I can’t believe how ready I was to return to school yesterday. To be back from break. I had a good two weeks off and of course I wouldn’t have minded a little more time off, but surprisingly I was really looking forward to returning to school. I honestly don’t know when the last time I’ve felt this way about a holiday break ending.
This year has been different for me. I’m not as stressed as I would normally be. This school year is more relaxed, which is taking some getting used to. This is the first year that I’ve had this sense of freedom EVER in my career. I’ve never not taught a state tested subject until this year, so I’m starting to feel as if I can be like famed singer Jill Scott and “live my life like its Golden”!
The pressure is gone. This would normally be the time of year that I would be preparing my students for their test, with intensity. Obviously preparation begins as soon as the first lesson is taught in August, but after Winter Break lessons are taught with even more rigor.
Yesterday, before I left to go home, I felt as if a weight had been lifted off my shoulders. For one thing, I was able to leave work on time. I’m normally not able to do that, so it felt odd. Like there was something that I had forgotten to do. There seems to always be something for me to do that didn’t get done during the day or something that urgently must be handled for the next day. There’s always copies to run, power points to complete, parent calls to make, emails to catch up on, grading, or revising lessons. I’m not used to this feeling of release; at least not in January. I normally tend to feel burden-less after my subject’s state test has been given, which is around April or May (school ends in late May).
There’s always this pressure for your students to do really well. As if their scores are a reflection of the teachers ability to teach. This can be a bit stressful since it’s as though many students seem to not really care about testing or classwork until it’s actually time for testing or report cards. I’ve always been made to feel that the only way to prove I’m “doing my job” well, is if my students show that they are passing these mandated state tests. A high passing rate means a teacher is fulfilling their job requirements of teaching! #sarcasm
If these tests were very necessary for student scholastic success, then why aren’t they required in private schools? I’ve always gone above and beyond in making sure my students are prepared and ready, but the excess pressures that are added on to an already stressful job is unnecessary. It begs you to ask the question, “What did I do in life to deserve this torturous hell on Earth”?
So again, yes. Yes, Yes, Yes!!! I am glad to no longer be under the heal of oppression. It’s actually helped me to look forward to coming in to work…on a Monday and after a two week break!
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- Featured Image Photo Credit: weareteachers.org
- Photo Credit: Jill Scott album cover/UK version:Sbme Import
- Photo Credit: Bugs Bunny/Daffy Duck/: freedomworks.org/Looney Tunes
- Photo Credit: Comic Strip: Oregon Saving Our Schools
- Photo Credit: memegenerator.net
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