Well, these two books were great and have become valuable resources, but I'd be lying if I said I wasn't glad that they are finished. No offense to Christenbury or Gallagher.....I'm just spent.
However, I got a little scared at a part of what she said. I honestly feel like I can see myself teaching for the rest of my career. Sure, I might jump around the country or at least around a few school districts, but I see myself teaching for a long, long time. But what if I'm one of the teachers that burn out immediately - that get too caught up in all of the crap that goes along with it, that I miss the joy that comes with this field of work?? I would be crushed - especially since this was a second career choice that involved 3 additional years of school (yep, that's right - 7 years of college).
I'd like to think that this won't be me. I mean, I have learned how to work full time and go to school full time (in addition to all of the other things I am involved in), so its not like busyness is not a familiar condition for this girl. But part of me is still scared of it. I just can't see myself doing anything else with my life, so if its not teaching.........
So I take to heart the advice that she gives - having an outlet, having my own social time, reading my own books, finding a hobby to pursue, etc. These will be part of the answer to keeping me in the classroom for as long as I love it. And I hope that's a really long time.
And with that, farewell to the blog!!
2 comments:
I definitely agree with what she said about staying on top of your own reading life. I can't imagine not being able to have my own personal time for reading things that I want to read.
I also agree that the books were great, but reading them is exhausting. Farewell Christenbury and Gallagher; at least for a while.
I think having different outlets for teachers is a great way to avoid burnout. And so is having variety in the classroom. People can get burned out in any profession....it's all about how you handle the work load, the stress, and the people who are depending on you (in our case, the students) to pull through for them. Don't look at teaching as a chore or a job....look at it as something you are fortunate enough to be able to do.
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