Teachering

Every morning, Monday through Friday at 5:30am, you can find me at Burn Boot Camp. Specifically, you will find me in the back right corner. It’s where I spend the first 5 minutes of every camp taking my warm up cues from a variety of trainers. I’ve been faithful to this place and time for over four years. In that span of time, I’ve made a few friends in that back corner. Some friends have come and some friends have gone. Some friends have gone and come back again. Although it’s not technically my back corner, the back corner and I do have a special connection.

Recently, my mornings are surrounded by Jackie, Nikki, Lynn, blonde Kathleen, brunette Kathleen Carrie, and of course me. Five out of the seven of us are teachers. Elementary teachers. Lynn and I actually work together, the two Kathleens and Nikki teach in another town. Jackie is not a teacher.

“Are you talking shop?” Jackie will often ask if, for some unknown reason, we decide to talk teaching at 5:28am. It happens when you put a bunch of teachers together. I imagine a bunch of mechanics or skiers or hair dressers would do the same! Jackie has a magical way of distracting us from our talking shop although she often does not redirect us to the trainers voice.

On Wednesday morning, walking out of camp, Kathleen, Nikki, Lynn and I were ‘talking shop’. We were babbling on about Heggerty, changes in reading curriculum, assessment. We had walked out without Jackie. Our conversation still going strong as we stood in the parking lot. We were inching our way towards our respective cars still babbling to and at each other when Jackie distracted us yet again….

“Are you all teachering?”

Our babbling halted, we laughed and Kathleen said, “We’re always teachering.”

Teachers are always teachering. Truth.