Monday, and all is well!

Hi! I hope that today finds you well!

I have had a very good Monday, and I must admit, am a little surprised by that fact. I spent a lot of time this weekend working on schoolwork. I passed out progress reports today, reminded them of the homework packet accompanying their test for tomorrow, and then took questions pertaining to the tests in my classes. I am a little stunned. I am actually up with where I'm supposed to be! And tomorrow, tests all day, so after first block, I can grade the previous block's tests!

Okay, I realize that this is probably drivel to those of you who are out there with real jobs, but I'm telling you, I've worked in a "real" job (industrial engineering for the longest) and nothing is as exhausting (or as rewarding) as teaching. Getting everything organized, making sure you're doing things to help your students (Don't laugh, some teachers don't think about helping students!), and doing the things that your county/state/etc. wants you to takes QUITE a bit of coordination. But as I said, if you love teaching, all the exhaustion and the stress and the mania is worth it. I'm not sure how anyone who is a high school teacher (teacher at any level for that matter) rolls in at 7:45 and rolls out at 3:30. I am just not that organized yet. I don't know how you don't stay later and help your (or other teachers') students who need help. I don't know how you don't listen to your students' music so you know what they're dialed into. I don't know how you don't watch some of the television shows they watch, at least a symbolic amount that you can tolerate. I don't know how you don't go to their sporting events. I don't know what I'd do if I were married with a family. I really do love my job and the kids I work with. There are MANY, MANY students out there who need adults who are there for them. That, I see is my main job. Along with telling my trig students about drop/add and scheduling classes in college, telling my freshmen that they need to start off well and can have as many choices as possible when it gets to their college possibilities, and telling my tech/career students that there are actually very few careers/jobs that you don't have to know math to do (at least ones that you don't have to look out for the po-po).

Wow, this has wound up sounding like propaganda for some "Hey, You've Gotta Teach" website. It's not. It's the way I really feel and to be honest, I'm a little scared.

So, I'll savor this moment of happiness and go watch something on the DVR, or go to the gym, or read. Reading sounds SUBLIME!