Hazards of being a teacher...

Being a teacher is the most amazing, fantastic, rewarding, frustrating, infuriating, tiresome and most exhilarating experience in my life...to date. I would say ever, but I haven't had my own children yet or found "the one" so I'm leaving room for something to at least match the level of emotional ups and downs that occur on an hourly basis as a teacher. Why do I say the "hazards of being a teacher?" Well I'm using hazard as a verb here and not a noun. So when I say hazard I'm talking about the risk that I take being a teacher. The gamble putting myself out there for underdeveloped adults (juvenile delinquents) and the jeopardy of physical and mental harm  (ok so I'm using it as a noun and a verb). Let me explain...

Hazard #1 - Tendonitis in your shoulder(s): If you write on a chalkboard or whiteboard all day, it's going to   happen. Stock up on frozen peas and ibuprofen. Learn to be ambidextrous.

Hazard #2 - Losing your voice at least once a year: It's either going to be at the beginning of the year when you have to re-establish your "teacher" voice, or during cold season and talking through your cold causes more harm than good. I'm generally in the latter category, because anyone who knows me....well you know my voice doesn't need re-establishing.

Hazard #3 - Sleepless Nights: Whether you are fretting about a failing student, unfinished lesson plans, ungraded papers, the next standardized test or questioning why so-and-so was crying in class the other day, you will have insomnia. Currently I am awake at 1:23am because teaching content based language or skill based language has been running through my head for the last hour. I am teaching an Advanced Listening class where I'm supposed to be teaching students how to take notes on content they've never heard before!!! AND I've been told the idea is to be teaching the content....Wha!!!????? Which leads me to...

Hazard #4 - Confusion...utter confusion: With the students, parents, administration, curriculum, the person who chose the textbooks,the textbooks, what the heck you are doing....

Hazard #5 -Broken Heart:  Students will take you on an emotional roller coaster. I'm one of those teachers who puts all of her heart into her students' care. This is a huge risk. I love my students, all of them. I want so many things for them that I forget sometimes they need to want it MORE than I do, or nothing I do will make a difference.

Hazard #6 - Addiction: To your students, to writing lesson plans, to coming up with activities and new methods for teaching...you'll need to know (NEED TO KNOW) the best way to teach whatever you are teaching! Also coffee (tea, chocolate).

Hazard #7 - Falling in love: With your students, you won't want to let them go. I'm facing switching classes after the semester and I just don't want to let "my kids" go! I know I can't do anything about it, but I'm so proud of their progress I want to continue to be a part of their journey. The time and energy and sleepless nights and then they go off into the world without you and you just hope that what you tried to help them learn will stick.

I love teaching.