I'm Exhausted. But We Got This.

 
 
I saw this on my Twitter feed and it struck a chord.  Caution: The following is a pep talk and a whole lotta personal opinion.
At first I answered this way. Proper exhausted.


But then, after a few hours of thinking about it, and a 2 hour Sunday nap  - I added this:

So yeah, I'm exhausted. I'm anxious. Stressed out. Not a little scared. SO OVER Standardized Testing.  Oh and .....weirdly and at unexpected moments, quietly freaked out. Not like a panic attack - but panic attack adjacent. 

BUT....It's our job.

This might not have been what we trained for or expected but if not us, then who? Or whom? 

Let’s step it up - we got this! Front line workers, nurses, doctors, police, fire, other public servants -- they can't give up - and neither can we. C'mon --- We can do this. I know that sounds simplistic, but really? What is the alternative? Moaning and groaning that we can't do this  - doesn't solve anything. It will only drag you down. But I get it, the fear is real. Now, Maryland has a pretty high vaccination rate -- and I have to admit, the former waitress...err server in me remembers to go with the "fake it till you make it" mentality.  Gosh forbid this also sounds like Toxic Positivity - I swear, sometimes I just am trying to convince myself. 

Then after the clouds - a bright spot appears. A kid will say thank you and that they LOOOOOOOVED the book. A 6th grade class I cover when we don't have a sub - cheers as I come in the door. My assistant brings me a cookie. But man oh man am I glad this isn't my first year teaching. THAT would be a REAL challenge. God Bless and prayers to all you baby first year Teachers & Library Media Specialists. If you have questions or want to vent - you can always email me!

 
 
How am I coping?



 

SQUEE! I really try not to be an author pesterer but I am an Elly Griffiths fangirl, so the fact that she replied to my Tweet had me really squeal IRL. 

What do you think? Am I being too Pollyanna here? Maybe because I'm retiring this year I feel like I can tie a knot and hold on until June.....but our kids NEED us!

Please do comment and tell me what you think and feel.

Comments

  1. AnonymousAugust 11, 2022 at 4:17 PM

    The past two years have been by far the toughest in my career. The demands seem to be increasing. The class compositions more challenging. The behaviours more severe. The teacher-on-call shortage leave the administrators scrambling every morning trying to cover classes. Canceled prep time. ELL and Resource teachers' programs are interrupted so they can cover enrolling classes. New curriculum and new report cards. MEET THE NEEDS OF ALL THE LEARNERS! Then we are told to share the load to keep the school community thriving?! But be sure to take care of your health and wellness at the same time.
    Last year, my colleagues and I spent the majority of our recess and lunch breaks in the staffroom venting about all of the above, so when I first read your post I was screaming inside, "YES! YES! WE ARE EXHAUSTED!" But when I continued on, I took a deep breath and also thought to myself, "Yes, our kids needs us." And all this negativity is not helping the situation. And maybe, similar to you, even though I am not retiring, I am taking an educational leave so perhaps that is what gave me the spark to finish of the school year strong and return refreshed. Thank you for the reminder. I will try to spread some of this positive energy around.

    ReplyDelete
  2. AnonymousAugust 23, 2023 at 1:17 PM

    I love that through a hard situation, you still kept in mind that you're teaching for the kids and the well-being of them and their future. Adults play such a huge role in students' lives and their attitude makes a huge difference.

    ReplyDelete

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