Exhausted

Stephanie - posted on 01/23/2009

Oh...and there is the summer!  There's always a bright side, right?  (That we don't see in the middle of the year). :)

Jennifer - posted on 01/23/2009

I am exhausted too. The family is neglected, the dog is neglected, and the house is a mess during the week. They get it made up to them on the weekends.

Stephanie - posted on 01/23/2009

Oh, it is nice to have somewhere to go where people are in the same situation I'm in!  This is my first year teaching 10th grade Language Arts...and I have a 3 year old, 6 year old, and a 11 year old stepdaughter that is now living with us.  I feel bad a lot of nights because I do not want to play...I don't have the energy.  And they don't understand... :(

Tracy - posted on 01/23/2009

There is never enough time. I have started to make time. I noticed that I gave to my students and did not have patience or time for my toddler. I took two days to recoup from sinus infection (more stress related) at home and I rested. I have decided to rearrange my schedule. The stress was making me feel more exhausted. I have begun to work out as soon as I come home as dinner is cooking or being reheated. Then I take time to help my toddler by reading to him, etc. As for work, I try to plan an entire lesson before I start teaching it. Also, I am starting lighten up on the amount of papers that I grade. I am trying to follow a philosphy of an old principal that I had: if it takes you too long to return papers, stop giving that many assignments that require too much time. Some assignments are graded for completion, use a rubric to make the grading faster , have students help you or have the students exchange papers. I always grade assessments myself and usually grade them during school hours. I also try to give the students independent work and I try to sneak a few minutes of grading or record grades.

Jill - posted on 01/23/2009

Yes, the 'good ol' days' certainly were good, but those teachers didn't have prep time and had huge classes of 36+ kids, so lots of marking, I was raised by a teacher and am now a teacher myself. My mom managed (somehow) to take courses during the summer, maintain her classroom, maintain the house (you could eat off of our floors!) and keep up with her marking. Yes, there were days that I felt she was harder on my sister and I than on her 'other kids', but we knew that it was because she wanted more for us and loved us (as she would tell us this often). We did swimming, piano and dance lessons as well as Girl Guides, too. But I can remember talking about our day and playing games while grocery shopping or picking up the dry cleaning, doing our chores while Mom did some of her housework, doing our homework while Mom did some marking. I can remember the vacuum whizzing by my bedroom door just after our lights-out. I hope I can be as efficient as she was when teaching full-time and raising us. The point I'm trying to make is that although it is hard, your kids will still only remember the good days and the fun times you had together, so keep on truckin' teachers! We're all doing a great job both at school and at home and your kids will be that much more proud of you when they're old enough to realize it!

Judi - posted on 01/22/2009

It is nice to realize that I am not the only one who seems to struggle with this!  I can really relate to your situation Wendy!  I too am a single mother of two (5 and 3).  I teach preschool in a Head Start program, which I love, but there is the added stress of dealing with the families issues as well.  I am struggling more this year at trying to balance it all!  I would also love the name of the book you are reading Michelle!

Wendy - posted on 01/21/2009

I feel the same way. I teach kindergarten. Sometimes dealing with the parents and their issues (homelessness, tardiness, anxiety, perfectionism), on top of regular teacher exhaustion, then going home to my own two sons (9 and 4), I am just exhausted and find myself losing patience with my own children almost nightly. I am also divorced and have full custody of them. Their father lives close by, but doesn't help out when they're sick, with doctor's appointments, sick days, parent conferences, etc. They only see him every other weekend. Sometimes I feel trapped. I have to work full-time for financial reasons. While I love teaching, its sooooo intense for 10 months of the year. I wish I could work even one day a week less at school so I could catch up on things at home, find time to work out, have some balance. Its a constant struggle.

Amber - posted on 01/21/2009

I teach 1st graders and I think that is how most moms feel no matter what job they have. It is difficult to balance everything. Just think about all the things your kids give you at home that you students can't; it helps me get through the day.

Nicole - posted on 01/21/2009

Wow!  It's nice to know that others from all over the country feel like I do.  I have taught for 13 years and the pressures that are put on teachers now are nothing like they were 13 years ago.  When will it end?  By the way, what is the title of the book you are reading (Michelle)  that addresses the "frazzled teacher's wellness plan"?  I'd like to read it if you think it's worth it!

Michelle - posted on 01/21/2009

I agree with all of you. I want to work out too...but when. I work all day, then do family stuff, then work more....when can I make time for me to workout...but not get in trouble at work for not completing my tasks. Help! I am reading a book now about the frazzled teacher's wellness plan. It is suppose to teach me how get over the stress and still get everything accomplished. I haven't finished reading it yet. I hope it works.

Brenda - posted on 01/20/2009

I can relate to this.  I have been teaching secondary math for the past 24 years.  My 13 year old sometimes says that all I do is grade papers!  Given that my husband is also an educator (coach and athletic coordinator), our time during the school year revolves around school. 

I envy those moms who go to the gym to work out.  When??  My alarm goes of at 4:45 and I leave for work by 6:15.  Now that her school gets out at 4 and she is also with her dad, I don't have to rush out at 3 to pick her up.  Even with this extra hour at my desk, I still bring things home.  Since she is in all honors classes, after her 2 hour swim practice, our time is devoted to school work.  On most nights, I don't get to start grading until maybe 9pm. 

Kim - posted on 01/20/2009

I feel the same way! What teacher doesn't??? I can relate to Allison. I also teach 3rd grade and feel that test prep is definitely taking over. I long for the good old days when we used to have fun in the classroom and we taught actual kids not to a test. I envy all the teachers retiring who remember the good old days. There are so many days I wish I could just "retire" and let someone else deal with it all, but I know how unrealistic that is. When I actually get to teach and see lightbulbs going off without being pulled from my classroom for this meeting and that meeting or have to go to more professional development about more I need to do, I actually like teaching. Unfortunately those days seem less and less lately. It is such a demanding job and to stay on top of it all along with raising two small children definitely can be overwhelming at times. How do we handle it all???? I take yoga and sometimes a nice glass of strawberry wine helps too!!!!

Allison - posted on 01/12/2009

This is the time of year I always envy the receptionist at the dentist office. I always get more stressed out this time of year, since standardized test prep really kicks in. I teach third grade, so this will be the first year my students take "the test". They feel the stress too, so I'm trying to do more fun things in the class. As for having evergy for the kids at home - I'm very thankful for those 45 minutes between when the students go home and when I pick up my boys from daycare. That helps a lot to take off the "teacher" hat and put on the "mommy" hat. Sometimes I even get to run an errand in between!

Lisa - posted on 01/12/2009

Tell me about it! I have been at it for 10 years and just returned to the classroom after a two year hiatus. I had my second baby and worked pt for a consultant, enjoyed the proverbial office job. Been 50% job sharing since Sept. and feel more exhausted than I was expecting. My hubby travels a lot for work lately too, so the two kids, the house, it all falls on me. So I get what you are feeling and am also trying to breathe more and not take life too seriously.

User - posted on 01/11/2009

I know how you feel! I teach 6th grade in South Africa. Have two children age 5 and 3 and a third on the way (OOPS!) I spent so much time preparing and marking that when I teach and come home I feel my kids get the worst side of me! I just want peace to relax for awhile but with little ones they feel you are there solely for them! I only get to start work after 8 pm! I wish teachers were more appreciated!

Michelle - posted on 01/11/2009

For me it is not the kids that exhaust me...it is all that the District demands for us to do. I understand of just wanting to quit to be a better mom. I have too much student loan debt to do that, but I am looking at other options within the field...like going to private school, or changing fields within education. Hange in there.

Dianne - posted on 01/10/2009

Hey, I think that's normal. I teach a pre-K class. Sometimes I feel like I have more patience with my students than I do with my own children. Breathe in, breathe out.