Teachers... Quit Your Whining!!

Ah-ha... got ya' didn't I?? I knew that title would spur your interest. However.. I am not a total fabulist as I heard this statement uttered by someone outside of "our club".

This was the response to "Oh.. I can hardly believe school starts tomorrow." The listener also continued with something like "good grief.. you had the whole summer off and did not have to do anything like the rest of us working people."

My first response is "OH REALLY?? AND I DON'T GET PAID EITHER!!!!! AND AFTER PUTTING UP WITH YOUR CRAZY CHILD ALL YEAR..." (well I will stop before I say too much).

My second response (and the one I should use) is "You are right. I did have all summer off. I spent much of it reflecting on last year's instruction and training for new challenges I will face this year. I worried about my lovelies that I sent home to less than good conditions. I waited for emails letting me know how a divorce is going, if a baby was born, and whether or not a student actually got to see the ocean (as has been promised for the past twelve summers). I mourned the loss of time that I would have with students (106 of them) who stole my heart and became part of my "family". THEN.. I had to turn the page and prepare for another group of of lovelies. Even after seventeen years of doing the "job" and doing it well, I was forced to change the way I do it and prepare lessons in a brand new way. Although I CAN.. I fought the I DON'T WANT TOs!! I was given two hours to make a great first impression and try to learn all the new students' names. You see.. they will remember mine and the reciprocal expectation is the least I can do. I have tried to build a "new team" with only two hours of actual time to meet and find common ground with adults who are also accustomed to "doing things their way".

Maybe I would finish with something like.. "How often do you move? How often do you change jobs? And would it be worth it to have a summer off to have to do it every ten months?" Hmmm.....

One last thought ... "If there were no schools to take the children away from home part of the time, the insane asylums would be filled with mothers." ~Edgar W. Howe