An educator’s day…

March is by far the longest month of them all and I am so exhausted.

For reasons beyond anyone’s understanding, I rise at 4:40 am EST every weekday for work. As soon as I rise, I share an inspiring message on social media, including a picture that states the school day of the year that we are on. Today was Day 129… though it should have been 133. Darn those snow days! After I share that, I head to the bathroom to start the real work of my morning. As I perform my morning activities of daily living, I listen to my daily devotional lesson and mentally prepare myself for the day ahead. When I’m finished, I record and post a daily prayer to some of my social media sites. What started as me choosing to have an intentional conversation with God, grew into me sharing a prayer so that others may do the same. Then I grab my meals for the day. Will it be just lunch and some snacks, or is the day longer and I need to grab my dinner, too? Who knows?! When I prep for the week on Saturdays or Sundays, I take all of that into consideration, making sure that I have everything mapped out so that I can make healthy choices daily.

Once in the car, I drive the one minute that it takes to get from my home to my job. I work as a Business teacher at the local high school in my neighborhood and I am so grateful for my short commute. Typically, I arrive at work between 5:45 and 6 am however, today I arrived around 5:20 am. After I take a picture with the inspirational quote of the day that I have written on my white board, I plug in my classroom mood lights and then switch into my sneakers before beginning my two-mile walk around the interior of the building. Following my walk, I heat my oatmeal and then sit at my computer to check emails, finish prepping, and physically prepare for the day ahead of me. By the time the 7:15 am bell rings announcing the dismissal of students from the cafeteria and their impending arrival in the classroom, I am [hopefully] ready for the day. I spend 15 minutes chopping it up with students, both in my block one class and others who freely wander in just to chat. I love this time of the day and as quiet as it’s kept, this is my FAVORITE part of being a classroom teacher. Those 15 minutes of my morning allow me to do what all educators should do- form relationships with students. The quote by John C. Maxell, “Students don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care,” resonates deeply within my core being and I strive to create brave spaces for the students at my school (and beyond), even if they are never on my course roster. By the time my contractual day ends at 2:45 pm, I am normally exhausted. I’ve been up for 10 hours, taught for 240 minutes (not including 35 minutes of tutoring), and as is the case on most days, I am preparing to head to another meeting or event. I am always on the move and everything that I do is tied to a true love and passion for the work.

Despite all of that, the truth still remains that today I was spent. I feel like this month contained a solid 85 days, with 35 of them being in this week alone. Emotional exhaustion wears on a person’s soul far more than physical exhaustion (in my humble opinion) and today I felt the weight of it all. It was this week that the president of the United States signed an Executive Order ordering the dismantling of The Department of Education (the department that ensures the safety and protections of some of our most vulnerable populations… and houses my student loans from college), and it was also today that I almost got into a car accident as I came home. So much has happened this week- both good and undesirable- and it has all played a major role in how I am feeling in this moment. I’m overjoyed and fulfilled in my job, and I am tired. I intentionally did not say “but” because I did not want what was after the conjunction to negate what came before it. It is perfectly OK to love what you do, and also be tired. I am all of it and that is ok.

Yet at the end of the day, the day’s gotta end. I am freshly showered and full from my dinner as I type this message. I’m listening to a breathwork book as I type and working on releasing the weight of this week from my shoulders. I took a momentary break because my ADHD needed to have its time, and I looked at my phone, greeted by a message from a former student. She was just checking in on me and wanted to schedule a time to just chat. She graduated in the class of 2022 but for some reason, today I randomly popped into her heart.

This is why I teach.
This is why my work is so important to me.

Being an educator is about so much more than the job that you do- it’s about the lives that you change. I am forever grateful for the work that I do and for the students that I am blessed to learn from and with each year. If you are an educator, know that your work is seen and you are valued… even if it doesn’t feel like it in the moment. If you are not an educator, please allow the story of my day to permeate your heart and mind, and…

CONSIDER THIS: an educator is an educator until the end of time. While one day we may retire from a school system, the impact of our life’s work lives on in the lives of those that we have supported, thereby outliving us. We don’t educate for instant gratification, we educate for lifetime effectiveness. Additionally, it is with intentionality that I use the term “educator,” as opposed to “teacher.” In the state of Maryland, we define an educator as ALL staff members who work within a school system. A bus driver is an educator. A custodian is an educator. A cafeteria worker is an educator. A paraprofessional/instructional assistant is an educator. A member of the administrative team is an educator. A school nurse or therapist is an educator. A teacher is an educator. And to all of my fellow educators, I humbly say, thank you for all that you do.