Exhausted Grade 1 teacher breaks record for most movies played during class in one-week period

TORONTO, ON—As another school year winds down and many teachers find themselves scrambling to wrap up unfinished units and finish marking, one local teacher has taken a different approach.

Patricia Bryce, 29, has been teaching Grade 1 in the GTA for three years. This week, she made her way into 
the record books when she played over 149 movies to her students over a five-day period.

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"A lot of people said it couldn't be done, 
especially once I finished all the Magic School Bus, Bill Nye, and Arthur 
episodes and then played Frozen sixteen times consecutively, but people have been underestimating me my whole life," Bryce explains.

Bryce also pointed out that many of her colleagues also underestimated her students, assuming they would get tired
 of watching movies day in and day out, and wouldn't have the stamina to help her achieve her dream.

In this oversaturated teaching market, you really need to do things to make yourself stand out.- Patricia Bryce

"LOL," Bryce eloquently responded. "Trust me.
 Kids hate school and love watching TV. I could have gone to the mall all day
 and they wouldn't have even noticed. But that would have been irresponsible."

While most of Bryce's colleagues are happy for her, there have been some outspoken critics, namely the mother of one student in her class, Ms. Karen-Pam Simmons, who told this reporter she found the whole thing "disturbing,
 neglectful and quite honestly not okay."

Thankfully, Bryce has decided to focus on the positives the attention has brought her.

"In this oversaturated teaching market, you really need to do things to make yourself stand out. Some of my colleagues have been brushing up on their French, or gotten really good with iPads, but I knew that my best game plan was to play to my strengths. And that means playing movies and straight-up chillin'."

And chill she did, right into the record books, completely smashing the previously held record of 32 movies played in one week, earned by Martha Van Todd (Grade 4 teacher) of Belleville, Ontario.

When asked if she had any advice for newer teachers, Bryce spoke passionately about "change beginning at home" and "starting small, like letting your students take longer recesses" and "always having an extra phone charger in your desk for when you get super bored during tests or silent reading time."

Bryce admits it feels pretty good to finally get some recognition for her hard work, stating that she "didn't go to teacher's college to be a stuffy, boring teacher. I went to get a job 
with decent benefits and be universally adored by small children that aren't my own. Breaking the official Guinness Book of World Records record was just a fun and unexpected bonus."

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