

00:16:46.804 --> 00:16:49.544
and, um, and they're glued to it. So I don't mind.

00:16:50.124 --> 00:16:54.164
Yeah, I don't, um, yeah. And especially this generation has a more difficult

00:16:54.164 --> 00:16:58.044
time and then more YouTube, you know, so they're used to watching the clips

00:16:58.044 --> 00:17:00.364
rather than the entire movie.

00:17:01.304 --> 00:17:04.484
But sometimes like it really, last year, what did I do? A league of their own.

00:17:04.864 --> 00:17:08.744
That was, I mean, nobody moved. They were completely into it.

00:17:08.904 --> 00:17:12.104
So I can't wait to hear what first period gets to do. Maybe I'll have to,

00:17:12.244 --> 00:17:14.604
uh, uh, Oh no, I'm, I'm working.

00:17:14.764 --> 00:17:16.784
I was like, you could always, well, we could always swing in.

00:17:16.904 --> 00:17:17.904
They're fun. They're a good group.

00:17:18.524 --> 00:17:21.164
So there's some chuckleheads in there, but you know, we make it work.

00:17:21.164 --> 00:17:23.724
I'm looking forward to them next year, hopefully.

00:17:24.324 --> 00:17:27.664
So, okay. You wanted to revisit something. What do we got?

00:17:27.804 --> 00:17:37.564
I do want to revisit a couple of topics specifically about parent volunteers in school.

00:17:37.744 --> 00:17:43.544
Oh, okay. We're back to this again. Okay. Okay. Because we had some,

00:17:43.544 --> 00:17:47.904
I think, some unfinished business when it came to... And I've actually had a

00:17:47.904 --> 00:17:52.084
few people who have heard the episode and have asked.

00:17:52.144 --> 00:17:57.104
And it was only part of a greater chat that we had had. It was only one part of.

00:17:57.304 --> 00:18:01.024
So I wanted to, and it really sort of caused quite...

00:18:02.219 --> 00:18:05.739
You know, quite a bit of chatter. It did. It really did.

00:18:06.159 --> 00:18:14.079
So, you know, what do you think about this time of year with,

00:18:14.379 --> 00:18:17.059
and I forgot, kind of forgot this.

00:18:17.179 --> 00:18:20.899
So we had talked about, for anybody who missed that episode or part of the episode,

00:18:21.059 --> 00:18:25.279
we had been, we had talked about having to earn points in order to volunteer

00:18:25.279 --> 00:18:27.919
at your child's field day specifically.

00:18:28.219 --> 00:18:33.779
So you could be a class parent, you end the responsibility can be shared with a spouse.

00:18:34.619 --> 00:18:38.899
So it wasn't just a singular, like, just mom or dad. It could be among the two

00:18:38.899 --> 00:18:40.099
of you, between the two of you.

00:18:40.699 --> 00:18:46.139
And the idea is that you have to, you know, earn enough points to be able to go to field day.

00:18:46.439 --> 00:18:49.759
It could be, and the points came from different categories.

00:18:49.819 --> 00:18:55.839
So whether you attended a PTO meeting, or you chaired a fundraiser or,

00:18:55.839 --> 00:19:04.479
you know, you were the class parent or you sent tissues in, whatever that might be, right?

00:19:05.059 --> 00:19:10.399
So as I'm having these little chats with some of the people who had listened to the episode.

00:19:11.919 --> 00:19:17.619
Specifically to this particular time of year, I forgot that,

00:19:17.919 --> 00:19:20.499
and I don't want to full-on go with, like, what grinds my gears,

00:19:20.499 --> 00:19:29.479
But I forgot what is the thing that I really, like, it made me so crazy.

00:19:30.519 --> 00:19:35.359
Muffins with mom. Okay. So I was curious.

00:19:36.179 --> 00:19:42.439
I was curious if you ever had a donuts with dad or.

00:19:42.799 --> 00:19:47.579
We did. Now, okay. I remember there being one when we lived in Pennsylvania

00:19:47.579 --> 00:19:48.559
for a short period of time.

00:19:48.699 --> 00:19:51.659
I remember there being one. We did a donuts with dad at the elementary school.

00:19:51.819 --> 00:19:54.839
Really quick little in the cafeteria, big bang, boom, and you're out.

00:19:57.119 --> 00:20:01.839
I don't remember it at the elementary. It's not that they didn't do it.

00:20:02.099 --> 00:20:06.239
I don't remember having done it because there were a lot of different events.

00:20:06.339 --> 00:20:08.599
We tried to go to as many as we could. OK.

00:20:09.339 --> 00:20:12.799
But just like everything else in life, people start to get pulled in a bunch

00:20:12.799 --> 00:20:14.939
of different directions. And what are some things that you cut out?

00:20:16.119 --> 00:20:20.159
School obligations or I don't want to say obligations, but like things that

00:20:20.159 --> 00:20:21.359
are like volunteer opportunities.

00:20:21.779 --> 00:20:25.939
Like sometimes, you know, there was. Well, that wasn't. Right. That wasn't. Yeah. No.

00:20:26.179 --> 00:20:29.879
That was like, you know, you're going to go and have breakfast or some sort

00:20:29.879 --> 00:20:31.859
of lunch with your child's.

00:20:33.368 --> 00:20:36.168
Before, you know, or during the, or right in the morning. I don't know.

00:20:36.228 --> 00:20:37.408
Our school did it in the morning.

00:20:37.788 --> 00:20:41.548
I think they did it in the, they did it. I know, I remember the one in Pennsylvania

00:20:41.548 --> 00:20:45.568
was absolutely in the morning because I do remember going into, to work later that day.

00:20:45.708 --> 00:20:51.208
Yeah. So, and so traditionally, so my, my, I have a list of like problems with

00:20:51.208 --> 00:20:55.948
it, but one of my issues was the fact that I didn't think it should be called

00:20:55.948 --> 00:20:58.408
muffins with mom or donuts with dad.

00:20:58.628 --> 00:21:02.068
I didn't think that it should occur um when it

00:21:02.068 --> 00:21:04.728
was you know um i've been seeing a lot of

00:21:04.728 --> 00:21:07.568
videos lately about maycember and how you

00:21:07.568 --> 00:21:11.588
know may has become like the second december oh my god we're just talking we're

00:21:11.588 --> 00:21:15.028
literally just talking about this today with somebody that i ran into at wawa

00:21:15.028 --> 00:21:18.648
who her and i went to high school together and we teach in the in the same district

00:21:18.648 --> 00:21:23.348
and it was like um you know the kids and this thing and the cotillion and the

00:21:23.348 --> 00:21:26.948
driving test and and the this thing and that.

00:21:27.108 --> 00:21:29.868
And it's like, everything is in May. Everything. Communion.

00:21:30.868 --> 00:21:36.748
Mother's Day. Mother's Day. Field Day. A lot of them start in May, right? All the days.

00:21:37.048 --> 00:21:42.448
And that's also why, which for me personally, and I've joked about this before,

00:21:42.628 --> 00:21:46.828
and this is not the case, but the joke with us is like, in the first two weeks

00:21:46.828 --> 00:21:50.928
of May, I'm a single parent because my wife is also at end of semester.

00:21:51.628 --> 00:21:55.548
And, you know, kids are graduating from college and they're coming out of doctoral

00:21:55.548 --> 00:21:59.488
programs and we're auditing and making sure that everybody's good because those

00:21:59.488 --> 00:22:00.288
people want to graduate.

00:22:01.008 --> 00:22:05.868
Yeah. Right. Like, yeah, that's a huge accomplishment. So she's like the I wouldn't

00:22:05.868 --> 00:22:09.848
say she's the keystone of all of that, but like she's a very important part of that.

00:22:09.988 --> 00:22:13.108
So she's got to make sure that her part is done so everything else can get done

00:22:13.108 --> 00:22:17.328
for those kids to be able to walk and graduate and go across the stage and shake

00:22:17.328 --> 00:22:20.988
the hands and move the tassel and wear the grand poobah hat and all that stuff.

00:22:21.088 --> 00:22:23.488
Right. Like, so like at that point, like I know.

00:22:24.392 --> 00:22:29.112
I'm on, I'm on for doctor's appointments, the driving, this,

00:22:29.232 --> 00:22:30.452
that, whatever it is, it's me.

00:22:30.872 --> 00:22:35.932
So I know like that's an, also a very stressful time for us as a family.

00:22:36.072 --> 00:22:38.712
So, but then you're adding in all those other events that you're trying to do,

00:22:38.772 --> 00:22:43.452
but like, I get it, uh, completely. Yeah. It's a lot.

00:22:44.092 --> 00:22:49.872
So my issue was, um, muffins with mom, like number one, the name, um, number two,

00:22:50.272 --> 00:22:56.052
making it at, you know, directly next to Mother's Day and Father's Day,

00:22:56.072 --> 00:22:59.932
because that's not necessarily something that everyone, you know,

00:23:00.072 --> 00:23:01.812
not everybody has a mom, not everybody has a dad.

00:23:01.952 --> 00:23:09.692
And then you have two different situations where parents are now having to rearrange

00:23:09.692 --> 00:23:13.572
their schedules at this very difficult time of year, right?

00:23:13.812 --> 00:23:17.812
So we had offered up some different solutions to that, Right.

00:23:18.272 --> 00:23:24.952
Also, my other issue with it was, to be quite frank, was, you know,

00:23:25.052 --> 00:23:28.592
some of the people who were coming,

00:23:29.052 --> 00:23:35.052
you know, it's like nobody wants to, like, no one really wanted to organize it.

00:23:35.780 --> 00:23:40.640
Yes. And like someone's got to go buy all the muffins and buy all the drinks

00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:43.800
and put all the tablecloths and set everything up.

00:23:43.920 --> 00:23:49.660
And, you know, so so that's a and yet people who are completely and totally

00:23:49.660 --> 00:23:56.120
unavailable to do any of those chores are suddenly available to come.

00:23:56.120 --> 00:23:58.900
You know i can't like those

00:23:58.900 --> 00:24:01.600
kinds of things don't always like gel with me and i

00:24:01.600 --> 00:24:04.980
feel like if everybody just does one thing right not

00:24:04.980 --> 00:24:09.200
everybody has to do 10 things but if everybody did one then one person's not

00:24:09.200 --> 00:24:16.960
doing 100 well it's it's the idea of many hands make light work yes i oh many

00:24:16.960 --> 00:24:21.840
that was my speech um each year to the parents at back to school night as the

00:24:21.840 --> 00:24:24.620
president of the pto I would get up and I would say, please,

00:24:24.880 --> 00:24:29.480
like, we are all working moms, we and dads, we are all, you know,

00:24:29.620 --> 00:24:32.660
parents of multiple children who are involved in lots of activities.

00:24:32.660 --> 00:24:38.120
And if you can just give us one hour of one month of your time,

00:24:38.580 --> 00:24:40.620
many hands make light work.

00:24:40.780 --> 00:24:44.100
Like, we're all in this together. And also, I'm not trying to downplay this, right?

00:24:44.340 --> 00:24:50.040
Like, this is definitely something that is, I hate using this word, triggering, right?

00:24:50.140 --> 00:24:55.700
Because it's something you've been through as, you know, a PTO president for a number of years.

00:24:56.680 --> 00:25:02.100
Co-president. I don't want to be, yeah, co-president. And I would also like to say this.

00:25:02.320 --> 00:25:04.700
It's not like, and your kids are no longer in elementary school.

00:25:04.940 --> 00:25:08.160
And it's not like you haven't stayed involved in some capacity.

00:25:08.160 --> 00:25:12.360
You're involved in the, in the band parent organization.

00:25:12.920 --> 00:25:17.500
Uh, you're, you know, you're involved in various things. So you're not like you're a put up.

00:25:17.680 --> 00:25:23.180
You're it's like you've put up and shut up. I don't know. I don't know if that's

00:25:23.180 --> 00:25:24.960
coming up and shown up. I get, yeah.

00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:27.840
You know, it's like put up or shut up, but like you've put up and shown up your

00:25:27.840 --> 00:25:31.780
time and your talent and your ability and like doing fundraisers and all that

00:25:31.780 --> 00:25:33.500
stuff. And the things that you've done are amazing.

00:25:33.960 --> 00:25:38.660
And I know, like, having been a part of organizations where you are, you know.

00:25:41.320 --> 00:25:45.200
20% of people do 80% of the work, right? You got, like, a small amount of people

00:25:45.200 --> 00:25:48.560
that are the driving force in an organization, and the other people are the

00:25:48.560 --> 00:25:51.860
ones that, like, show up and do, like, the little thing.

00:25:52.000 --> 00:25:55.680
And I'd like to say this plainly. I know we were joking around and talking about

00:25:55.680 --> 00:25:57.940
this stuff and looking at it from two different perspectives, right?

00:25:58.060 --> 00:26:01.740
So I'm looking at the idea of Muffins with Mom and volunteering time as,

00:26:01.820 --> 00:26:03.420
like, oh, you got to take off of work and stuff like that.

00:26:03.800 --> 00:26:07.040
But then hearing it from your perspective, let me make this very clear. You are right.

00:26:07.946 --> 00:26:11.566
OK, because there's not I mean, we're joking around about it,

00:26:11.626 --> 00:26:13.466
but like you are you are right from that perspective.

00:26:13.746 --> 00:26:17.146
I look at it as like, well, what if you don't have the ability to take off of your job?

00:26:17.266 --> 00:26:20.866
And can you know, there are some schools that don't allow like,

00:26:20.966 --> 00:26:24.086
OK, you can't be there at that time if you work the fixed schedule,

00:26:24.086 --> 00:26:27.266
if you're working at a hospital and you're you know, you need to be at a shift.

00:26:27.386 --> 00:26:30.046
Like, can you send a grandparent to get the hours? And some people are like,

00:26:30.166 --> 00:26:32.926
no, we don't allow that. And I'm like, OK, well, I know.

00:26:33.006 --> 00:26:39.006
I mean, our district does require anyone that's going to volunteer to go to

00:26:39.006 --> 00:26:44.326
the Board of Education, which I think is amazing. I loved when they did that.

00:26:44.746 --> 00:26:49.466
And and so everyone has to go to the Board of Education and they have to be

00:26:49.466 --> 00:26:52.066
approved and you are on file.

00:26:52.066 --> 00:26:57.786
And, you know, and then you get like a special visitor pass that gives you the

00:26:57.786 --> 00:27:02.946
privilege of being allowed into the building for that school year.

00:27:02.946 --> 00:27:04.846
And then you have to get it renewed every year.

00:27:04.966 --> 00:27:08.286
So I thought that that was really smart and terrific.

00:27:08.806 --> 00:27:11.346
And from a safety perspective, I think a very good decision.

00:27:11.466 --> 00:27:14.606
And by the way, my wife, who takes our therapy dogs to various schools throughout

00:27:14.606 --> 00:27:20.646
the district, has a like asked, like, can I have a pass to like go to all of them?

00:27:20.646 --> 00:27:24.886
Because like I never know when a school is going to call me and want me to come there.

00:27:25.066 --> 00:27:28.206
So she's covered. It basically is what I'm getting to. So I think it's a great idea.

00:27:29.886 --> 00:27:33.386
That's the one thing. And also, like, even though I was not like heavily involved

00:27:33.386 --> 00:27:37.206
in like the school PTA and and those types of things, and I,

00:27:37.266 --> 00:27:39.486
you know, I volunteered and went to things wherever I could.

00:27:40.246 --> 00:27:43.066
I was involved in other ways. Like I was involved in like, you know,

00:27:43.146 --> 00:27:47.046
the volunteer soccer coaching and then helping run the league and like doing all that stuff.

00:27:47.146 --> 00:27:53.006
Wait, can I just make my point, though? because I know that you've done that. I'm talking about.

00:27:53.695 --> 00:27:59.555
Because the opposite of that for you is that you didn't show up and say,

00:27:59.735 --> 00:28:03.235
like, let me in. I deserve to be here.

00:28:03.895 --> 00:28:07.675
I'm first. You know, you're not like shoving people out of the way to get your donut.

00:28:07.955 --> 00:28:15.295
You know what I mean? Like, there's this air of, you know, how come those moms

00:28:15.295 --> 00:28:21.695
on the PTO get, and it's like, get, we're working.

00:28:21.695 --> 00:28:24.755
You know we're helping we're doing so you

00:28:24.755 --> 00:28:27.555
know it was not this sense of um and

00:28:27.555 --> 00:28:30.235
so for me with you or anyone else in that

00:28:30.235 --> 00:28:33.295
category it isn't necessarily that it's

00:28:33.295 --> 00:28:36.675
more of like the people who um want to come and like be extremely

00:28:36.675 --> 00:28:39.595
critical i'm just not a

00:28:39.595 --> 00:28:42.275
i'm going to be part of the problem without being part of the

00:28:42.275 --> 00:28:46.495
solution you know please don't tell me how much better you could have done it

00:28:46.495 --> 00:28:51.915
do it so like and with my my kids fifth grade field day right i'm like oh i

00:28:51.915 --> 00:28:54.975
want to go to field day so i went i got like a little bit of half day coverage

00:28:54.975 --> 00:28:58.195
and i uh the elementary school was right down the street from the middle school

00:28:58.195 --> 00:29:01.015
that i was teaching at the time and i went to the school.

00:29:01.495 --> 00:29:04.855
And they put me at some station which was fine but then

00:29:04.855 --> 00:29:07.595
immediately it was like we're okay we're running out of water balloons we

00:29:07.595 --> 00:29:10.855
need a hose so i'm like okay where's the

00:29:10.855 --> 00:29:13.915
hose like all right we get the hose and like i'm in the janitor's room

00:29:13.915 --> 00:29:17.115
in the elementary school hooking up the hose filling up

00:29:17.115 --> 00:29:20.135
water balloons immediately just like you do it you

00:29:20.135 --> 00:29:24.395
do it while like other people are like standing around not doing

00:29:24.395 --> 00:29:30.175
anything like and that like right everybody needs to everybody needs to pitch

00:29:30.175 --> 00:29:34.175
in like it has to be some sort of and and the point i was trying to make before

00:29:34.175 --> 00:29:38.335
you said that the point i was trying to make is like a school and i'm not trying

00:29:38.335 --> 00:29:40.135
to sound hokey it has to be a community.

00:29:40.615 --> 00:29:43.655
Everybody has to work and pull their weight and chip in some way.

00:29:43.815 --> 00:29:48.935
And I know that I've made jokes about like, I want to be, you know, napkin mom or Venmo dad.

00:29:49.335 --> 00:29:52.875
And sometimes that's what I have to be. A hundred percent. Me too.

00:29:53.275 --> 00:29:56.695
Because life is like, okay, here's a check, you know? And I've also,

00:29:56.875 --> 00:30:00.555
and I will vocally say it right now, my kids are involved in high school athletics

00:30:00.555 --> 00:30:04.295
and how many fundraisers and sending a check. And it's like,

00:30:04.355 --> 00:30:05.315
you show up to the parent meeting.

00:30:05.455 --> 00:30:07.955
It's like, okay, well, here's your box of chocolate that you have to go sell.

00:30:08.155 --> 00:30:13.395
And it's like, okay, well, I have two kids in the same high school program,

00:30:13.635 --> 00:30:16.035
boy and girl, and they're both selling the same thing.

00:30:16.275 --> 00:30:20.815
And so I have to do double to sell to the same people, the same names.

00:30:21.015 --> 00:30:23.895
It's like, I don't want to do this. Tell me how much money you want me to give

00:30:23.895 --> 00:30:24.975
you and I'll give it to you.

00:30:25.035 --> 00:30:28.235
Well, I have a very good friend who gave in the elementary school,

00:30:28.415 --> 00:30:37.015
gave a check every September for about $500 and said, I'm good for the year.

00:30:37.941 --> 00:30:43.881
Good. And it was awesome. It was like 100%. Thank you so much. But here's the thing.

00:30:44.361 --> 00:30:48.041
If I've offered to do that, there are people that are like, oh,

00:30:48.141 --> 00:30:49.081
why are you trying to get out of it?

00:30:49.181 --> 00:30:53.941
I'm like, you don't seem like, can we? But see, that's what I think we're talking

00:30:53.941 --> 00:30:56.061
about, right? Like that, the tood.

00:30:56.341 --> 00:31:00.341
Like the tood that comes in with, you know, instead of saying like,

00:31:00.621 --> 00:31:02.821
that is terrific and thank you.

00:31:03.741 --> 00:31:09.541
My trigger was always, I'm going to tell you how much better I can do it than you.

00:31:09.941 --> 00:31:12.161
But then they don't do it.

00:31:12.581 --> 00:31:21.301
I mean, there are people, so many, in so many ways that can do everything better

00:31:21.301 --> 00:31:23.481
than me. That happens a lot even.

00:31:23.941 --> 00:31:27.961
No, that happens a lot. Even in like, even in our profession,

00:31:27.961 --> 00:31:32.021
when like people are doing stuff and there's times I've been critical to like,

00:31:32.341 --> 00:31:36.381
you know, we all have. Okay.

00:31:36.741 --> 00:31:43.421
Where we've looked at like, whether it be a professional development day and made suggestions.

00:31:43.861 --> 00:31:50.081
It's human nature to be like, but I always come, I try to come to the table with a solution.

00:31:50.081 --> 00:31:52.861
Like yes you do you know i think

00:31:52.861 --> 00:31:55.781
that there's going to be uh you know i i i saw

00:31:55.781 --> 00:31:59.361
this happen this year how about next year we try or maybe

00:31:59.361 --> 00:32:02.341
we should or how about we you know

00:32:02.341 --> 00:32:05.461
come up with some kind of other solution which sometimes is well received and

00:32:05.461 --> 00:32:09.321
sometimes isn't right and i think sometimes too it depends on like is the person

00:32:09.321 --> 00:32:13.641
like open to hearing the suggestions like you know maybe like sending someone

00:32:13.641 --> 00:32:19.441
a message um criticizing the yearbook that they volunteered and made like during

00:32:19.441 --> 00:32:21.401
the child's actual graduation,

00:32:21.401 --> 00:32:24.181
maybe that's not the right time, right?

00:32:24.281 --> 00:32:28.181
Like maybe the person is not ready to receive said criticism, you know?

00:32:28.461 --> 00:32:33.301
So, and it depends. Oh, and wait, and one more thing, because I don't want to forget to say this.

00:32:33.701 --> 00:32:42.341
And I have worked in a building like this. If there are no parents to help, the teachers do it.

00:32:43.481 --> 00:32:47.401
Yes. Which is double exhaustion, right?

00:32:47.581 --> 00:32:55.241
So I have seen teachers go above and beyond in every possible way,

00:32:55.381 --> 00:32:59.081
including field days, trips.

00:32:59.401 --> 00:33:05.801
I mean, you know, there's such a difference in different school cultures that

00:33:05.801 --> 00:33:10.441
wherever there are parents that are willing to help, like they are applauded.

00:33:10.561 --> 00:33:16.441
And thank you so much for helping. And then, of course, like I always think

00:33:16.441 --> 00:33:22.621
of those teachers that do all of that because they don't have the parental support

00:33:22.621 --> 00:33:24.581
in the community to help them.

00:33:25.438 --> 00:33:28.838
Yeah. And that's where it falls down to. And, and recently, you know,

00:33:28.918 --> 00:33:32.798
it was just before this episode, I was, you know, sitting around and getting

00:33:32.798 --> 00:33:34.998
ready. I was like, you know, doom's going through TikTok.

00:33:35.238 --> 00:33:40.658
And it was a, uh, a post by, it was a Nick Ferroni post. Shout out Nick Ferroni.

00:33:40.738 --> 00:33:41.518
Where's my heart picture?

00:33:41.798 --> 00:33:46.678
Um, it was a, it was a little shout out to Nick, but it was like,

00:33:46.818 --> 00:33:52.238
um, that the entire system of, of education is built on, uh,

00:33:52.338 --> 00:33:53.258
unpaid teacher overtime.

00:33:53.258 --> 00:33:57.618
And then he said, like, it would be amazing to see what teachers would be able

00:33:57.618 --> 00:34:01.998
to do or what wouldn't happen if teachers just worked in their contract hours

00:34:01.998 --> 00:34:08.478
and taught with what their schools gave them in regards to a budget and things like that.

00:34:08.478 --> 00:34:12.378
Because these look, you're on Instagram and you're on Pinterest and you're on

00:34:12.378 --> 00:34:16.458
TikTok and all the social media platforms and you're seeing teachers in the

00:34:16.458 --> 00:34:20.538
classroom and you're seeing them with these decorated spaces with LED lights

00:34:20.538 --> 00:34:23.118
and amazing bulletin boards and beanbag chairs.

00:34:23.898 --> 00:34:28.638
I am I am I will I do not wager. I'm not a betting person. I'll bet.

00:34:28.898 --> 00:34:32.958
I would. Ninety nine percent of ninety nine percent of that stuff is bought

00:34:32.958 --> 00:34:34.598
themselves is bought by the teachers themselves.

00:34:35.138 --> 00:34:39.078
My goddaughter, when she was going to be in Florida, she had a little Amazon

00:34:39.078 --> 00:34:41.138
wish list that she sent out to family members.

00:34:41.518 --> 00:34:45.338
And that's what she wanted, like stuff for her classroom, like pencil caddy

00:34:45.338 --> 00:34:47.758
things and all that stuff, because you want to make this welcoming,

00:34:48.398 --> 00:34:49.458
nurturing environment.

00:34:50.418 --> 00:34:56.238
And then, you know, they get to older grades and it's much more difficult in

00:34:56.238 --> 00:34:57.938
order to do that. Oh, yeah.

00:34:58.958 --> 00:35:01.898
Yeah. So, like, it's hard, you

00:35:01.898 --> 00:35:08.918
know. No, and we are lucky to work in environments where we're supported.

00:35:09.358 --> 00:35:13.738
We're lucky to work in environments that we have great coworkers,

00:35:13.738 --> 00:35:18.018
but we've also worked in environments where that hasn't been the case,

00:35:18.038 --> 00:35:23.578
as well as there have been either a lack of parental participation.

00:35:24.658 --> 00:35:29.618
Or sometimes you could make the counter-argument that overbearing parental participation,

00:35:30.326 --> 00:35:33.266
involvement. Yeah. Can be just as bad. Yeah.

00:35:34.126 --> 00:35:36.886
Okay. That's true. That's true. Yeah. Yeah.

00:35:37.026 --> 00:35:41.346
I just hadn't really, you know, I felt like I had a few more things I wanted to say about it.

00:35:41.446 --> 00:35:46.006
And I, you know, I understand that, you know, the perception is,

00:35:46.166 --> 00:35:49.746
you know, and there's, it's definitely, you know, where people are like, oh,

00:35:50.246 --> 00:35:54.386
that group of parents, they're, you know, they want to do everything their way,

00:35:54.386 --> 00:35:56.846
or they, you know, they're not welcoming.

00:35:57.026 --> 00:36:01.706
And, you know, and having been on the other side of it, it's just absolutely

00:36:01.706 --> 00:36:03.486
not true. And what winds up happening?

00:36:03.926 --> 00:36:08.186
Path of least resistance. You either, you either involve those people and do

00:36:08.186 --> 00:36:11.946
exactly what their, their thing is or give them the job that they want or,

00:36:12.586 --> 00:36:15.906
or, you know, you get to the point in our profession where it becomes like,

00:36:15.966 --> 00:36:19.126
well, that person can't do the job and you can do the job.

00:36:19.126 --> 00:36:21.786
So we're going to give you your job plus that other person's job.

00:36:21.886 --> 00:36:25.006
Oh, they can't have cafeteria duty because they're just not,

00:36:25.246 --> 00:36:30.126
sorry. They're just not, you know, stern enough with the students or whatever.

00:36:30.266 --> 00:36:33.306
And I'm not saying that people outwardly say that, but that's the perception.

00:36:33.586 --> 00:36:38.426
Right. That's what it looks like. Right. Like, oh, that person can't be a proctor for state testing.

00:36:38.526 --> 00:36:42.266
So, you know, we're going to have them be the person that walks in the hallway

00:36:42.266 --> 00:36:44.846
and, you know, walks around and stuff like that.

00:36:45.826 --> 00:36:48.206
Isn't that what you're doing? It is what I'm doing.

00:36:49.686 --> 00:36:53.406
I'm just kidding. This year, I'm the person who gives out the pencils.

00:36:53.906 --> 00:36:57.146
Yeah. And let me tell you. I'd have people comment like, oh,

00:36:57.206 --> 00:36:59.846
how'd you get this job? I'm like, I didn't ask for this.

00:37:00.346 --> 00:37:03.826
They gave it to me. Why did they give it to me? Because for a number of years

00:37:03.826 --> 00:37:07.226
when they had iPads started testing, I was the Apple certified person.

00:37:07.226 --> 00:37:10.706
And if there's a problem with the iPad, they wanted me in the hallway to be

00:37:10.706 --> 00:37:13.546
able to fix it or to help fix it. Right.

00:37:13.926 --> 00:37:18.986
Which, you know, I'll let you in on the secret, everybody. Get a pen and paper. Write this down.

00:37:20.919 --> 00:37:27.579
Turn it off and turn it back on again. Most times. If you've never heard that trick. Yes.

00:37:27.919 --> 00:37:31.519
No. Sometimes it's greater than that. Like you have like these anomalies that

00:37:31.519 --> 00:37:32.699
people can't problem solve.

00:37:33.019 --> 00:37:39.419
Oh, have you heard that there's a TikTok trend where the kids are messing their

00:37:39.419 --> 00:37:41.179
Chromebook up? Please don't do that. Yeah.

00:37:41.479 --> 00:37:44.479
Please don't do that. Yeah, please don't do that. We asked you.

00:37:44.479 --> 00:37:48.199
Let's not do that. Please don't. So this episode is basically, and another thing.

00:37:48.859 --> 00:37:52.659
And another thing. Like, but really, you know, and it really did seem to,

00:37:52.819 --> 00:37:58.679
you know, open up some really different talking points for, you know,

00:37:58.819 --> 00:38:01.799
what is really the best use of parents' time.

00:38:02.359 --> 00:38:06.419
Oh, I never said muffins with mom, donuts with dad, my very first issue.

00:38:06.419 --> 00:38:10.059
I thought it should just be, I thought it really could be sweets with someone sweet.

00:38:10.759 --> 00:38:15.759
I thought, why, why are we pigeonholing like mom and dad? why can't we make

00:38:15.759 --> 00:38:20.319
it anyone in your, your auntie, your grandmother, like just make it anyone in

00:38:20.319 --> 00:38:21.679
your life that is special to you.

00:38:22.039 --> 00:38:26.279
My niece and nephew had, um, nieces and nephews, they had something that was

00:38:26.279 --> 00:38:29.759
called lunch with a VIP and whoever your VIP was,

00:38:30.159 --> 00:38:34.119
that was who you, you know, it was so true because you can't,

00:38:34.219 --> 00:38:38.279
it's hard because we, and I also don't want to.

00:38:39.639 --> 00:38:43.779
And, and I, I also think that the teachers that set these things up,

00:38:43.959 --> 00:38:46.179
their intentions are good, right?

00:38:46.319 --> 00:38:49.059
They're like, oh, we want to do this cute event for mother's day and father's

00:38:49.059 --> 00:38:51.819
day and muffins at mom donuts at that. They're not, but sometimes they can't

00:38:51.819 --> 00:38:52.899
see the forest through the trees.

00:38:53.039 --> 00:38:57.159
Right. And they can't see like, well, there might be a couple of kids that like

00:38:57.159 --> 00:39:02.319
mom is not around or can't be around or dad is in a, you know,

00:39:03.159 --> 00:39:06.259
uncomfortable situation or it can't be, you know, custody issues.

00:39:06.399 --> 00:39:07.919
Like there's so many things.

00:39:09.499 --> 00:39:13.559
Where I think one of two things happens. You transition to something like you

00:39:13.559 --> 00:39:18.199
just talked about, sweets with someone sweet, where you say, we're not doing this.

00:39:18.999 --> 00:39:22.919
True. That's the one of two things that happen. I never went. I never went.

00:39:23.859 --> 00:39:26.279
Okay. Does that make me a bad mom? Yes.

00:39:27.999 --> 00:39:33.399
Are my children scarred from it? I'll have to ask that. I'm going to ask them. I'll get back to you.

00:39:33.859 --> 00:39:37.779
I'm sure they're not. Guys, are you all right? Have you recovered?

00:39:37.919 --> 00:39:43.139
From not eating breakfast with me, not in our own house.

00:39:44.037 --> 00:39:49.217
Yes. Right? Yes, probably. Maybe it'll come up later on in their lives. Yeah. You know.

00:39:50.277 --> 00:39:52.317
They can put it on the list of grievances.

00:39:53.437 --> 00:39:57.657
When they're in therapy. This one time in third grade. She never came.

00:39:57.837 --> 00:40:01.537
She didn't come any year. I saved her bag of Little Bites and she didn't come.

00:40:02.837 --> 00:40:06.277
Yo, Little Bites, what's with like three muffins in a bag? Okay.

00:40:06.397 --> 00:40:09.937
First of all, it's four. and also um

00:40:09.937 --> 00:40:12.817
let me just say my kids would sell me

00:40:12.817 --> 00:40:15.577
for a bag of little bites oh oh my

00:40:15.577 --> 00:40:19.017
goodness especially bryn that's what she gave up for lent little bites

00:40:19.017 --> 00:40:21.777
little bites chocolate chip muffins well really all chocolate chip

00:40:21.777 --> 00:40:26.517
muffins muff chocolate chip muffins are her jam and she did go the entire time

00:40:26.517 --> 00:40:30.297
and let me tell you there was no party like the party that happened that's why

00:40:30.297 --> 00:40:34.957
i think that that bryn and sophia are uh sisters from another mister because

00:40:34.957 --> 00:40:38.337
my daughter will eat a chocolate chip muffin every day for breakfast and be

00:40:38.337 --> 00:40:41.017
very happy about it. Every single day. I mean, they are delicious.

00:40:41.277 --> 00:40:43.557
Yes. Yeah, that's crazy. So.

00:40:44.137 --> 00:40:49.217
Well, I mean, if you're out there and you're volunteering and you have figured

00:40:49.217 --> 00:40:54.377
out the way to, you know, make everything better, we'd love to hear from you.

00:40:54.597 --> 00:40:58.557
And if you have some sort of system that seems to work in your school,

00:40:59.037 --> 00:41:03.117
that we would love to hear, you know, we love a good system,

00:41:03.317 --> 00:41:05.457
you know, of what exactly is working.

00:41:05.457 --> 00:41:09.557
And we'd love to hear all about that because, you know, hopefully some of our

00:41:09.557 --> 00:41:13.517
other listeners can benefit from the system that is benefiting you and your

00:41:13.517 --> 00:41:16.237
family in your school. And another thing.

00:41:16.557 --> 00:41:20.377
Yeah. We just recently went through, it was Teacher Appreciation Week.

00:41:21.337 --> 00:41:25.657
So we appreciate all those teachers that are out there fighting the good fight with the rest of us.

00:41:26.477 --> 00:41:30.937
On the front lines in the classroom, dealing with all the same things that we're,

00:41:31.017 --> 00:41:34.637
you know, dealing with on a regular basis in the classroom. room,

00:41:34.757 --> 00:41:40.597
but the work that we do sometimes is thankless and it's nice to have a little week where.

00:41:41.652 --> 00:41:44.572
With not just the people on this show say we appreciate you

00:41:44.572 --> 00:41:47.572
but others in your own schools and i

00:41:47.572 --> 00:41:50.352
would like to shout out uh you know at our school we had a fun

00:41:50.352 --> 00:41:54.672
little um our boss got a coffee cart it was a little coffee cart and you could

00:41:54.672 --> 00:41:58.172
order coffee beforehand and you could get a drink delivered to you and it was

00:41:58.172 --> 00:42:03.132
glorious our admins are crushing yeah crushing appreciation it was really cool

00:42:03.132 --> 00:42:08.392
we got like a little plant and we got a uh like this is a fake succulent because you don't suck.

00:42:09.112 --> 00:42:12.252
Yeah. That's not what it said. That's not what it said, but that would be amazing

00:42:12.252 --> 00:42:16.372
if it did. In my mind, that's what it said. Like, nobody sucks here. Yeah.

00:42:17.492 --> 00:42:22.812
That's great. Yeah. And if you know our boss, that would land perfectly.

00:42:24.092 --> 00:42:28.512
That's great. We had some bagels. Bagels. You know, good stuff.

00:42:28.672 --> 00:42:29.712
It's always fun to have little.

00:42:30.232 --> 00:42:33.872
It's round here. We appreciate you. That's what the sign said,

00:42:33.932 --> 00:42:36.492
right? Little count and crows for you. I love it. Yeah.

00:42:37.132 --> 00:42:39.672
We'd love to hear about your teacher appreciation gifts, too.

00:42:39.712 --> 00:42:42.252
So you can always comment to us on social media. Let us know.

00:42:42.632 --> 00:42:45.592
I mean, Jamie has her favorite one, which is her pint glass with the misspelling.

00:42:46.692 --> 00:42:50.692
The coffee is my real, true number one favorite.

00:42:51.472 --> 00:42:56.632
Not my make fun of favorite. Like the coffee this week was everything to me.

00:42:56.752 --> 00:43:01.952
That was fun. We started when I did student council at a previous middle school that I taught at.

00:43:02.472 --> 00:43:05.952
We had a I decided, you know what? Let's do something.

00:43:06.492 --> 00:43:12.732
Um, you know, for the teachers and it actually happened because there was a

00:43:12.732 --> 00:43:16.272
year where it was like teacher appreciation week and like, it was crickets.

00:43:16.977 --> 00:43:21.297
Nothing happened. Oh, they forgot. Nothing was going on. The PTO didn't do anything,

00:43:21.297 --> 00:43:23.017
not that they are required to.

00:43:23.397 --> 00:43:27.157
And then it was like the next week, there was something haphazardly thrown together.

00:43:27.337 --> 00:43:30.377
And I was like, you know what? I was like, I'm going to help organize something.

00:43:30.537 --> 00:43:33.097
So we did like a thing in the morning.

00:43:33.357 --> 00:43:36.797
We told people to come and just bring. The only thing we told them to bring

00:43:36.797 --> 00:43:40.917
was like a cup for coffee, like a reusable mug, right?

00:43:41.597 --> 00:43:47.197
Or tea. So I got donations. We bought things. I had the cheerleaders show up

00:43:47.197 --> 00:43:53.377
in the, in the, in the morning with, with pom poms and like cheer for people coming in.

00:43:53.657 --> 00:43:58.357
Um, and I'm happy to say that that actually still gets done at that school.

00:43:58.597 --> 00:44:02.537
So it's really cool that that was an event that I kind of, not that I'm patting

00:44:02.537 --> 00:44:05.357
myself on the back for it, but I think that was a really fun event.

00:44:05.557 --> 00:44:08.757
You could come in. It was like, you know, the little, the baskets of candy with

00:44:08.757 --> 00:44:14.837
like, you know, it's how it should be. You officially made us awesome and like bagels.

00:44:15.057 --> 00:44:18.337
Yeah. Like bagels and stuff like that. So we did that and we just had some,

00:44:18.357 --> 00:44:19.637
you know, fun stuff in the morning.

00:44:19.837 --> 00:44:23.017
I cheered for everybody and everybody would like run through and you'd be like,

00:44:23.117 --> 00:44:25.337
woo. And you'd be like, this is Waco.

00:44:26.537 --> 00:44:31.657
It would be like the, uh, yeah, the Yankee, the Yankee stadium roll call.

00:44:32.237 --> 00:44:35.797
Oh, I love that. It's those types of things. It's like those small gestures

00:44:35.797 --> 00:44:40.577
and another thing. It's like those small gestures that really make,

00:44:40.677 --> 00:44:43.997
you know, I don't need anything crazy special. I don't need anything expensive.

00:44:43.997 --> 00:44:45.497
I don't need to be wined and dined.

00:44:45.617 --> 00:44:49.177
But just like a little, you know, a pat on the back or like a little message

00:44:49.177 --> 00:44:53.817
or sometimes nice. I mean, deliver me a delicious iced coffee to my classroom. Yeah.

00:44:54.117 --> 00:44:59.717
That was great. I loved every minute of it. Me too. It was. And not only that, but I sent my message.

00:44:59.957 --> 00:45:03.657
I sent the message to the boss that, hey, I throw my vote back in for coffee

00:45:03.657 --> 00:45:04.697
cart for next year. Do it.

00:45:05.277 --> 00:45:09.037
It was awesome. Or we should just, it should be like, you know,

00:45:09.277 --> 00:45:13.577
it should be like the 1950s offices where like the little beverage cart would like roll around.

00:45:14.257 --> 00:45:16.957
I would totally want that job. Oh, dream of dreams. Yeah.

00:45:18.397 --> 00:45:22.917
Well, Mr. Right Sally, I appreciate you. Not just this week,

00:45:22.977 --> 00:45:25.637
but every week. Yes, I appreciate you too, friend.

00:45:26.337 --> 00:45:30.737
And I'm so happy that we've, I feel like you were having an intervention because

00:45:30.737 --> 00:45:35.257
you wanted to quarrel with me about my saying you were wrong about your thoughts on.

00:45:36.397 --> 00:45:41.777
Parental involvement. No, I just think that it's a really interesting ongoing.

00:45:42.197 --> 00:45:44.617
I mean, this is not going to be the last time that we talk about this because

00:45:44.617 --> 00:45:48.317
there's got to be probably five or six other things that I meant to say,

00:45:48.457 --> 00:45:55.557
but you know, that's why, you know, we just never are never done talking. Mr.

00:45:55.957 --> 00:45:59.497
Yeah, pretty much. All right. So we will see everybody.

00:45:59.440 --> 00:46:38.995
Music.