If there's something strange in your neighborhood...

Youth is wasted on the young. -George Bernard Shaw

Teaching kindergarten is easily the hardest thing I've ever done in my life. I've thought a lot about what grade may be the right fit for me. On one hand, I love working with the younger kids--they are so loving and their drama is relatively straightforward. On the other hand, the content you get to explore with older kids, especially in literature and social studies topics would be so much fun and interesting to explore. Once you've passed that learning to read stage, and are reading to learn, you can do so much more, and a wealth of opportunities open up for activities and discussions you can have. 

Older kids also have both more cultural capital and a higher likelihood of understanding and appreciating puns and references. So, in the spirit of brevity and levity, here's a little anecdote from my teaching that's on the lighter side:

I have a couple of students who I have had to send to other classrooms or the office to take a break, or finish work in an environment removed from the stimulation, comfort, and distraction in my classroom. One day, I reach the end of my rope, and walk to the phone. The kids know what this means, and one little boy (the boy who most often needs the break), asks, "Who you gonna call?"

I couldn't resist. The wording was perfect. The answer is yes. Yes I did respond with "Ghostbusters".

He was confused, I said never mind, and moved on, but was secretly mildly disappointed that no one was around who could appreciate the awesomeness of that moment.