Surprising Myself
Posted by Diane Badden on 16 Jun 2010 | Posted in: Teachers and Teaching
| Do you surprise yourself sometimes? I sure do! Recently I went shopping for a new handbag. I wanted something fun and colorful for summer but nothing too flashy. Well, I came home with a jumbo straw bag with shiny orange trim that’s large enough to carry a small cow. What was I thinking? I haven’t a clue. I’m surprised I bought the bag, and I’m even more surprised that I’m lovin’ it! |  |
| Something similar happened with a hammock I won. I immediately thought, “When am I going to find the time to relax in a hammock?” Surprise, surprise—I love that thing! |  |
And here’s one more. Bear with me: it’s a doggie-poop bag dispenser. You fill the dispenser with bags and clip it to your dog’s leash, and then you always have a poop bag handy. You can probably imagine what I thought of THAT when I first got it. I’m not embarrassed to say (well, maybe a little bit) that I love that gadget! Actually, that gadget has saved me from total embarrassment many, many times.  |
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So now it’s your turn. What school-related purchase, gift, or gadget have you been most surprised by? Maybe it’s something you thought you’d never want, and now you use it all the time. Maybe it’s something that seemed frivolous at first but turned out to be a huge timesaver. Or maybe it’s something you simply can’t live without and would like to tell other teachers about!
Surprise me!
Diane
PS: Remember, a response to this blog post by June 20 earns you an entry into our new book giveaway on June 21!
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15 Responses to “Surprising Myself”
More Comments Pages: « 1 [2] Show All Comments
More Comments Pages: « 1 [2] Show All Comments
I love the large 8 inch timers!
Kindergartners see the dial in a new position each time they look up from their work and quickly learn what 5 or 10 minutes feels like. They also watch the timer to make sure they will be finished with their lunch in time to go to recess.
My husband insisted I get an iPhone, and I am so thankful that he did!
I teach at an “outdoor” school in South Texas. (Our classrooms lead right to outdoor hallways - no indoor hallways at all.) We have had some terrible storms, and of course, we always have to turn off our computers. I was able to check the radar on my iPhone and find out what was coming our way, how intense the storms were, etc. It really made me feel safer having access to the weather radar.
I was given a portable file folder with all these upgrades (who knew you could even upgrade a simple file folder) and at the time I thought, I don’t need this because I keep all my files in my file cabinet…but now I pass it around for my students to hand in their homework alphabetically and when I get home, it is all so easy to grade! Live and learn!