Dear Teacher,
It piles up. All of the stuff to do comes at us constantly. It is a never-ending struggle. One thing after another happens or needs to happen.
Planning. Meetings. Behavior issues. Professional development. Parent conferences. Grading. Documentation. Field trips. Differentiation. Data collection. Data analysis. Portfolios. On and on the list can grow.
Our time is precious and it gets eaten away from us! All we want to do is teach, connect with students, and make a difference…yet we are drowning in an ocean of stuff.
We are overwhelmed. We are frustrated. We are exhausted. And sometimes we just want to give up and be buried under the waves.
You’ve been there. I’ve been there. We have probably all been there this week (or are there right now).
I’m here to remind you about something…you will make it through! You will survive. You have before and will again. You will make it. You will be okay.
It is hard, but we need to try to find a way to keep going. We need to muddle through the things that get in the way of making a difference with our students so that we can actually do the things that make a difference for our students. It is an unfortunate reality of the education world we live in…but we can do it!
Just keep swimming. Just keep going. You will get to warmer, less rough waters and remember why you jumped in the teaching ocean in the first place.
One thing that might help during this rough patch is to carve out sometime to do something fun with your students…even if it is only for five minutes. Sometimes fun is it’s own standard. It is an unspoken standard that is more important that other standards sometimes for both you and your students…and it can be the best kind of classroom management.
It is okay to play for a minute…it is okay to be silly. Don’t forget the business at hand…but give yourself and your students just a moment of less than serious. It is good for your students. It is good for you. It helps you get back on track and remember the destination to which you are swimming.
You are overwhelmed. It is okay.
You are drowning in the “stuff” of teaching. You will get through.
You have a purpose…and sometimes moments of fun and silliness can help you fulfill it (and help you survive the stuck under the ocean feeling).
You will survive. You will thrive. You’ve got this!
You are awesome. Never forget that I believe in you! It will get better. Just keep swimming. Just keep going. Just keep teaching, Teacher! You rock!
Love, Teacher
Dear Teacher/Love Teacher 