Every so often a student catches a glimpse of something mystical on the school grounds. It’s a rare sighting that can tell so much about the elusive mysterious creatures that are teachers. This majestic moment is, of course, seeing one’s teacher drive their car into or out of the school parking lot.
Any moment that dares to suggest to students that teachers are real, actual people can be earth shattering.
Although students are just discovering teachers are like all other adults out there (driving on roads, getting car washes, using drive-thru windows, etc.), other teachers are used to those early morning hellos in the parking lot as they step out of their cars, sip their to-go coffees, and prepare for another school day.
But what about those cars the teachers choose to drive?
Sometimes a teacher just drives any car they happened to buy. But looking deeper, it’s clear that often the car a teacher has chosen says a lot about their teaching personality.
Let’s take a look.
PRIUS
If you drive this energy-efficient ride up to the teachers’ lot, you’re the kind of teacher who’s always thinking ahead. You have your lesson plans set for the next few months, and you know what needs to get accomplished everyday to ensure your students have successes down the line. You know the time is now to be driving a hybrid car, because it’s the future for all cars. Why wait? If you’re always ahead of the game with your teaching, why not be the same with your driving?
DURANGO
Yes, you take up the most space in the teachers’ lot, and yes, you also have the biggest personality amongst your coworkers. You chose a truck because you’re always hauling stuff around. You’re the first to offer to help anyone in need of some big time cargo space. It all comes across in your classroom. You like to put on a show for your students and enthuse them into their lessons. You expect a lot from them, but you are there to help push them to where they need to be. You walk the halls and boisterously say hello to all your current and past students. You let them know you’re always there for them.
MINI COOPER
Everyone takes note of you when you pull into school. They see a teacher who is a stalwart professional who puts their students’ needs beyond everyone else’s. But when you zip out of the school, you know you’re living a hip urban-chic lifestyle. In the classroom, students rise to your high expectations and standards, because they want to impress you. They can sense you know a thing or two about the world beyond the school walls, and they want to be just as accomplished and excited about life as you are.
1988 RED CORVETTE
You’re old school. You’ve been at the teaching game for decades, and you finally treated yourself to your high school dream car. Students know you’ve seen it all, and trust your authority and methods. You’re calm and easygoing, because nothing can rattle you. Green teachers ask you for advice, and you’re happy to give it, just as you are happy to help them change their oil — because that old sports car in the lot… you spend every weekend tuning it up yourself. That’s just how you are. You like fixing problems. It’s why you’ve had such a storied and successful teaching career.
How do you feel your car defines your teacher personality?