“Teaching is Hard”

Back during Induction, which seems like several years ago but was really only 4 four weeks ago, everyone kept saying “Teaching is hard, teaching is hard, teaching is hard…” and I was like I get it, teaching is hard. But you know what, teaching is hard.

You’re acting all the time, it’s a constant presentation, you’re in the spotlight at all times. There are 13 people who are literally depending on you to change their lives. It’s a pressure cooker up there in front of the room, with staff members in the back observing.

Flexibility is a necessity. The projector breaks, you can’t find your assessments for the day, you didn’t make enough copies of the guided notes, you lost the rough draft of Junior’s essay, the air conditioning is broken.

The planning takes hours, maybe an hour per lesson plan, and then the revising and copying and printing takes even longer.

But it’s wonderful. The best part of my day is the hour when I’m up in the front of the classroom, writing notes on a transparency on the projector, asking for questions, checking for understanding, improving my practice. I love teaching. I love the look of “Aha!” when one of my kids “gets” it, or the pride on one of their faces if they got a 100 on their daily assessment.

I definitely chose the right career path.

peace and love from the grand canyon state (actually the part that’s right next to the Hoover Dam because I’m stuck in traffic o my way to Vegas for the 4th),

pb