Plop. Plop. Plop. Plopplop. My Principal started laughing as we watched the suitcases travel up the ramp and plop down onto the luggage carousel. It set off a chain reaction, and soon myself and my two fellow math Teachers standing beside us joined in. Why was this so funny? Maybe due to the fact that it was midnight and we were all seriously lacking sleep as we stood waiting on our luggage at KCI airport after taxing ourselves at ISTE2016. Maybe it was because everyone else in our group had already picked up their suitcases and were on their merry ways home before the luggage carousel broke, leaving us Final Four playing the waiting game. Maybe it was the “slightly” turbulent airplane ride from Denver to Kansas City that left one lady with her head down on her pull-out tray table and her hands over her ears. I did laugh, once I knew she was okay. I think we sometimes get so wrapped up in life - in STRESS - that we forget to take a step back and find things to smile about. Take it from me...stress will burn you out. It happens before you know it. One day, you're fine. The next day, you're fried. Anyone who is an educator (and by educator, I mean everyone who has anything to do with the school system whatsoever - teachers, administrators, coaches, custodians, secretaries...the list goes on), and anyone who is friends with or who is married to an educator, knows our jobs don't start when we walk through the classroom door in the morning, and they don't stop when we leave at night, and they certainly do not end when summer begins. If we aren't working on figuring how to make our lessons more relevant and engaging, we're grading. If we aren't grading, we're answering emails. We're coming up with the next play for the team, figuring out the logistics of a community service project our kids want to provide, planning rehearsal schedules for the upcoming musical, trying to diffuse a situation between a teacher and an upset parent, or making seemingly never-ending to-do lists that grow by three more items whenever we cross one item off. When we do have time to catch our breath, our minds often wander to Johnny, who said his parents were getting a divorce and life was bad at home, or to Susie, who looked like she'd just lost her best friend the other day but said she was fine when asked how she was doing. Couple all of this with our own responsibilities at home, making sure our families know they're loved and taken care of, and it creates a pretty full plate. I'm writing this post before the school year begins, in the midst of all the heartbreaking violence that has taken place in our country recently, in hopes of remembering to re-read it during the ugly times and take a step back before the stress takes over. We have to remember to give ourselves, and each other, a break. Jimmy V said it best (refer to the quote, and if you want to see his full speech, just click on the image, wherever it's located on this page...it moves every time I edit it;). I personally like #1 the most, because there is always funny, even in the mundane. You might have to look for it...but I guarantee, somewhere, there's a suitcase plopping down onto a luggage carousel just for you. Until next time, Sheri P. S. - Blog skill update: I posted this one totally on my own...even the image (hands raised in "hallelujah" position emoji, although it doesn't look right on the mobile version). I will conquer the Almighty Blog. P. P. S. - Anyone find spellcheck yet?
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