The Tarantula, the Socks, and the Bong: The Diary of a Teacher in Rural Utah
Reminiscing in-person schooling and the first half of my first year teaching third grade.
If you have school-aged children and live on Earth, chances are, you have dealt with remote learning (or homeschooling) this past year. Last March, my children’s beloved preschool didn’t just stop holding classes; they closed down. Teachers have had to bend over backwards for their students and find more creative ways than usual of making money and taking care of themselves. As a former teacher, I can’t even imagine.
For two years, I taught third grade in a rural elementary school in Utah. Having always lived in the suburbs, it was not only a bit of a culture shock, but also a shock to my immune system. I got strep throat six times my first year and had to remove my tonsils that summer. My second year, I was pregnant with my first child. Even now, with three children and many other jobs later, I do not think I have ever been as tired as I was those years teaching. The stress of statewide assessments, meeting the needs of each student, and not going broke trying to buy things for the classroom can be overwhelming.
Our school was an old, reclaimed LDS church building. The chapel was the library, the gym was the gym, and the kitchen and the adjoining room was the teacher’s lounge. There were two satellite trailer buildings: one for the cafeteria and one for the classrooms for grades 3-6. My classroom was at the very end of our trailer, which was long and narrow. This proved a challenge when I was pregnant my second year and was constantly running to the opposite end of the trailer (where the bathrooms were) to vomit and pee. I didn’t always make it.
There were ten teachers total; one for each grade, a resource teacher, and two who taught specials weekly or monthly like art, computer, and music. There was a secretary who was a jack of all trades. She was the secretary, but also the librarian, the vice principal, the onsite school nurse. The credentialed nurse and the speech pathologist rotated between schools like frontier physicians and were available every now and then. I taught P.E. and found it to be the most challenging and least fun class to teach. The principal was a saint who always empowered us and maintained a positive attitude, despite constantly being disregarded by the district. Our custodian was an angel in Levi’s who lived in town and always had her dog by her side. Having a dog walking around the school seemed very strange to me initially, but his presence became a comforting commonplace and now I can’t imagine teaching in a school without one.
For many of these students and their parents, school wasn’t a priority. As a young, self-absorbed educator without children, I struggled to understand that. My fight was trying to engage students enough to want to be at school. Some students would be gone for over a week to go hunting while others had rodeo competitions. Several had farms and animals. Many did not have the internet in their homes, let alone computers (which made the state testing even more stressful). Where I had a leg up in math, reading, and writing and stayed up late worrying about their skills, my students were tie-down roping experts, knew how to clean and load a gun, and could raise a pig, slaughter it, and eat it for dinner (I had twins who raised and ate a pig they named Kevin Bacon). When our class fish died, I struggled to find the words to tell them, figuring they’d be heartbroken. Instead, all they wanted to do was touch it and then bury it. I planned a funeral service that I realized was more for me than for them. I remember driving up to school the first week and seeing a fifth grader park her four-wheeler next to me, with three first graders clinging to the back.
I used to write down the funny things my students said and did to take the edge off of the difficult days. I recently rediscovered this treasure trove of guileless comedy. I thought I’d share some selected works to lighten the mood and give small insights into life as a teacher and how much they revel in their students, your children. Maybe it will inspire you to thank a teacher in your life— or revel more in your children, even though remote school and lack of social outlets make it hard. It’s been hard for me too.
Here are some favorite memories from the first half of my first year teaching, taken from my journal:
September 5, 2013
The awkward moment when your third grader asks to share a "magic lamp" with the class that she found at home and it ends up being a bong. She passed it around and all the students were rubbing it and making wishes.
September 17, 2013
"Mrs. Barrett! Look what I found in my yard! I brought it to show everyone."
October 13, 2013
In my entire life, I have never bought a full packet of pictures on school picture day. Now that I get them for free, I have no idea what to do with them.
October 18, 2013
Today while a student was observing me bite my lip:
Student: "You know what, when you do that, I can see your big mustache."
October 25, 2013
During a discussion about bullying:
Me: "We should not exclude others just because of how they look or act."
Student: "I agree, Mrs. Barrett. Sometimes you don't brush your hair and we don't bully you."
November 1, 2013
If it were up to me, there would never be school the day after Halloween. I had 18 students that were basically hungover today. Many were grabbing at their stomachs and moaning, some were complaining of headaches, and two threw up (one projectile vomited). Most were laying on their desks, half dead. Teaching today was pointless.
November 4, 2013
I love my job because every time I wrote in cursive today, my class gave me a sincere, hearty round of applause.
November 21, 2013
Admittedly, a lot of these test questions were very confusing. Next time I will write my own test.
December 2, 2013
"Mrs. Barrett, those socks make your legs look fat."
It's good to be back after a break.
December 3, 2013
After almost 2 hours of driving white-knuckled, there really has to be a safer, easier way to from one place to another when it snows.
December 18, 2013
"Mrs. Barrett, as soon as I can, I'm going to grow me a mustache."
December 19, 2013
Student 1: “I don’t believe in Santa…”
Student 2: “Me neither, he’s so fake.”
Student 3: “My mom even told me he’s not real…”
Santa (Enters the classroom): “Ho ho ho!”
Students 1, 2, and 3: (Boxing each other out trying to talk to Santa first)
Teaching is an often thankless job that requires time, patience, and intentionality. The dividends, however, make it worthwhile most of the time. I say most of the time because I quit after my first child was born and haven’t returned. I loved seeing a student progress whether it was socially, emotionally or intellectually. I loved seeing passion ignite a heart and mind. I enjoyed the relationships I fostered with my students and their parents. I still keep in touch with several of them. I learned so much more than I ever taught.
For the mathematicians among you, yes, I have three more articles like this to publish. Like it? Not? Leave a comment and (un)subscribe!
