Beginning-of-the-Year Tired

I love teachers. LOVE them. As I work toward the finish line of this Ph.D., it has become crystal clear to me that my professional passion is teachers. I want to do any and everything I can to support them. This unusual start to the school year has shown me once again how incredible teachers are.

Every spring there are always posts and memes about "There's no 'tired' like end-of-year-teacher tired!" and every spring I roll my eyes at that claim.

I can't speak for anyone else, but for me, I can always see the light at the end of tunnel in the spring. The excitement about summer break keeps me going, even through the stress of testing and wrapping up the school year. By spring each year, my classroom was running like a well-oiled machine; I knew my kids and they knew me and we had a rapport that made things easy.

 

Sounds nice, right?

 

Well that is decidedly NOT the case in the fall! There's a to-do list that gets two items added to it for every one item that's crossed off. After spending a week setting up my room and another week in back-to-school meetings, it was finally time to meet the kids and by the end of the first week with them, I was spent. Getting to know them as people and as students, teaching them daily routines, setting the expectations, reassuring them that it's going to be a great year, and convincing myself of the same. I was always in a state of uneasiness for the first part of the year, constantly questioning if we'd have enough time to do everything we needed to do, if I'd be able to prepare them for the challenges they'd face in middle school, and if they would feel safe and loved when they were with me.

 

It was exhausting. Completely and utterly exhausting.

 

Now that I'm no longer a classroom teacher, things are different; distance learning has made things very different.

 

Even so, as I sit here on the Friday night of the first officially week of school, I am exhausted.

 

But I am NOWHERE NEAR as tired as the amazing teachers I work with. I've watched them for the past four weeks toil endlessly to prepare and plan for the unknown. I've seen them persevere through issues and uncertainties – technology or otherwise – while remaining calm and steady for their students. They are being questioned and scrutinized at every turn and that alone would be enough to break some people's spirits. But not these teachers! Their optimism and positivity is absolutely inspiring!

 

I know they are exhausted beyond words tonight. It has been a very long week and they've earned this weekend break a million times over. I hope they know that they're irreplaceable and that what they do – showing up each day for their students and giving everything they have to making a difference in their students' lives – does not go unnoticed.

 

So I will continue to disagree about the so-called "end-of-the-year tired."

 

There's no tired like beginning-of-the-year tired - especially this year!

 

Happy Tails to you!