As I sit and write this post, I am a fresh 1 hour and 45 minutes into my summer break. “Yeah teaching is so great, you get summers off.” *Eye roll* Yes, it is great and yes, I do get summers “off.” (Let’s not forget about summer professional development, lesson planning, constant worrying about your babies because you don’t get to see them every day, but ya know, what do I know?) And for your information, summers “off” aren’t all that fun when most of your friends are still in work. I’m working as a part time super nanny, part time volunteer, part time kickballer, part time book reader, and full time dog mom.

ANYWAY…

I’m not going to make you read about how much work I do, how much of my own money I spend, or how much money I SHOULD get versus what I DO get. I do want to give the average reader a list of analogies and scenarios to describe the nine months in my classroom and probably most classrooms. So here we go…

Teaching is…

…herding cats.

…like working out. I hate it sometimes, but in the end, I’m glad I did it. It was worth the few rough sessions for feeling accomplished and productive.

…giving a big presentation to potential clients, every day all day long.

…winning the championship game.

…losing the championship game.

…cursing a lot in your head.

Teaching is…

…getting lost in a big city.

….getting lost in a big city with no one that speaks your language.

…getting lost in a big city with 100 teenagers.

…exploring a new city.

…putting out a dozen fires at once.

…finishing a 1000 piece  jigsaw puzzle. It takes a lot of time, very tedious, sometimes frustrating and annoying, but DAMN does it feel good when it’s done. You did something, you used your brain. You made art.

…training squirrels.

…training dolphins.

Teaching is…

…winning a game of Catan. Skill and a little bit of luck.

…watching your house plants grow. Slow and steady. Don’t notice it right away, but over time– HUGE changes.

…attempting to make a Buckingham Palace guard laugh.

…juggling.

…juggling fire.

…juggling fire, an iPad, and a ½ full water bottle as you catch it mid-flip, and a fidget spinner.

…cooking a full course meal with no recipes, no sous chefs, just hungry, annoyed, unamused guests.

Teaching is…

…spending the extra two minutes after class to talk to your ‘rowdy’ one about his living situation. He just needs someone to talk to.

…talking your student down after a boy said something mean to her in the hallway after lunch.

…dabbing for the first (and last) time at the end of the school year and watching them all FREAK OUT because “she finally did it!”

…listening.

…learning.

…taking a summer to reflect, reboot, replan, and get ready for the next year.

This year started off rough, reaaaallll rough. I didn’t know if I could do it at times. With a change of attitude and a new perspective, I can actually say that I love being a middle school teacher. Will I do it forever? Maybe. But until I figure out the rest of my life, I’m going to start packing for my first camping trip of the summer. Smell ya later!

-C