AuburnChick's Adventures

I.

Hate.

Mondays.

I recently saw this meme that expresses my feelings perfectly…

I went into today, a Monday, with a parent conference, IEP meeting, and no planning period.

This was how I looked…hopeful yet realistic…

I can’t comment about my two meetings, but they were…um…interesting.  Any time you are dealing with teenagers, you just need to expect the unexpected.

Midway through my day, I find out that I had been slated to grade the school-wide writing assessment, so I got to plan for a sub that would be coming the next day.

I was not amused.

In the middle of the day, my second class had a party to celebrate earning 2,000 Class Dojo behavior points…

The kids only got to eat after finishing their monthly reading probe…a progress monitoring assessment required by the district.

During my last class, the kids finished typing essays for the school-wide assessment…essays they had not finished during their regular English classes.

In short, Monday did not go exactly as planned, and I arrived home in tears…feeling quite overwhelmed…

I’m completely disillusioned by this profession.

Teachers care.  I know this.

I’m blessed to work for an administration that supports me.  My school is amazing.

I don’t think that the powerhouse (i.e. state government) that runs the education system cares, though.

For a naive person like me, it’s a difficult pill to swallow.

As I reflect on my day, God brings to mind gentler moments…

Sweet students from years past…

Christian, an amazing young man, now a junior, who I taught two years in a row and got me to read the Legend series.  He used to come into class with a broad smile on his face telling me of the large coffee he’d consumed each morning (i.e. he would be hyper that day).  🙂

Faith visited me a bit later, returning Gossip Girl #3, which she’d borrowed earlier in the year.  She told me how she’s more focused this year and doing much better.  She told me she spent time with her mother last summer, and the healing process has begun.  She also hugged me three times during our conversation.  That was huge.  I cry when I think of it.

Billy visited me after that.  He’s a strong guy…on his way to college on a football scholarship.  I taught him four years ago when he gave way to his emotions far more often than he controlled them.  He always seeks me out with a shy smile.  He recently shared that he’s planning on going into graphic design in college.

These three young people came to visit me today, and my heart cried out during Billy’s visit, the last one of the day.  I told him that he was a gift from God.

These precious children are evidence of the impact I have each day on children’s lives.

I struggle so much with feeling overwhelmed by unreasonable demands of my time and energy.

I know, though, that when I stay the course, the payoff is immeasurable.

Christian, Faith, and Billy were today’s reminders of that…reminders of why I continue in this profession that has been a lifelong dream and one i refuse to give up on.

Filed under: Teaching | Tagged: teaching |