It's like climbing a hill. You start slowly, then you set your pace and feel pretty good about your progress. Then the hard climbing starts, right around mid-November. You sweat, cry, have moments of temporary insanity, and contemplate quitting, but you keep going until you reach...CHRISTMAS VACATION!!!! You drop to your knees in a Brandi Chastain-like fashion (without ripping off your jersey, of course)...YESSSSSS!!!!! WE MADE IT!!!! So many days off, so much time to do whatever we want to do!!!
And then after our two-week (or longer) hiatus, reality sets in. We start thinking about our to-do list in order to prepare for second semester. We start complaining about Christmas break not being long enough. We start dreading the day we have to set our alarms for dark-thirty in the morning again. We start wondering, "Do I even remember my password? Oh god, where are my school keys? Where is my BADGE? How am I going to get into the building?!?? What am I supposed to eat for lunch?" And then the biggest reality of all..."I have to retrain my BLADDER!!!" And then we pull the covers back over our heads and revert to the fetal position for a few more minutes. Let's go back to something before we move forward. When I worked in the business world, I got two days off for Christmas. DAYS, not WEEKS. When I worked real estate deals during the holidays, I would get calls on Christmas day from people wanting to see houses, or inquiring about houses I had listed for sale, or anything related to houses, the housing market, painting a house, etc., etc., etc. REALLY? Are you CRAZY? Go be with your FAMILY! I know you have one! I've seen them! Have you no boundaries? I had to shut my phone completely off before my mouth said something my brain couldn't stop from coming out. When I went into education back in 2005, I felt like I'd hit the jackpot. Who gets that much time off for breaks? Sure, by the middle of December we feel like we deserve it, and we do need time away from school to refresh ourselves, to relax, to re-focus. We spend an abundance of hours doing what it takes to help our students be successful during the school year and summer, (although some who are not in the field of education would disagree because they don't see all the behind-the-scenes work it takes to give our kids the education they need - but that's none of my business. Insert a picture of Kermit with a tea cup here). But hopefully, during these breaks, we are able to remember our big WHY. Why did we decide to become teachers, counselors, administrators, coaches, athletic directors, social workers, sponsors, etc., in the first place? Is is because we are passionate about our subject area or our specific job duties? Maybe. However, I don't know any administrator who has said, "YES!!! I get to go back to school and work on our BUDGET! My life's purpose is complete!!!" Or a teacher who says, "I cannot wait to do MATH PROBLEMS over and over again every day!!" Or the athletic director who says, "Woo-hoo!!! I get to meet with a bunch of other ADs and schedule games for every single sport for the next school year!" But those are the same people whose eyes light up when they see kids walking back into their building after a long break. They are the ones standing in the halls, ready to fist-bump every kid that passes by, even giving hugs when needed, welcoming them back with open arms. They are the ones who, during a vacation, think about their kids and wonder how they're doing. They worry about the kids from broken homes and hope they don't return to school even more broken than they were before they left for vacation. They think about the kids who seem to have it all and hope those kids realize how blessed they are. Bottom line, it's tough - for educators and students alike - to get back into a routine after having time off. But we are so, so blessed. We are blessed to have this unexplainable calling that not many other people get to experience. We are blessed to be a part of these kids' lives for the short time we have them in class. We are blessed to be their safe haven. Have you ever really took time to ponder the fact that some of our kids love seeing us more than they love seeing their parents? Take time to chew on that fact for a while. Remember the nice notes and shout-outs students have given to you. Remember the face of the student who finally had the "light bulb moment." Remember the student who thanked you for coming to watch his game, or the one that hugged you after her performance in the school musical and thanked you for being there. Remember the funny conversations you have had with your students that, at times, have left you in tears because you were laughing so hard. Remember the camaraderie with your co-workers and the moments when all you can do is shake your head, roll your eyes, and laugh with each other. When you strip away all the other "stuff" that goes with education and get to the core of why we do what we do, you will find that we don't have it so bad. Not many people in other fields get to form the kind of bond we form with our students and co-workers. We truly have hit the jackpot. So, as I sit here in my PJs with my second cup of coffee and catch up on email, fine-tune PD presentations, wrap my brain around what my students need to learn next, and give the house one final cleaning before the craziness starts again, I'm excited about seeing my kids. I'm feeling antsy to get this second semester learning party started. I hope you're feeling antsy to get started again too. Happy 2017! Do epic stuff this year. Sheri P.S. - I've lost spellcheck. No, seriously...the icon that used to be is gone. And today, I'm too impatient to try to find it. P.P.S. - Update: found it.
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