Feb 05 2012

In which it is Sunday night

by katb

Ok look, here is what they’ll never tell you about being a teacher as a tender young TFA recruit.

Oh they’ll tell you that it’s rewarding (read: hard).  They’ll tell you that it’s exhausting, even.

But they won’t tell you about Sunday nights.

Sunday night is Pure Evil.  Never mind the soul deadening anxiety about the week to come, never mind the pit of dread in the bottom of your stomach, never mind the crushing lesson plan deadlines sneaking up on you with every tick, tick, tick of the clock.

(Note the onomatopoeia)

The worst part comes when you snuggle in to your air mattress (goal for February: purchase bed), turn out the lights, set your alarm for 4:45 the next morning and… nothing.  The combination of the sleep you caught up on over the weekend and the incessant yapping of your teacher brain will keep you counting sheep until your ring tone blares obnoxiously to let you know that it’s time for Another Day of Teaching and Learning.

 

 

Categories: Teach For America · 5 Comments

5 Responses

1. The Other Ms. B

   You are my favorite person, by a lot. This post sums up my life / school / my frequent attempts to survive.

   on February 5, 2012 at 10:06 pm · Reply
2. els

   amen. I have discovered that working out on Sundays helps (slightly) with the anxiety and insomnia. But it still sucks. Thursday nights = best. Sunday nights = worst.

   on February 6, 2012 at 6:56 am · Reply
3. hill

   amen. hence I took a sick day today.

   on February 6, 2012 at 9:49 am · Reply
4. Jessica

   Uggggh. 5 PM Sunday is the WORST. You’ve wasted a day (even if you were productive), and the weekend is effectively over. I now wake up early on Sunday to do grad school coursework, which makes Sunday really miserable, but Monday slightly less so, due to being able to fall asleep at my teacher bed time on Sunday night. Such a not-fun solution.

   on February 6, 2012 at 7:59 pm · Reply
5. Kelly Dillon

   I’m not TFA, but I am a young teacher. Please know that it DOES get better. I have felt all of those feelings, that Sunday night anxiety. It is not a picture of mental health. Please be good to yourself, and remember the following:

   1. Your students will not die if the lesson is not perfect. Kids are resilient and forgiving.

   2. It doesn’t have to be graded by tomorrow. Eventually, you will discover that grading shouldn’t happen at all. Feedback is the key, and that can take many forms, including talking with students in class. Data isn’t the goal; learning is.

   3. You will be more effective and sane if you plan less and listen to your students more. Let them guide you. Your job is, again, feedback.

   4. No matter what anyone says–the government, your principal, the media, or TFA–you are doing the best you can and that IS good enough. You will not fix poverty on your own. That is not on your shoulders alone. It is a burden our whole society must share. Anyone who says otherwise is making it worse.

   Also, I am an English teacher in St. Louis. If you ever need anything, send me a note: [email protected].

   on February 10, 2012 at 10:22 pm · Reply