Reinventing Fabulous

Happy Martin Luther King Day everybody! I hope you just woke up (LATE!) and are lingering over coffee and Matt Lauer. Don’t late anybody hate on your day off. Just savor it, friends, savor it. (And for those of you who don’t have the day off or perhaps in some sort of workshop…sorry?)

Here I am, more than halfway through this January challenge to post every day and I feel like I have nothing to write about. (Insert hilarious story about my cat or what happened last night while I was making dinner here.) (Don’t worry, I won’t really do that to you.) (Today.)

Writing everyday has forced me to reinvent myself. I can’t rely solely on one type of post anymore. (Meaning, I won’t just be complaining anymore…I mean, I just won’t stop all together because I think that would be impossible, but it will definitely be sprinkled with things like advice, positivity, hilarity and commentary about goings-on in the news and other media.) At first, I was afraid to reinvent myself. (Why mess with a good thing, right?) But I realized that, I am no stranger to reinvention. As a teacher, I had to reinvent myself all the time to save my sanity, to find my Zen place where I was a good teacher and not a clock-fearing, schedule-whipped, overworked crazy person with more To Dos than coherent thoughts. Sometimes within the same week, the same day, or even the same hour. (Hey, assembly week was rough.)

I mean, how many times did I have to reinvent myself (and my plans) when there were weeks WEEKS I felt like I never saw my friends because I spent all my time ALL MY TIME in various professional development sessions held during the school day and a slew of meetings that I didn’t ask for and really didn’t want to attend? I mean, maybe I’m wrong, but I thought teachers actually spent time with the children during the school day. Who knows though, I’m also the same person who thinks teachers are smart enough to be able to push the buttons on the new photo copier, but we’re not allowed to do that either so I guess being in control of our own time is a lot to ask. Bitter, party of one? Your table is ready. (Lea, hope you don’t mind – had to use it! Too good!) After countless hours spent in the company of other adults, I really had to pull my you-know-what together and reinvent myself for my friends.

And how many times did I have a terrible week, I MEAN A TERRIBLE WEEK, where everyone seemed to have forgotten where the hell we are and all the rules that had been firmly in place forever?? Does that ever happen to you? Usually, it’s after a long break and the kids come back all fabulous and cute the first day but the the next day OH THE NEXT DAY we all act like we don’t know any of the rules anymore or where Mrs. Mimi has kept the extra erasers for the last 102 school days? So you need to take a breathe (and perhaps get yourself to the nearest happy hour) and begin anew, with a whole new refresher course on the rules and the way we treat each other. Reinvention #473.

Or, what about all the times that you’re dutifully following your plan, sticking to the schedule, are a slave to the Powers That Be when you realize, “HOLY CRAP, I’M BORED!” And then, like the brilliant teacher that you are, you scrap the plans and reinvent yourself to be an exciting and engaging teacher once more. (Hopefully.)

So I guess really not all that new to reinventing myself. But just (for my ego) for my notes, what types of posts are you most interested in seeing from Mrs. Mimi in the future? (Links and commentaries to recent articles, advice, hilarious memories from classrooms past, general teacher hilarity….you tell me.) I mean, we do have 13 more days until the end of January and I might just keep going after that…

Consider yourself warned.