These Are a Few of My Un-favorite Things

Picture Julie Andrews in a white nightgown surrounded by children under a big fluffy quilt.  Now picture me, dressed in my yoga pants beside my Boston Terrier on the couch.  Imagine Julie Andrews singing "My Favorite Things."  Now imagine my singing... on second thought, don't. I have a terrible voice. 

There are many things that I will definitely miss now that I have retired from teaching, but to console myself, I made a list of some of the things I will NOT miss as my  teacher friends begin another hectic new school year.  Some are obvious, like long, dull meetings, and some are specific to me, like accidents involving cars and falling on ice.  

My Least Fav'rite Things

Duty before school, at recess, and lunch;

Teaching the infamous "class from hell" bunch;

Standardized testing in fall-winter-spring;

These are a few of my least fav'rite things.

Checking the papers and recording the test scores;

Making the kids clean the playground and school floors;

Falling on ice with a thud, that sure stings; 

These are a few of my least fav'rite things. 

Snowflakes on windshields, and deer in the headlights;

Swerving in canyons, and collisions; oh, that bites!

Big dents in bumpers, those deer leave some dings,

These are a few of my least fav'rite things.

After school ends,

When the bell rings,

When I'm feeling sad,

I simply remember my unfav'rite things,

To retire won't be so bad.

 The hours it takes to set up a classroom!

Lesson plans

Lugging my school bag and a gallon of water to school every day.

Substitute teacher plans...and clearing my desk so someone else can actually find everything she needs to survive.

Checking papers and recording scores.  Bleah.

The Halloween Parade.  I have a feeling this picture will haunt me the rest of my life.  I hope it does not prophesy of things to come.

Getting ready for winter.  Those dang ceiling vents are drafty!

Driving through the canyon on snowy days.  In my 30 years of teaching in Utah, we only missed school for snow ONCE.  
We go whether it's a skiff or a blizzard.

I managed to hit TWO deer in my first two years of living
up the canyon.  My poor Highlander.

Testing.  And especially questions like this that distract

kids.  "Hey, look at this, Mrs. J!  I love this TV show."  

The Patriotic Program.  Sorry, after 14 years, tradition or not,

that show was tedious and monotonous for me.  Those songs

are stuck in my head for life.

The annual softball game on the last day of school.

I am the world's WORST softball player.  I am so thankful

that the pitchers are able to hit the bat with the ball or I 

would never, ever make it on base, let alone, back to home!

These are some of my least favorite things...and I had to remind myself of  them when I realized it was time for me to end my career.  It's pretty sweet to have been able to do something I loved for so long, and get paid for it, too!  What about the things I love?  My favorite things?  Wait for it...wait for it... To be continued...in the next post!