More with Less

Tomorrow is the first day back for us teachers. I've been wandering in and out for a few weeks. I had some professional development opportunities, and I have spent three mornings in my classroom getting things ready. Some years it's been torture simply trying to put some posters up and unpack my supplies. This year, it went really fast, and I'm left feeling like something's missing.

Oh, but of course, I don't have everything planned for my instruction the first few weeks, but I'm well on my way there, too. Hello? What I did last year wasn't broken! Doin' most of it again.

So far, it's smooth sailing. Wahoo for me!

There have been a few of my colleagues hanging around a bit, too, so we've done some cussing and discussing. I do not want to start the year with a bad attitude, but, of course, there's just so much drama. I suppose if I really thought about it, this happens every year.

Every year, there's some insurmountable obstacle that precludes us from being perfect teachers without much effort. Oh, what is it you say? We should have to work for our pay? Of course, I agree, but sometimes this gig doesn't even feel like a job. It feels like a season of Survivor with all the drama of Big Brother.

The theme of our strife the last few years has been, "Do more with less." It's exhausting. I was near a breakdown in my principal's office last spring when I articulated my frustration with this theme. I haven't been blaming the administration for this theme, as they are in the same position as we teachers...it trickles down, ya know.

So, anyway, through the cussing and discussing, I've heard some rumors, and since they seem to be matching up among different staff members, I'd imagine they are true. We'll see what is said tomorrow by administration--and what more is added to our theme this year. I'll share my troubles when I have them all rounded up. I can tell you that I keep telling myself that there's nothing that can be thrown at me that doesn't have a solution. We teachers get so set in our ways, don't we? Sigh. It's just that sometimes getting down to Plan E ( after A, B, C, & D) is not effective at all. It's just better than having no plan at all.