Going to the Darkside- coming back from from a bad teacher day

Me at 10:30 a.m.- worst. teacher. ever.

Spring fever has set in.  The kids in first grade are gettin' ROWdy.  My patience, is well, a bit lacking.  I try to put on a Zen face but about 9:15 a.m. I starting to lose.it.  By 10:00 I am considering the possibility of calling parents. By 10:45 I am considering that I might need to call 911 because I am having an aneurysm..

I call it, going to the Darkside.  

The movie Star Wars was a big thing when I was a little kid.  I had Star Wars underwear, Star Wars sheets, a Star Wars lunch box and I was Luke Skywalker and Yoda for several Halloweens.  So, you can see that the Jedi mythology runs pretty deep for me.

Basically, the Force is both Light and Dark.  Going to the Darkside means that you have succumbed to the lure or the Dark force and now are using your Jedi (teaching) powers for evil.

Going to the Darkside when you are teaching means that, even though you know better, you lose the ability to do what you know works with kids to get them motivated and engaged.  You lecture them about how they are not meeting EXPECTATIONS and that you are strongly considering sending them back to the previous grade.  You zero in on the tiniest infraction and use it as yet another example of how the students are not ready for the next grade.  "You dropped you pencil!  Do you think second graders drop their pencil?  NO!  And, BY THE WAY, they don't eat the ERASERS either!"


It is at this point either you A) continue on your dark path and become the teacher you always hated in school, or B) seek the path back to the Light.  The path back to the Light involves admitting that you are being an awful teacher and that you are sorry for not being perfect.  Once you have made this crucial step, you must regain the balance in the force.

The only way you can do this is by restoring the positive energy you lost with your students by doing something FUN.  And mean doing something fun WITH them.  You can't have your Jedi mojo back unless you get your Silly on.

Here are 3 things I will do with my students to get my Force back in balance:

I really hate this song but the kids LOVE it, so I will shake it to:
What Does the Fox Say
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VwYKqlz59lo

I like yoga and I like weird so: 
Cosmic Kids Yoga
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TY8xx7c6_z0

This guy is amazing.  I wish he was my teacher.  I have used many of his "tips" in the last couple years.  If I can channel a little of his Force, I am golden:
Teacher Tipster
http://www.teachertipster.com/

Hopefully, I will be a better, more cheerful teacher tomorrow.  

But, as Yoda says,

“Do or do not. There is no try.”