The Truth (About Teaching)

I love my job. I say that a lot when I do posts like this, but you have to know it's true. Those cute little kids and all the fun things we do and all those crazy people I work with. Yeah, it's awesome.

BUT! There are some things they just don't teach in school. Some things that the universities and colleges don't seem to have in their budgets to inform those budding teachers about. Here are some of those things.

You work all the time. Like, really. You might be scheduled from 7:30-3:30, but that doesn't always mean you leave on time. If you are one of those people that leave on time, more power to you. I spend more time at work then I do at home, but that's okay. Actually, I work at home, too. So, yeah, you work all the time.

Literally. No one has ever said this. Ever.

Train your bladder. You might not think that going to the bathroom is a big deal or that important to think about when pondering a career in teaching. You never get to pee. Well, that's not exactly true. You can pee when the bell rings, at lunch time, and during your specials. But what if you drink a lot of coffee or try to stay hydrated, huh? THEN WHAT? Then you better make friends with your neighbor because they're all you've got during instruction time.

Paper work. The trees. Teachers killed them all.

Politics. 

Heh. 

Be flexible (and manage well). It's been a while since I've been in school, but I just don't remember talking or learning about being flexible. There's so much planning and practicing lessons, that I think professors forget that kids. Kids ruin all your awesome lessons, man. Think about it for a hot minute. You're on a roll. Kids are engaged, they're raising their hands, answering questions, being nice to each other...and then it happens. It can be anything, really. There can be a spider on the floor, you can trip over your own feet, someone falls out of their chair, or, God forbid, someone farts or something else involved with bodily functions and/or fluids. Point is, no lesson is perfect. You'll be okay. 

Truest story.

Bodily fluids.I mean, while we're on the subject of farting and things...snot, pee, spit...yeah, you're going to see it. Kids put things in their mouths. They sneeze and don't cover it up. Sometimes they pee their pants. (They haven't trained their bladders like you have, okay?) True story: one week I dealt with three accidents. I was not amused. 

Kids are different. Okay, they actually do talk about this one at school, BUT WOW ARE KIDS DIFFERENT. Your class is a melting pot of little minds. It's crazy. Some of them know more than others and some of them know more than YOU. And you get to teach them all, isn't that great? (Yes.)

Parents. Y'all. There seriously needs to be a class about how to deal with parents. Sometimes it very, very difficult. (Because they get very, very crazy.)

Meetings. Basically I'm tired of seeing all of your faces. 

Grades. Who needs 'em? 

So, there are a few things that school doesn't prepare you for. Mostly they're silly and fun, but some of them are true. Teaching is, as I always say, the best job in the world. There are tough times, but the good always outweigh the bad. Even the paperwork and meeting part of the job. I promise. 

Thanks to Kasey, Shawna, Samantha, Mallory, Sarah, Nikki, Stephanie, and Michelle for answering a totally random text and giving me the ideas for this dumb little post. You guys are my favorite. Duh. 

I should probably go do lesson plans or something now, huh? 

XOXO, 

Ashley 

Do Something

There are some days that I feel completely uninspired. Days where I don’t want to leave the couch because that would require effort and movement and doing something.  See, I don’t always like doing things but I’ve found in my old age (THIRTY, man) that doing things makes me…happy.

I like to do things for myself a lot: reading, shopping, running, and movies. Those things are all well good but what I really mean by doing something is doing something for someone else. That’s when I’m at my most inspired.

When I traveled to Guatemala in 2012 it changed my life. That was the first time I really felt that I did something. Of course, spending ten days in a foreign country with only five days of clean clothes will do that to a person. I’m mostly kidding, because once you’re there, working with those amazing people, and seeing their smiling faces because they’re so happy you’re there…it doesn’t matter that you’ve been wearing the same t-shirt for two days.

Worth it. 

That’s what I mean, though. That’s the something you should do. Now, I don’t really mean you should hop a plane to a third-world country (unless you want). That’s a huge something that takes a lot of planning and, you know, money. It was seriously awesome, though.

I climbed a volcano.  Also worth it.

There are so many little things that you can do that can totally change someone’s day: buying them coffee, writing a note, a phone call, a text, even a smile could do that. It’s kind of amazing the way that works sometimes. Also, it’s a little crazy the way one small little gesture works.

If you’re thinking this is turning into a Pay it Forward kind of thing, it is. You want to know why?

Because it’s so easy.

Saying ‘good morning’ or smiling or even waving to someone is the simplest thing you can do. Sure, there are situations where that is pretty difficult, but even in traffic when someone has totally ticked me off I wave and mutter “Jesus loves you” under my breath. Okay, maybe that isn’t really doing something…but it makes me feel better and I don’t swear at idiot drivers.

Doing things and being kind to others is the most important thing we can do for people, in my opinion. Maybe I don’t always do something in the way I’m supposed to, but I try. I try in my classroom with my students, because heaven only knows what one little positive thing will do for them sometimes. I try with people even though sometimes you might think I’m bitchy, but that’s okay. (Just know that I won’t be doing nice things for you anytime soon.)

Imagine what it would be like if we were actually able to do good all the time, to have people see that good, and to pass it on?

Newsflash: IT WOULD BE AWESOME.

I love good things. Good words, good books, good runs, good friends, good drinks, good deeds. If you know me or read this crappy little blog you know I love good.

So, go do some good. Do a nice thing for a friend. For a coworker.

Just do something.