Published: October 3, 2025
First Appeared In NEA Today, October 2025
Quote byJim Matteucci, Illinois school bus driver
Coatrack: For all the coats that students leave on my bus!
—Jim Matteucci, Illinois school bus driver
Quote byBonnie Senkow, Pennsylvania
Foods made by bacteria: kimchi, yogurt and sourdough.
—Bonnie Senkow, Pennsylvania
Quote byTammy F.
Baby chicks: After our classroom eggs didn’t incubate.
—Tammy F.
Quote byBecky Sisson Dallin, Utah
Five-gallon bucket: a place for the snails, worms, grasshoppers, etc., that get collected at recess.
—Becky Sisson Dallin, Utah
Quote byJody M.
Gluten-free doughnuts: So our student with celiac disease didn’t feel left out on “D” Day.
—Jody M.
Quote byMelinda Beresford, Michigan
Dehumidifier: My classroom was so damp, kids couldn’t write on paper!
—Melinda Beresford, Michigan
Quote byMaria P.
10 ukeleles and 51 pairs of drumsticks.
—Maria P.
Quote byJackie H.
Alarm clock: For a second grader who needed to get himself up.
—Jackie H.
Quote byTerry H.
Christmas tree: For a student who didn’t have one.
—Terry H.
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