Dear Teacher with the To Do List:
If you walk in any teacher's classroom in the country, you're going to find a to do list. From kindergarten teacher to college professor, a to do list is sure to follow.
I've been in hundreds of teachers' classrooms through the years. In doing so, I've learned to play a solitary game of "I spy," where I'm always secretly trying to spot "the list."
I've found you can tell a lot about a person by the lists they make. My mom is the master list maker. At the top of every list, she writes, "Make a List," then strikes through it just to feel a sense of accomplishment. I like the way she thinks, which is why I take it a step further and add tasks that require little to no effort for the sheer gratification of checking them off.
Wake Up ✅
Shower ✅
Breakfast ✅
Dang. I'm on a roll. Look at me go. If you haven't tried it, you should.
Elementary teachers make their lists on stationary shaped like a school bus with smiling children as the border, and have you seen their pens? Kid you not, I once saw an elementary teacher write a parent note with a hot pink pen that had a bouncy spring protruding from the top and a 14 inch flamingo feather sort of levitating. It was the darnest thing I had ever seen.
High school teachers have their lists too. They are written on yellow, off-brand sticky notes that are a little dusty with a few coffee stains in the right corner. It kills me how they are not particular about their sticky notes, but don't you dare touch their favorite pen- a Zebra soft tip with a thin blue bleed.
Aside from appearance, the contents of the list vary by teacher.
In hot pink, loopy handwriting, the elementary teacher list includes tasks like: Bring "The Hungry Caterpillar" from home, while the college professor's list might include a transitional alignment meeting for articulation agreement. I'm not even sure what that is, but it sounds legitimate.
At face value, the lists look so different, but they're really not. They both speak to the fact that each author is hungry to accomplish something. This is a feeling I can relate to, as I stay hungry and foolish most days. I hope you do too because when a teacher stops being hungry for something there's a real problem.
Here's what I hope teachers are most hungry for:
1) the comfort of putting your head down at night knowing you've done all you can do
2) the contentment of being squarely where you're supposed to be
3) the satisfaction of living without regret
4) the joy of a moment while you're in it
5) the wisdom to know the work will be there tomorrow, but the people you love may not
If this list resonates with you today, do yourself a favor and grab a flamingo or Zebra pen and check off a few items where it counts the most.
It's high time, wouldn't you say?
-CDB