This isn't your father's (or master teacher's) protection. I proudly wear a pocket protector daily. If I wear a t-shirt as shown in the photo, I put it on stringed protector (these are often name badges at conferences). Today we had a timed rotating station lab so I could attach my timer to the string for convenience.
Reasons I wear a pocket protector and why you should too.
1) To have every writing tool(and more) with me when I want and need it.
2) To have a convenient holder for my writing tools.
3) To keep pockets clean and free from wear and tear.
4) It's a great place to store a few of your business cards, pocket periodic tables, laser pointers and forks(while you microwave your lunch)
5) You gain a persona of "The guy with the pocket protector". (if you can't laugh at yourself and toss humor at yourself you need to loosen up)
A good Friend and colleague, David Piercy, gave me the protector shown in the photo about 6 years ago. It is held together with duct tape. It is a treasure to me. He had one that said,"The ABC's of safety...Always Be Careful" I was given a series of protectors with foam lettered words attached as a Christmas gift from a colleague (Thanks Robyn C.) , One for each day of the week, Test Day, and my name. When kids draw my picture the protector is always there.
My other good friend,and H.S. Physics teacher, Paul Lake, is the person that turned me on to pocket protectors 20 years ago (O.M.G has it been that long). When he told me the virtues of a "PocProt" I thought about that $40 MACY's shirt that was stained with ink (it was my rookie year), I thought about constantly loosing pens and pencils, I thought about always looking for a pencil. This solved it. Thank you Paul for being to first to tell me that "Real men use protection".
Hey women can use them too. Especially with the corded strap hanging styles. You could get them in different colors that would match your shoes or outfit. You could even wear strapless ones too, depending upon what kind of blouse or purse or earings you wear.
Word or phrase of the day. WoW I just thought of this. If you get the type shown in the picture, the type that has a clear plastic name plate holder on the back (from conferences) you can write cool stuff for the kids you see. Vocabulary, or reminders like, "Tonight...get off My Space and do your H.W.", or "Test next time...study", or "Hey, quite acting like you're 13 years old", or for the lady teachers, "Hey, look up, my eyes are up here (up arrow)"
I have to be honest with you, I like my wife and kids, BUT I LOVE MY POCKET PROTECTOR! I even have a pocket Geologic time Scale, Pocket Meteor shower list, another pocket periodic table, and a pen with a retracting periodic table built in. I've added "FLARE" in the form of buttons, pins, and as seen in the photo above, a timer.
It's not just a pocket protector, it's a way of life. I am careful to take it off before I go in a store or bar...I don't want to get beat up. Some may laugh at me for wearing it, snicker like I some kind bathtub methane bubble biting twerp but I don't care. As we use to say, I'll paraphrase, "Joke em if they can't take a PocProt!" Even some of my dear colleagues will roll their eyes...but when trapped at a faculty meeting without a pencil for the "colors of my personality quiz" who and what do they look to? They look to that dull white shield, that guardian of my breast, that defender of my shirt, that holder of a pencil to borrow.
TRIVIA: did you know the Army refers to a pencil as: "A self contained disposable all purpose writing apparatus"
I hope this helps,
Love to Teach and Teach with Passion
Remember...It's not Magic, It's Science
http://qp.clovisusd.k12.ca.us/rey_kinney
richardkinney@cusd.com
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