Welcoming the Mayhem, Being Found, And Making a "Big Story": Tales of a Teacher Research Addict (Teacher As Researcher) (Essay‪)‬

It's early morning and I am hiding out in the preschool office, hurriedly packing up the mammoth pile of dissertations that I just picked up from the printer. I race to fill each box, knowing that if I wait, the tumult of the preschool classroom will take over and I won't have a free moment again until evening. As I work, I revel in the unusual quiet of the moment. One of the truths that every teacher should know is that the children always know exactly where you are. If you are in the classroom, they pick and choose when they wish to pay attention to you. Sometimes, you find yourself superfluous--too big to play baby, or lacking the pivotal skills necessary for a complex game of Thomas. Inevitably, however, whenever you seek a moment to write an e-mail to parents or make a phone call to kindergarten admissions, you always--ALWAYS--find yourself at the center of the children's attention. Somehow they sense, "Something's happening without me!" Panic sets in and suddenly you are surrounded by inquisitive faces, plopping themselves in front of the computer to help write the e-mail, or speaking loudly as you attempt to complete a "grown-up" phone call. It's one of those absolutes, like gravity or sunrise; it's going to happen, even when we try our best to escape its clutches.