I’ve been thinking about chores lately.
Maybe it’s because the dog hair dust bunnies have officially turned into tumbleweeds down the hallway. Maybe it’s because I could take time to clean under the couch, but let’s just not go there. Maybe it’s because I know (but would rather not tell you) what’s in my junk drawer.
All of these jobs I do around the house…they’ve got me thinking about all of the tasks I do as a teacher. Some I relish and look forward to, others I dread. So, just for fun, I present to you my very official SCAT: My School Chore Analogy Table. (Rolls up sleeves) Here goes!
| House Chore | School Equivalent | Notes |
| Tidying up | Classroom organization | Ahhh…my preferred form of procrastination. Nothing shouts productivity more loudly than a tidy space. |
| Dishes | Catching up on emails | This. I have to do this every day. Every day I sift through my piles before they get too big. Every day. Several times a day. In, out. In, out. I think they multiply in there. |
| Laundry | Lesson planning | Because any time it isn’t done, any time it’s ignored for too long, things are just not going to end well. |
| Vacuuming | Responding to student writing | Yet another chore that I sometimes procrastinate, but it’s actually quite meditative. Once I get in the swing of things, time goes away and I enjoy what I do. |
| Cleaning the bathroom | Grading papers | There’s something to be said for the kind of chore you resist with all your might, that you put off just because you dread it, and then feel like it was never that big of a deal to begin with once you’ve done it. |
How about you? What school chores or house chores are your most and least favorites? Let’s hear ’em!
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Soapbox: The Way I see Things 
The thing about laundry/lesson planning is that it i never done. Just as you empty the laundry basket/ finish the plans for the day or week, someone throws in some dirty clothes/next week comes around and you have to start all over again. I like your pairing of household tasks to school tasks.
Exactly! It’s never-ending. And to further the metaphor, laundry is private and personal. Nobody wants to be flashing that stuff all over the place, just like it’s a pain to open your plan book up to others…
These analogies are spot on! Thanks for sharing! Grading and bathroom cleaning create the best venn diagram as cleaning up after others most personal thoughts certainly produces some of the same results, speaking from experience. 🙂
Thanks, Jackie! I love the idea of the venn diagram, and you hit the nail on the head. Grading IS a lot like scrubbing through someone else’s thinking. Who knows? Maybe that’ll be another prompt at some point.
Oh the dreaded bathroom! But once it’s done, it feels great for a week or two. Love the analogy to school tasks. So, so creative.
Thank you! It was fun to write.
OH, love these analogies! Grading is definitely my least favorite classroom chore. Home chore – probably cleaning my hardwood floors.
Ooh I’d agree with you on the cleaning the hardwood floors. It doesn’t matter how long I scrub, it seems like there’s always more I’m picking up. No, thank you!
A very interesting approach to getting things done, Lainie! It all begins with organization… which begins first in the brain…and oh, are these analogies ever spot-on!
Thanks! It’s something I’ve long thought about…