I am finding myself feeling so overwhelmed the last few weeks. Is there ever going to be enough time to complete everything?? I have found papers getting back logged in grading, planning not being considered until last minute, and a constant list of meetings to plan for daily.
I am realizing in the midst of the craziness that I really need to sit back and think: What is most important and beneficial for my kids at school? Is planning a week in advance really beneficial? Or should I focus more on getting my kids their feedback back on their work? I want the piles to disappear in my room and the "To Do List" to get checked off, but that does not seem to be benefiting my students. After all, my desk being full of papers to get to has earned the nickname "Tornado Ally" from my class this year. Is that really a bad thing? They are using analogies in a practical way!
I am quickly realizing that it is the intentional planning based on our previous learning and class discussions that day or the day before that is more important than sticking to my original plans made a week ago. I am finding that checking in with my students and giving them feedback on their practice is more valuable than making my practice pages "pretty" or putting everything away in my classroom everyday. What is valuable and worth my time and focus is what impacts the kids and their learning the most.
Time is unfortunately not infinite and I am having to learn the balance of that in such a real way. I can't work on school work 24/7. My kids will never have a teacher that understands the world they live in or can discuss the current events that affect them now and later if I don't balance. I will burn myself out of the profession before I know it if I keep it up. I have to have time for the things in life that are more important to me like family. This is modeling it for my class. They will need to have the ability to balance their time someday and I need to model that life skill for them.
I love my job and I want to be the best I can be at it (and the perfectionist in me is convinced that more time will make that happen :-)), but I will have to accept that I will never be perfect. After all, who ever met a teacher that said he/she was perfect at his/her job and he/she was done learning and improving his/her practice?
Wooohooo! Love this post. And it resonates for me after 25 years of teaching. I always feel this way in early to mid October. Overwhelmed and reflecting on what matters. It is a constant revision of our priorities to do what is best for kids. Balance is key--and something I have to remind myself of every year as a teacher.
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