You Put Your Whole Self In, You Put Your Whole Self Out…

You Put Your Whole Self In and You Shake It All About until you are a frantic, crazed mess who has nothing left to give.

That pretty much sums up teaching, doesn’t it?

I mean…I think it has already been acknowledged that teachers struggle with just sitting still and relaxing.  (So, for all of you out there who are all, “teachers have so much vacation time, how can they possible claim to be stressed out” – message.  I think it’s loud and clear enough.)

But I think another common sickness amongst us teacher folk is that we love to say yes, yes, yes and yes again until we have created a To Do List so long, so elaborate, so multi-faceted and complicated that it should really be donated to science for study.  (If you don’t believe me, see my own love/hate relationship with To Do Lists here, and here).

Friends, I have over-yessed myself.

More specifically, I have been asked to be a part of a team of writers who are working to create a (kick ass) literacy curriculum that is aligned to the Common Core State Standards.  As teachers, we write curriculum all the time.  But the moment you think about putting that curriculum into a book that people will read and use in their classroom, everything suddenly feels…um, how do I put this gently?  Well, it feels like a monumental decision that I must make while standing in public with my pants down.  That’s about as gently as I can put it.  (Sorry, mom.)

So that’s where I’ve been.  I’ve been writing.  And writing.  And writing some more.  I’m out of the deep, dark hole that is questioning your own ability for the time being and thought I would say hi.

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15 Comments
  • Hi. 🙂

    April 10, 2012 at 11:53 pm
  • April 10, 2012 at 11:53 pm
  • Hi, Mimi…welcome home 🙂

    April 11, 2012 at 5:48 pm
  • Welcome back……Yes it is lot of work but what an amazing opportunity – great Professional Development!!!!!! I am about to embark on a Ph.D…Why? Because at 19 i promised myself that I would do it one day…and the day has come and because I think I have some free time between 2 and 3am!!!!!!!! Glad to see that you have surfaced and back to the land of the living.

    April 11, 2012 at 5:48 pm
  • I know how it feels to be over-yessed! But it seems like you are doing something very cool! Congratulations on being part of such a big project!

    April 11, 2012 at 5:48 pm
  • I have always wanted to work on curriculum, but I bet the pressure of 'published' curriculum is ridiculous. If you ever want someone to look over something… let me know! 🙂

    I bet you're coming up with some awesome stuff, though!

    Jenny
    Luckeyfrog's Lilypad

    April 11, 2012 at 5:48 pm
  • OH my MIMI! Miss reading your blog so have been going through some older posts and you are not only HYSTERICAL, but spot on.

    LOVE, LOVE, LOVE!
    Damien of The Reading Buddies

    September 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm
  • Hi Mimi! First off, love your blog (especially this post- I too find myself over-yessing…yikes!). I sent you an email last week because I would lvoe to profile you as one of our TOP 10 Education Blogs! We hold a blogger competition for our top 10 in June and the winner gets to pick a charity to receive $200 on their behalf. Would love to discuss inviting you to participate further. My email is AKlamann@calcas.com. Looking fowrard to hearing from you! Best, Abbye Klamann.

    September 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm
  • I've been reading about the Common Core, and I'm really against it. Its main purpose is to put in place a series of national tests, which will garner more money for Pearson, et al, who now only have to make one series of tests for the whole country. Also, there will be more testing, pretesting and interim testing, on the computer. I also think the literature recommended in the common core is boring and too upper-level for my kids. The Wizard of Oz is an exemplary text for first grade, for instance. I recently couldn't get through it as an adult. It's boring and the language is too old-fashioned and quaint. And I read everything.

    What do you think?

    September 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm
  • Hear, hear. Next to motherhood, being a teacher is probably the most stressful and arduous job but also most rewarding.

    September 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm
  • I'm right with you! It's nice to know others have that "to do list" problem. A few teachers at my school leave at 2:30 every day, take nothing home… I'm in trouble if I do that only once.
     Chrissy

    First Grade Found Me

    September 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm
  • I can't wait to see what you publish!! I would totally use it as a resource!

    September 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm
  • I'm a newbie here….Love your blog. You tell it like it is…

    September 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm
  • I know that 'nothing left to give' feeling only too well. I'm determined not to get to that stage this term but I say that at the beginning of every term…

    Good to have you back Mimi.

    September 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm
  • So good to have you back Mrs Mimi! Before half-term I was literally at breaking point having put my whole self in and I'm determined not to do that this term. That said, it's 7.20pm and I literally haven't stopped working since I stepped through the door.

    The continuing quest for work/life balance goes on…

    Good luck with the curriculum writing. I'm sure teachers will appreciate the resources x

    September 6, 2012 at 8:10 pm

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