So here it is, my first blog post of the new school year. I seem to have taken an unintentional blogging vacation over the summer. I’ve just had about two and a half months off from my teaching job and have worked at my part time job off and on when the sports team is in town. It’s really been a great summer, one of my favorites. Now some of you may already be muttering under your breath about me having this summer “vacation,” and let me tell you, it’s one of the things I love about being a teacher. We work hard for this time off and we enjoy every minute of it!
I thought I would recount the days leading up to this first day of school and how most teachers deal with this time.
Wednesday…really early in the morning…
The alarm goes off before the sun is up (mind you, I have not set an alarm in months). It’s the first day of teacher meetings and inservice. It’s a long day of listening to new information, reconnecting with the staff, and preparing for the start of a new year. Sounds easy, right? Well, it’s actually really exhausting. Not only are you taking in all of this new information, you realize that you are WAY behind in your classroom prep, and start worrying how you will ever be ready for Monday. When you get home, it’s a mad panic of typing, cutting, gluing, etc. in hopes that you will feel more prepared. You go to bed exhausted and may have made more work for yourself than you had originally planned.
Thursday…really early in the morning…
You wake up 12 times before the alarm goes off because you are so afraid you will oversleep from the exhaustion of the day before. That’s frustrating. When the alarm goes off you have to drag yourself out of bed because you’ve been up off and on for the last 3 hours. Another long day of meetings, eating lunch as fast as you possibly can, more meetings. And to top it off: Open House. You hope your classroom looks “ready” enough for students and families to see.
Thursday…later that evening…
You go home completely wiped out. You may fall asleep before your head actually hits the pillow.
Friday…the last day…
This morning, you do not need to get up for school. It’s a non-contracted day, which means that you will under no circumstances get up really early and go to school because you WILL enjoy this last day of summer. It is of course the morning that your child chooses to wake up before the sun comes up. Who needs to sleep in anyway?
This is both the best day and the hardest day. Usually you plan something fun for this day, however, you know in the back of your mind that this is the last day you will have off for sometime. I chose to work at my other job. Why? I still don’t know…
Saturday…the weekend...
Saturday’s are always great, and this one is no exception. Again, I worked, but I still got some family and friends time in.
Sunday…the day before…
So here it is. It’s the day before the first day of school. You knew it was coming, you tried to ignore it, but all of a sudden it’s here. You see Facebook updates of everyone trying to hang on to their last day of summer (you even write one or two yourself). That excited feeling you had as a child is still there but add a little stress, a little worry, and a whole lot of exhaustion and that’s how a teacher feels. The promise of what a new school year will bring is always exciting and always something to look forward to, but it’s not an easy job.
Monday…bright and early…
The alarm goes off, you spring out of bed, put on your "first day of school outfit" and out the door you go. You greet the children with a big smile because at this point, you really are glad to be back. The day flies by and before you know it, the kids are on their way home. You’ve been talking and standing all day and you're tired. And somehow, you're still full of energy, it’s new, it’s exciting, and it’s fun.
Teaching is fun. There I said it. It is. I love my job. I’m glad to be back, and soon I’ll actually get into a good routine (I’m looking forward to when that day comes).
By the next week, summer will seem like it was so long ago. Now you’re exhausted from the all the planning, teaching, and grading there is to do. It’s worth it though. It really and truly is.
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