When I was in teachers college, they told me I would build a toolbox over time. They talked about management and engagement strategies I could add. They talked about books and songs and stories. They never said I needed to add real tools.
For years, I kept an allen wrench in my desk for those occasions when a student’s desk suddenly collapsed on one side, a leg giving out. I had jewelers tools to replace the screws that fell out of glasses and reattached arms. My 4th graders thought I was a rockstar.
In my new school, my repair work is more mundane. I replaced the latch I’d torn off the only locking cabinet the day I forgot my keys.
Yesterday, I tackled an annoying problem that has been growing: failing laminate.
I looked in my teacher toolkit and found just the right tools
The repair was made in about five minutes. It will sit over the weekend and, when I return to school on Monday, I will remove the tape.
Mission accomplished.
booksandbassets 