Keep Driving

Teaching is hard. Very hard. Each year is like playing a card game. There are years when the hand you are dealt is manageable. And then there are years when you are given a hand that you are quite sure will need a miracle intervention in order to survive. This year is one of the challenging ones. I have been blessed with a couple of relatively good years so it is my turn in the cosmos of educational card decks to hit the speed bump. The phrase “Hit me” has taken on new meaning. There are days when I would rather take a physical hit or two than face down one more session of thirty students who need more than one person could ever possibly provide.

Let me describe a sample middle school class period.

Topic: How to use a dichotomous key.

Level of difficulty: Effort and application of a new skill required.

Me: Working like a mad woman, trying to demonstrate, explain, model and guide.

Student One (30 seconds into the lesson): "I don't get this."

Student Two: "Can I to go to the bathroom?"

Student Three: "Student One is looking at me."

Student Four (moving into to my personal space): "I feel like I’m going to throw up."

Student Five (head down on the desk): "I’m not going to do this."

Student Six (giving me the stink eye and muttering under her breath): "This sucks."

Student Seven: "I don’t have a pencil."

Student Eight (sneaking one more round of Cookie Crush on his Chromebook): "I still don’t know what you’re talking about."

Student Nine (walking in late): "I lost my binder."

Student Ten: "Student Seven just said a bad word."

Student Eleven: "I don't have an eraser."

Student Twelve (tapping pencil furiously): "What time does this class get over?"

Me (still teaching like a mad woman): "I believe we can do this. Let's try again."

Well, you get the point. It’s exhausting and I wish I was making this all up. I’m not. That was Friday. I've blanked out the other four days of the week.

Before you feel too sorry for me, please know that I willingly signed up for this gig and, by Gumby, I intend to persevere. Teaching is not for the faint of heart and despite the fact that I have at least one day a week that I long to be the sample lady at my local grocery store, I still believe in my profession. I also have many little peeps who are counting on me to provide them with an education that will take them into a future they aren't even sure about yet. For every "I don't get this", there is a "I want to know more." 

No surprise that the squeaky wheel is louder than the smooth rolling, fully functioning tires. It is my job to find a way to safely and productively drive this vehicle to the end of another academic year, speed bumps and all. 

Student Thirteen (intently following along): "You know, I think we're just having trouble with this because it's Friday."

Thank you, Student Thirteen. I'm going to cling to your words of encouragement and continue to believe in another new day.