10 Years Already?!

I am preparing for my 10th year of teaching public school.  That number amazes me!  When I took my teacher education classes at Utah State University, I never imagined I would teach that long.  I thought this: I'll work for a year, get married, have kids, and then maybe return to teaching when my kids are grown.  I have many friends who made the same plan, but are still teaching because as we all know, life never rolls according to plans.  So here I am, a somewhat seasoned, sage teacher.  And there are a few things I know for sure, I think...

• Classroom space is important, since teachers spend gobs of time there. Teachers should set-up their classrooms to maximize learning. Bookcases should be in order. Desks should line-up perfectly. White boards should be spotless.  But the most important part of a classroom is the teacher's desk drawer full of junk food.

• Teaching is messy business.  I don't mean the stacks of used tissues in the garbage can or the layers of gum underneath desks. I also don't mean the piles of papers to grade or the scraps of paper strew across the floor at the end of the day. The work that is messy is the cognitive part of teaching.  Planning, re planning, scheduling, reflecting.  It's messy.

• Teachers get an enormous amount of days off. Seriously. I was comparing my husband's job's calendar to mine and he has around 6 free days a year.  I have about 27 days off this year, not including June, July, and August.  Believe me when I say I am not complaining, but it was enlightening to realize how different my job is from his with regards to time-off.

Okay, I just realized that I am spending too much time on this blog about work.  The End.