We Can Be Our Own Worst Enemies

I know that many of you have already reached the end of the road and may be reading this whilst sipping on a delicious cocktail.  (What I wouldn’t GIVE for a key lime martini!  *wipes away drool*  Man, that sounds good.)  However, there are others of you out there who are manning up and plowing through those last few days…those long, hard, hot few days that lie between you and a well needed and deserved break. (Any haters who are thinking something along the lines of, “Geez, teachers are such fiends for their precious time off” or anything that smacks of “must be nice”, please feel free to click elsewhere now or I may be forced to punch you in the neck.  I’m just sayin’.  Do us all a solid and keep it to yourself this time, capice?) 

Regardless of where you are in the whole school year time line, I know you are ALL either suffering from or recovering from end of the year burnout!

Can I get a “preach on!”?

Maybe a slow clap?

(‘Cuz I know I’m right.)

And you know what?  You know what sad realization I came to today as I chatted with some of my teacher friends and Super Colleagues?  We do a lot of it to ourselves.

*gasp!*

I know!  Shut the front door! 

Now you know that Mrs. Mimi hates to admit guilt/fault/anything negative but here, I think I must.  I have to. I NEED to.  Because, friends, we need to recognize the error of our ways.

The end of everyone’s school year is filled…and by filled, I mean PACKED…and by PACKED, I mean FREAKING RIDICULOUSLY OVERLOADED with paperwork, data collection and dissemination, report card writing/bubbling, organizing of the files, putting away of the classroom, mandatory meetings, planning for next year…poking yourself in the eye.    You know, to name one or two things that may or may not be on all of our plates. 

None of this is our fault. 

HOWEVER, then there are ALL THE OTHER THINGS that we TAKE ON OURSELVES because we are essentially YES PEOPLE who advocate fearlessly for the well-being of our little friends but for some reason – some INSANE REASON- we are unable to SAY NO to all the bullshit that is flung at us at the end.

The bitter end.

The bitter end when we are too burnt to say no and therefore end up in an overwhelmed hell of our own making. 

This is totes an uplifting post, eh?

Although I think it might be nice to know that if you’re feeling this sense of oh-my-God-when-will-it-all-just-stop-just-please-make-it-stop, you are not alone. 
You are not crazy. 
You are not a complainer.
You, my friend, are a teacher. 

Thank goodness we have our friends to help us remember the need to celebrate all of our victories from the long year, the need to relax and enjoy each others’ company before the last goodbye.

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5 Comments
  • Congratulations on the one-handed typing! Excellent new avatar!

    June 22, 2010 at 1:37 am
  • Could not have said it better myself. Have a wonderful, paperless summer.

    June 22, 2010 at 4:11 pm
  • could not have said it better myself! Have a wonderful paperless summer

    June 22, 2010 at 4:11 pm
  • I just finished my school year, too, and really just want to hide in my bedroom for about a week.

    But you're right. Most of it is our own fault, because we as a species don't say no, or stomp our feet, about much of anything.

    Here's to cocktails on the beach!!

    June 22, 2010 at 4:11 pm
  • I read your blog for the first time today and really enjoyed your thoughts. It is hard at the end of the year as we get so wrapped up in all the details. I agree that typically we put even more on our plate! What a wonderful thing summer is! Enjoy it!

    June 22, 2010 at 8:41 pm

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