The Honeymoon Is Over

Photo by Davide Ragusa on Unsplash

The leaves are falling, the pumpkin-themed products have established their dominance over all, and despite an unseasonably warm month, it's officially fall. The shiny new school supplies aren't so shiny anymore, the newness of the school year is wearing off, and the marking period is half over. May I be so bold as to say that the honeymoon is over?

What I mean is that the students, the teachers, and the parents are fully into the swing of things. We all know what that means. We are all just a little bit exhausted. Homework has been forgotten, assignments have been lost, and students may be getting just a little chatty or a little unfocused. They're kids after all, not robots programmed for optimal learning performance.

So now is when the real work begins. That book I recommended? The student didn't like it. I have to dig a little deeper and think about something else to recommend. That vow I made to keep my desk neater and more organized? Ha! That was a good one. I also swore off coffee this week. That lasted for six hours. I saw what a mess I had made of my desk and I headed to the Keurig to fortify myself with caffeine.

In my opinion, this year has been brutal. Tragedy is everywhere. Our country has been battered by disasters, from the destructive forces of Mother Nature to the darkness and evil of the human heart that was on display this week in Las Vegas. It is hard to smile, to plan, and to teach against this backdrop of loss.

But that's what we do. When hate surrounds us, we love harder. When our lessons fail, we plan new ones. When our patience wears thin, we summon up a little more patience from our inner reserves. We just keep going.

Because on Monday, when you get back to your classroom, the kids will be waiting for you. They're looking at you, and they're listening to you, and they need you to give them the very best that you have. Because you're tired, but they're tired, too. You're starting to feel the stress of all that life demands, but they are feeling it, too.

You don't have to be perfect. Just show up and do your best. The honeymoon may be over, but you can keep the love alive.

Comments

  1. AnonymousOctober 8, 2017 at 5:14 PM

    Still loving my group of students this year. Although I can't come up with a seating arrangement to conquer the chatter. So maybe the shine is off the apple!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Jen KleinknechtOctober 9, 2017 at 2:30 PM

      I'm sure the kids are engaged. Chatter comes with the territory! I think it's worse when it's hard to get students to answer questions!

      Delete
  2. Lindsay BenshoofOctober 12, 2017 at 4:00 PM

    This one actually brought me to tears!

    ReplyDelete

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