Teaching Is an Emotional Rollercoaster

I really do enjoy my job, but it is common for me to have a rough day where I question my purpose, my abilities, and quite honestly whether or not the emotional roller coaster of teaching is worth the pay.

Let's just say that the lesson delivery is the easy part of my job; the worry and concern I take home with me about what some of my students are going through, the future of education and what MY COLLEAGUES have to deal with (I'm talking about you, APPR, and common core) are the things that really makes my job difficult.

And for those of you that are reading this and saying "but you get more vacation time than any other profession," I say "yep. And I have a master's degree, ten years of experience, make (barely) 50k, can't pee at work unless someone tells me it's ok, AND am responsible for undoing the damage society (ahem, parents) have done to our children. We are actors, social workers, counselors, parents, and now statisticians.  We earn THAT time off, however, during summer months most of us are going into school, and developing plans, learning new content, or (sitting at our pools) PINNING (God bless Pinterest) ways to make ourselves better at our jobs," so it is really "time off"?

Whew, that vent was a little over due... now, yesterday was one of the days that I really envied the people that have jobs that they are able to walk away from at the end of the day, without worry and regard. As I mentioned in a previous post, I am having foot surgery today, which will keep me out of work until after the new year. I tried everything to NOT have the surgery, including calling my insurance company and trying to get them NOT to cover it. I am scared out of my wits about this, and honestly, the insurance company phone call was not my proudest moment. However, my last day of work prior to this surgery was so crazy that I have drafted a list of the things I would rather have done than worked yesterday:

1.) had foot surgery- yes, a day early...preventing me from walking, driving, working and caring for myself and my family a whole day earlier.

2.) gone to walmart with my dad...that man can make friends with ANYONE (and although we tease him relentlessly about this, it's the part of his personality that we love and admire the most!)

3.) stood in line at the DMV.

4.) had a pap smear.

5.) delivered a baby, without an epidural.

6.) had jury duty.

7.) rolled in poison ivy

8.) called the insurance company to listen to all of their menu options.

9.) shopped for a bathing suit.

I really was shooting for ten, but I JUST CAN'T GET PAST that I would have rather shopped for a bathing suit. I mean, when a girl says that she would have rather stood in front of a mirror in something spandex, trying to cover as much and as little of her body at the same time, you should pour her a TALL glass of something that isn't milk--because her day must have been pretty bad. For Realz.

I couldn't finish this without saying that I do appreciate the opportunity that teaching allows me. It allows me to filter all of the c-r-a-p that is negatively affecting education today, and put my kid-friendly spin on it. I may need reminders on bad days, but the opportunity that my job has allowed me and the impact that perhaps isn't always visible is WHY I teach.  I teach because I am committed to making the best out of the kids I work with, to focus on what is important in the LIVES of the kids, and to filter the stuff that isn't. Now, off to surgery, so I can walk normally while doing all of that. (Side note: I will surely enjoy peeing whenever I want for the next six weeks).