Exhausted

There's no exhausted like end of the year teacher exhausted. Being a senior teacher, it is much worse, and this is the only time of year I wish that I still taught freshmen. No, strike that thought. I DO NOT miss teaching freshmen at all.

There's a sense of accomplishment when I realize that I've graded over 100 papers (77 2-3 page papers, 19 5-page papers, 10 2-page reviews, and 10 approximately 40-page creative writing portfolios) in the past month. But then there's the side of me that wonders, "What the f* was she thinking by assigning all of that on top of the usual in-class essays, quizzes, book reports, and other writing?"

I have to.

The world is such a competitive place these days, and I need to make sure that my students can think and write creatively and independently in a world that is hell-bent on making them acquiesce to a certain aesthete: data collectors.

Many teachers I know are worn out and tired from fighting for our students, what feels like against all odds, but we do it.

I know teaching overshadows my writing, and it pains me to admit that, but I look forward to my breaks so that I can pursue my dreams.

I'll be sharing more of my writing over the summer, plus a few book reviews. I finished a book this morning while waiting for finals to be done for the day so I could throw away some old projects, papers, and books (all of a sudden moving to a new classroom isn't as much fun as I thought it would be! Ha!), and I intend to post that soon for all of you waiting for a great summer read!