Odd Talents I Credit to My 11 Years as a Teacher

May 17 is a special day for me, as it marks my last day as a classroom teacher. On 5/17/11, five years after that final day, I recorded all the things I missed about being a teacher. On 5/17/16, ten years after my last day, I went through the stuff I'd saved from my teaching days and shared some memorable items. Now, here I am, eleven years since that last day. And it's the most significant teaching anniversary I've ever had. Why? Because I taught for 11 years. As of today, I've now spent as much time out of the teaching profession as I did as a teacher.

It has been a true pleasure teaching history to Trevor's fifth grade class this year. Sure, I've taught a lot of different subjects to the Scouts and always enjoyed it, but there is something special about being in the classroom and sharing a subject I love.

A few weeks ago, as I was portioning a big pot of Hasty Pudding into individual bowls, one of Trevor's classmates commented about how amazing it was that I could perfectly proportion the food into exactly the right number of bowls. After 11 years of doing exactly that every week, it gets pretty automatic! That got me thinking about all of my odd talents that I credit to my years as a teacher. I'm sure there are more, but these are the first ones I thought of off the top of my head.

• I am ridiculously good at dividing food and drinks into 32 equal portions.

• I can write on a chalkboard with my arm behind me, while facing the opposite direction.

• I can read quickly and fluently upside down.

• I am very good at deciphering crazy handwriting.

• I can immediately spot one act of misbehavior in a crowd of well-behaved people. 

• I can communicate multiple messages simply by glaring. 

• I can plan and teach a lesson that will fit exactly in the time slot I'm given.