School Boost Online

Dear Teacher: The person that shared this article with you loves you, cares about you, and wants you to know you’re not alone.

Let’s look at this sheet. It was given to me during my first year by an administrator whom I have immense respect for and will love forever, even though she would shake her head and chuckle at me for saying it.

Winter Break is typically two weeks long and includes Christmas and New Year’s Day. It’s an extremely wonderful period of time that teachers use to rest and recharge as much as possible, while catching up on things that get moved to the back burner during the school year like deep cleaning, organizing, and the like.

Notice that the rejuvenation phase happens right around Spring Break. Coincidence? I think not!

We’re in April 2023 right now, right at the end of Spring Break.

If I was going to be completely honest, part of me is dreading going back to school. It’s not because I hate my job – far from it.

It’s because I’ve been around this block before and I know that student behaviors tend to spike from this point onward until the end of the year.  It’s difficult by anyone’s standards, whether you’re in the pro leagues or a beginner. 

As a collective, will we press on and get the job done anyway? Of course we will.

That doesn’t mean that as human beings, we don’t struggle. It’s okay to say that. It’s not complaining: it’s just the nature of the profession. There are a lot of emotional highs and lows.

Dear Teacher that’s feeling the same way I am: hang in there. I’d rather sleep in tomorrow, too. I actually got some real, quality deep cleaning done around the house this week. This only happens when I feel rested. During the school year, that only happens for me during extended breaks.

Critics outside the classroom love to say that we get long breaks and as a result, we should not complain so much.

Truth is, teachers NEED them, desperately. It takes me a full week to recover from school and start to feel like my normal self again, and then it’s right back to school, which breeds a modicum of sadness. Even as I write this, my eye is twitching!

There is a famous quote circulating around Facebook (I’m not 100% sure of its veracity), that reads as follows:

Whether that’s actually true or not, it sounds pretty accurate. I was able to at least confirm that Dr. Tina Boogren is a teacher advocate who used to be on the front lines just like we are now.

Edit: Not knowing where this quote actually came from drove me nuts, and while I did not find its actual origin, I did find a great article by Jenny M. of EverydayTeacherStyle.com, who also ran into the exact same thing.

Great minds, right?

Kids look at what you say AND don’t say – what you do AND don’t do.  Whom you include and whom you DON’T include, AND they will attach a side comment with a verdict onto it…the list goes on and on.

They’re also terribly apt at zeroing in on and pointing out every single one of your shortcomings as they see them.  I have to make the choice daily to love them anyway.  I didn’t understand anything about being in the classroom until I became a teacher.  Nobody ever does, and nobody ever will.

So as someone on the front lines with you: look, if I can do it, you can do it. Send me a comment down below if you are in need of support or want to share your story.

We must help each other for the sake of these kids. Some of our kiddos don’t get kindness or love at home. All teen drama and exaggeration aside if you’re a middle school teacher, you truly NEVER KNOW what some of them are going through.

Let’s show up for those kids that are counting on us to be the only smile they see.  It hurts me to think about it, and it’s enough for me to drag my carcass out of bed.  Well, that and the fact that I set my alarm clock on the far side of the nightstand so I’m forced out of bed. 

If you know a teacher that could use some support right now, feel free to share this article.  It would help me a lot if you would like and subscribe to my mailing list, as this helps me grow my blog and share in the experience of teaching with so many of you. 

Only 5 days until Friday!