I was knocking around Twitter just now and I ran into this: 10 questions every educator should always be thinking about… by Justin Tarte.

I’m in brain dead mode. It’s the last day before inservice for summer school. I’ve had only one week off.

So when I read his first question, I hit a speed bump:

“What percent of your students are going beyond just compliance and are actually cognitively engaged in deep self-driven and relevant learning?”

Huh…?

It’s all good stuff, I have to give him that. But he used so many long words.

Dumbed down for the brain dead.

So I thought I would rewrite his questions. This time from an exhausted educator wishing she hadn’t signed up for summer school.

I recommend opening his article in another window so you can enjoy his questions alongside my parallel ones.

1. How many kids come to class just so they don’t end up in jail for truancy?
2. How often do you let the wigglers wiggle?
3. How often do you make kids sit close together, give them an assignment, check on them every 3 minutes and say 400 times, “Remember, you should be talking about the assignment, not what you’re doing this weekend.”?
4. When was the last time you read a book or article about starting your own business and did something toward that goal?

ahem…

4. When did you last have time to do anything new in the classroom that didn’t require 12.7 hours of prep outside of school?
5. Describe your ideal classroom. Minimum 3 words. Maximum 3000 words. Zero credit if you include the words “duct tape” or “no kids.”
6. Does anyone really know what the heck you teach? Do you?
7. If a student recorded you in class, how much of an idiot would you look like on YouTube?
8. Wouldn’t it be great if you could throw away your grade book?
9. If other math teachers observed your teaching, would you look like an expert or fool?
10. Let’s play “Principal for a Week” – whom would you fire?

Bonus: Are you doing all the work?

In defense of Justin, he wrote this in February, not a the end of school. Had I read it then, this response post would have looked very different. #sigh

How’d I do?

Am I a little off my rocker? I sure feel like it.

Regardless, I hope it gave you a small chuckle as you enter this summertime season.

Throw down your comments below, on Twitter, Facebook or on my duct tape pin on Pinterest.

And a big thanks to Justin for providing such good questions and for being a good sport. He’s got a new tiny baby, so his summer’s going to be a lot different than most of ours! #welcometoparenthood

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