Work Work Work Work
There is a predictable pattern, around this time in the school year, where the adreneline of the beginning of the year has worn off, kids are comfortable and showing their true colours, and the to-do list grows and grows and grows, and teachers get tired. Or at least, this teacher does.
I honestly forgot so much about teaching. I forgot how much OTHER stuff there is. Things like: flagging and assessing kids who have fallen through cracks, finding and reading files, keeping the people who are in charge informed of how kids need support, emailing and setting up meetings with parents, finding and building new resources and units and tweaking old ones, talking to other teachers about kids, talking to kids to find out why they are mad/sad/unproductive/anxious and what we are going to do about it.
Notice how none of that is actually teaching or marking or even cajoling. I forgot how intense and how much energy CAJOLING takes. Really, teaching is mostly cajoling, I think. Cajoling to get a pencil out, paper out, work done and handed in. Cajoling to come to class, to stay in class, to not interrupt the class. Cajoling to be polite, don't swear, try harder, be better.
Last week I felt like an empty sack of a human whenever there weren't actually teenagers who needed me staring me in the face. Of course, being unproductive during prep and lunch is a recipe for disaster: see the to do list above. I don't want to take any of that home, but if I don't do it at school, it's got to get done somewhere!
So working is hard right now. Good, but hard. And here's the thing: one of us is at home, taking care of all the home-things. I come home to supper made, laundry done, house tidy, PLUS Jake is doing all kinds of house-projects and jobs that always get forgotten when we're both working. When I get home I can read books and play with Rudi while Jake finishes supper. What will it be like when we're both back at work? I can't even imagine how much harder that will be. BUT I also know I don't want to stay home full time forever....maybe it will get easier as things become more routine? We'll see, I guess :)
Working for the weekend in a very real way right now. Thankful for all the time spent with my famjam.
I honestly forgot so much about teaching. I forgot how much OTHER stuff there is. Things like: flagging and assessing kids who have fallen through cracks, finding and reading files, keeping the people who are in charge informed of how kids need support, emailing and setting up meetings with parents, finding and building new resources and units and tweaking old ones, talking to other teachers about kids, talking to kids to find out why they are mad/sad/unproductive/anxious and what we are going to do about it.
Notice how none of that is actually teaching or marking or even cajoling. I forgot how intense and how much energy CAJOLING takes. Really, teaching is mostly cajoling, I think. Cajoling to get a pencil out, paper out, work done and handed in. Cajoling to come to class, to stay in class, to not interrupt the class. Cajoling to be polite, don't swear, try harder, be better.
Last week I felt like an empty sack of a human whenever there weren't actually teenagers who needed me staring me in the face. Of course, being unproductive during prep and lunch is a recipe for disaster: see the to do list above. I don't want to take any of that home, but if I don't do it at school, it's got to get done somewhere!
So working is hard right now. Good, but hard. And here's the thing: one of us is at home, taking care of all the home-things. I come home to supper made, laundry done, house tidy, PLUS Jake is doing all kinds of house-projects and jobs that always get forgotten when we're both working. When I get home I can read books and play with Rudi while Jake finishes supper. What will it be like when we're both back at work? I can't even imagine how much harder that will be. BUT I also know I don't want to stay home full time forever....maybe it will get easier as things become more routine? We'll see, I guess :)
Working for the weekend in a very real way right now. Thankful for all the time spent with my famjam.
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