You Know You Teach 1st Grade When...

You know you teach first grade when...

1. You find more plastic coins than actual money in your pockets at the end of the day.

2. You know that the "s word" is not actually the "s word."

3. That song you can't get out of your head is probably from a Dr. Jean CD.

4. Where most might insert a four letter word, you use "bummer", even with your "grown-up" friends.

5. A Diet Coke (or coffee, if that's your drug of choice) is a necessity. And you know what a "three Diet Coke day" means. :)

6. No matter what my college Foods and Nutrition professor taught us, you know that sugar DOES affect behavior (so you may or may not scrape a little bit of the icing off of those ridiculous cupcake cakes...).

7. You spend more time choosing a font/clip art than actually creating the activity or newsletter. 

8. You have yet to find something a first grader WON'T do for one Skittle. 

9. The best purchase you've made all year is a X-Acto pencil sharpener.

10. You can spend $50.00 (or much more!!!) at Target’s Dollar bins or Dollar Tree. 
But it’s only a dollar, right???

11. You think “Tooty-ta” is great comic relief.

12. You know the students will teach you as much as you teach them.

13. That child who turned your hair gray at the beginning of the year will warm your heart by the end.

14. You believe you can sing cause your students tell you that you should try out for American Idol.

15. You know every children’s book but cannot hold a conversation about the NY Times Best Seller list (unless it is summer).

16. You can decipher and read all kinds of "inventive spelling."

17. You hear your name screamed from across Walmart... don't forget you just spent 8 hours with this child and she acts like she hasn't seen you in a month (or maybe she is surprised because you left your nest that the students think you built under your desk).

18. You see the potential in every child that walks through the door... and I mean EVERY child.