I am a Teacher

I just wanted to post about a major event in my life.  For the past 3 years, I really haven't enjoyed my job.  There were moments of success, but on a day-to-day basis, I wasn't excited to go to work.  I envied teachers that would rather have a teaching day than a workshop day.  I knew I used to have that spark.  I used to enjoy teaching.

The great-amazing-fantastic news I have to share is that I love teaching again!!!!  I have fun every day with my students.  I'm excited about my work.  It is again more fun to implement than to plan.  What changed?  I managed to break out of the bubble where sophomore Geometry was my advanced class of the day.  I gained two sections of Precalc that have revitalized me.  I use a graphing calculator again.  I use interval notation again.  I say f(x) and they know what I'm talking about.  They like math and they're good at it.

Yeah, I still teach Geometry and it's evil twin Informal Geometry.  (I had a group last year that soured me on the course... trying to recover.)  I think I go in with a different attitude each day, though.  Stress is lifted because I have taught two of my three preps before.  I have a smile on my face every day.  I'm not drained from being a disciplinarian on a block schedule - my two most challenging classes last year were on block.  I saw them as 1.5 hour torture sessions with the greatest reward being the bell at the end of class.

No, the job isn't all rainbows and Hershey Kisses.  I still put in many hours (contrary to the students who recently estimated I worked 26 hours a week).  I still have challenging students.  The copy machine, printer, my laptop, and Activboard cannot all work on the same day.  I battle the system to get the information I need to teach effectively.  But being in the classroom is once again the sunny side of the job.

I was so afraid I had lost it.  Lost my enthusiasm for teaching.  Lost my love of math.  Lost my love of kids.  What a relief that it was just hiding behind unfortunate circumstances.  I hope my story can inspire the ones that are trodding through overwhelming times.