I have read a lot of facebook posts, heard in the halls, and discussed in conversations these first few days of school about how you seem to feel "overwhelmed," "like I'm drowning," "challenged," and "exhausted."
I'm blogging tonight, mostly as a little pep talk. I'm going to break this down by subject, offer my take on things, maybe make you laugh, maybe bring you joy, hopefully offer you a bright perspective.
Curriculum
Most of you have new curriculum that you are
The new everything that has been plopped into an unorganized pile on tables and chairs--and worst of all, your desk--in your classroom can make you feel like you are drowning in a sea of overwhelming BS that makes you in one breath say, "Okay, I think I can tackle this," and then in the next find yourself saying, "This is BS! I'm done!"
Even if you wanted to get organized, not only has your plan bell been shortened by five minutes, an entire one has been taken away! Where's this magical planning time supposed to come from? No, I'm not being sarcastic.
My voice of reason is this: take it one day at a time. The only thing constant in our profession is change. In this day and age, a teacher can't go into a classroom and teach one grade level, one subject, for 30 years, and then retire. Your only choice here is to accept the challenge. Make this curriculum your own. Add your creativity, your projects, your stories. Don't forget that the kids are learning from and want to learn from you--not from what you have in a new text, workbook, novel, or freaking reading score test. If you are really unhappy and unable to get past this, your flexibility and experience will look great on a resume!
The Lack of Bells
I personally enjoy this. My atomic clock missed the memo from the satellite and is slightly off. Regardless, 30 seconds here or there isn't going to make an authority march to your classroom and demand to know what is UP.
Let's talk about time between bells. Personally, I have 8 minutes between one bell, and 2 minutes the rest of the day. So...I have time to eat breakfast, send an email, have a conversation or two, wander the halls, and use the bathroom, and then the rest of the day I have enough time to take a breath and walk from my desk to my door while hoping my shirt sleeve erases the board as I fly by.
Here's my bright side: Gotta pee in that two minutes? Go! Who's going to fault you for having to pee? I mean...really? Not gonna happen. And while you're at it, refill your water bottle and walk a little slower. You are allowed to take a second to breathe!
Overall Uneasiness Dealing with Change
You can't change change. There's no reversing it. All we can do is change how we think about it. Stop dwelling on all those overwhelming feelings of "Oh sh*t!" and start looking at all the things that are going RIGHT in your day! In fact, before you walk out the door, write down on a piece of paper one thing you were happy about. You will leave a different person. You'll go home to your spouses and children and feel...dare I say it...joyful?
Breathe. And if you don't know how, come to yoga. There's a massage after. You could end one day every week with a massage. Um, hello heaven?
Find something to look forward to. Go buy a candle for your classroom. Make a new mix to listen to on your way to and from work. Do a lunch swap with your lunch friends. Get Starbucks on Friday and join me at the top of the gym for a "Cheers!" to the week!
Lastly, rely on each other. Vent, whine, complain, and then immediately a.) talk about something else or b.) say something positive.
You can do this. You can find joy. It will get easier. You have to believe it. Because I do. All we have is each other.
Sincerely,
Your Colleague
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