The other day, I was roaming the hallway like a ghost of bad behavior past. I had one mission: find a fellow teacher to vent to before I exploded into a confetti blast of frustration and sarcasm.
It had been that kind of day—kids throwing things, lying with the boldness of someone auditioning for a courtroom drama, general chaos. The kind of day that makes you seriously wonder if you accidentally signed up for the wrong profession. ("Did I check the wrong box on that career interest survey in high school? Should I have gone into dental hygiene?") I was evaluating my life choices, and it wasn't pretty.
Anyway, I was on the hunt for my usual confidante, but her office was empty. Heavy sigh. But across the hall… I noticed something strange.
Laughter.
Joy.
People having fun? In a school building? After 2:30 p.m.?
Naturally, I was suspicious.
But I poked my head in and found a whole group of teachers—just hanging out, solving the New York Times crossword puzzle together like it was the most normal after-school activity in the world.
And here’s the best part—they welcomed me in like I’d always been part of the crew.
We’ve got a little of everything:
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Two social studies teachers who know just about every historical fact ever.
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Two math teachers who actually enjoy numbers.
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A technology teacher who loves coding.
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A special ed teacher with the patience of a saint.
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An ELA teacher who knows words that haven't been used since 1874.
Our ages range from mid-20s to 60s, so our knowledge is as diverse as our snack choices. Someone always knows something, and someone always has a random fact no one asked for—but turns out to be super useful.
And Friday? Friday was a milestone. For the first time ever, we completely solved five days’ worth of crosswords in a row. A full streak. It was like winning the nerdy Olympics—and yes, we were very proud of ourselves.
Teaching is hard. But a daily puzzle with good people? That’s a little reminder that there’s still a lot of good tucked in between the chaos.
