Wednesday
September 14, 2016

     Teaching is hard.  Really hard.  It's true what they say about "there's no tired like teacher-tired."  No one tells you that when you first start out.  Or maybe they do, but you’re too idealistic to listen or believe them.  After 5 years in the classroom, I’ve realized that this job doesn’t get any easier over time concerning what we’re asked to do.  In fact, I think that it gets harder because we begin to realize what responsibility we carry.  Oh, I’ve got more resources at my fingertips, I know my objectives, and I can turn out a mean lesson plan.  But nothing, and I mean nothing, can prepare you for every twist and turn that the classroom can throw at you.  
     I’ve been through a lot in 5 years of teaching.  No more than any other teacher, but definitely no less.  I have my own story to tell and just one part of that is that I don’t like to ask for help.  I don’t like to seem like I can’t take care of things.  I have a terrible independent streak and I like to just do things myself.  Sometimes that works well for me as a teacher, but other times… not so much.  
     This past week has been… interesting.  Not terrible, just dealing with a student issue that I’ve never dealt with before.  I tried to do it on my own but it could not be done.  And for this situation, I don’t think any one person could do it on their own.  But the beautiful thing is, I don’t have to.  I have been blessed to work in a place where all I have to do is say the word and I have teachers and office staff there.  And this morning, I couldn’t even get out the words, “I need help,” before I saw beside of me a fellow teacher doing way more than I could have expected of her.  Then I look behind me and there are two more teachers at the ready.  I look up and down the hall and I see a guidance counselor and a person from the office ready to take over.  They both stayed in my classroom to make sure our day began smoothly.  They both checked in later to make sure everything was ok.  I could not have asked from them anymore.  And this is not the only time this week.  This is for the THIRD time this week.  Once things calmed down, all those involved just went about their day as if it was not a big deal what they had just done.  They all walked away and I knew that I had just witnessed something truly amazing happen.