Teaching is usually a pulverizing profession.  Take for instance, Thanksgiving week of 2009.  Three months into my first year of teaching, I was burning myself straight out the gate with dog and pony shows.  With no creativity left, I resorted to leading the class into making hand-turkeys for their parents, which is fine if you’re teaching third grade.  But not ninth.  Not at all.

I outlined my open hand on the whiteboard to create the turkey’s body, just as a regular pair of tormentors decided to begin distractions for the day.  Frustrated with the students’ general unwillingness to pay attention, disgusted with conceiving such a stupid idea, I reached my breaking point to the tune of “We’re drawing a TURKEY!”  I know what I said because it was also the day I had to videotape my lesson for professional development.  I “calmly” returned to drawing an orange beak on the thumb and have tried forgetting that blunder ever since.