I Can’t Do It All... And That Will Have to Be Okay

-
This week has been crazy. But I suppose that could be said for every week. It’s always just exceptionally so any time you come back from an extended time away from the classroom. 

It seemed like every one needed something from me this week that I just couldn’t give. A deadline to be met. An email to be responded to. A problem to be resolved. An issue to be investigated. A situation once thought to be finished yet continuing to be a thorn in the flesh. 

This calendar year has brought a lot of growth for me - personally and professionally. And I can’t help the feeling that this school year will do the same. I tell a lot of my 20-something friends that awakening into your 30s changes things. And I do think that’s true. I am a different woman now than I was then. And I’m a different woman today than I was a year ago. Maybe that’s the point... never being the same person you were yesterday, or a week ago, or a month ago, or a year ago... most definitely a decade ago. Either way, I’m finding my voice. 

I’m finding my voice to say “no.” Don’t get me wrong... I will bend over backwards for my students, their families, my supportive coworkers. But I am not perfect. I am broken. I am struggling. But I do my best. I think they know that. I hope they know that. But I borrowed this lovely and posted it to my social media last night because it resonated deep within me. 



I can’t do it all. And that’s going to have to be okay. I am just a human, and an imperfect one at that. I can’t keep containing the feeling and dwelling on it that I’m never quite good enough for anyone. Am I the only teacher who feels this way?  I read an article on teacher depression last night, and it broke my heart. Surely I’m not the only one. 

But I have to reprioritize my life as I figure out this new me. That has meant telling people I love “no” and that kills me. But I cannot take care of everyone around me when I’m not taking care of myself. I cannot give to others when my cup is empty. I will never be perfect but I will give my best, after I make sure I take care of my wellness needs first. I no longer think that’s selfish. Maybe my perspective about that isn’t right, but I can’t help anyone if I’m dead inside. 

I’m not able to do it all. I used to think I could, but I’m different now. I can’t do it all, and that’s going to have to be okay. 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

#2getherwearebetter: My Home Office

-
Image
I must begin this post by reminding myself of that ever-meaningful adage, "Comparison is the thief of joy."  When I look at all the other amazingly cute work spaces, so pristine and color-coordinated , I feel so disorganized and (honestly) a little jelly at how appealing my peers' work areas are. So I must remind myself that my home office space is a work in progress (and for that matter, I am too)!  Literally...I'm in the middle of an office overhaul right now. That's one of my major summer projects. But here's my work so far... (I will not compare myself to others, I will not compare myself to others, I will not compare myself to others...LOL!) So here's a sneak peek into my current situation ... The main attraction is my new desk area, created by two filing cabinets and a wooden door.  I wish I had taken a "before" pic of the monstrosity of a desk that was there before.  I had had it since I was a teenager, so it had a go...
Read more

TpT Seller Challenge: Week 1: Makeover Madness

-
Image
I'm really excited to accept the TpT Seller Challenge hosted by the fabulous ladies at Third in Hollywood , Teach Create Motivate , Peppy Zesty Teacherista , and Sparkling in Second .  Sometimes being a seller can be difficult to balance with our other life roles, so we're taking on one task at a time ...together.  The "pre-task" was collecting our social media stats .  This week was so busy that I noted mine on Tuesday morning, but I got distracted and didn't post them to Instagram until today!  So here's where I'm beginning ... This week is the official first week of the challenge , and this week's task was a Makeover Madness challenge.  We were supposed to take an existing product in our stores and give it a little "face lift."  We were free to design and re-design however we wanted, as long as we shared/blogged about our "before and after" and shared it with the other challengers. I took on my product " How to...
Read more

Back to School Linky: Behavior Management

-
Image
I'm really excited to participate in the Back to School Linky with Miss V's Busy Bees and Mrs. D's Corner.  This week's posts are focused on behavior management. Let's start with my philosophy on behavior management...I believe behavior management is strongly rooted in classroom procedures.  When there are clear expectations and those expectations are clearly articulated to your students, behavior management takes care of itself. A friend and co-teacher of mine has taken me on as her mentor project, so to speak.  She lent me some of her materials from Harry Wong, THE behavior and classroom management guru.  One of those items she lent me was an audio book .  One of the comments that Mr. Wong made in that audio really made me rethink my entire behavior plan in my classroom.  He clearly explained the difference between rules and procedures .  We shouldn't be overly focused on rules, per se, and we should only have 5 real rules at the most.  ...
Read more