"I'm so underwhelmed!"

...said no teacher EVER!

Educators are in the unique situation of spending all day every day with children. Sounds like a blast until you realize you are spending ALL day EVERY day with CHILDREN. Children who you cannot vent to, problem solve with, who generally do not get your humor, understand when you are exhausted or know how to give you a little grace when you just are not quite ready to face the day. We get up, cover the bags under our eyes with concealer, fill our water bottles with caffeine and "put on a ha-ppy face" (did you sing that last part like I did?)

Now, don't get me wrong. I've said before how much I absolutely LOVE my job, but if I'm honest with myself, there are just days that I feel completely and utterly overwhelmed. This feeling then quickly turns into guilt which then turns into me feeling like a failure. I don't say this to collect comments of, "You are amazing," or questions of, "Why would you feel that way." I want to admit this so that YOU realize that you are NOT alone!

As much as we push collaboration and learning communities, the bottom line is we are alone with our students and our responsibilities on a daily basis. We close our door and do what we do best: teach (and then judge ourselves because we know we could've done better). When we do get a sliver of time to talk with each other it is always about teaching. Ask my husband what my friends and I talk about when we are hanging out outside of school, and he will tell you SCHOOL. We never stop talking about school.

The problem with that is we still tend to not talk about what we really need to get off our chests. We discuss our lessons. We ask for advice on how to handle difficult situations inside and outside of the classroom. We vent over new school rules that we don't understand (to my administrators that might read this, don't read that last sentence.) ;) We analyze data formally and informally. We talk about how much we love our kids and their awesome personalities. But somehow we never find the time or the words to just look at each other and say, "I am overwhelmed!"

When we do it is simply exhilarating, because the common response is, "Oh my gosh, SO AM I!" Then the snowball of emotions begin. We suddenly realize that we are not alone, and we are not failures. And it is so very true- being overwhelmed does not mean we are failing. It doesn't mean we aren't trying hard enough, and it doesn't mean that we aren't prioritizing enough. It is simply the byproduct of being a teacher. There are days where every lesson is a Bloom's Taxonomy dream, where Rigor meets Relevance, and where we are praised by our PLN for being a teaching guru (check out that name dropping!) And then there are days where we feel like everything is falling apart.

I'll tell you a secret though. Even on those my-nightmares-are-coming-true days, you are so good at what you do that no one else suspects a thing. Unless you fess up, your smiling faces makes everyone around you none the wiser. I've had three different "let's get real" conversations since the start of school, and each one involved us spilling our guts. Once we did and we realized we all were feeling the same way, the healing process began. We shared words of encouragement, we hugged each other, and we even bared gifts of caffeine (Sonic drinks = therapy!)

It's safe to say that no one is going to hang up an inspirational poster that says...

Find joy in the troubles of others.

But boy is it comforting when you find out are sharing the same trials and in knowing that you are not alone. It is so crazy to think that in a job where you are constantly surrounded you can feel so isolated, but it happens all to often.

I encourage you to make a promise to yourself. The next time you start to feel like you are drowning, and you'll never reach the top of your to-do list, go talk to someone. Feel free to keep it short and sweet. Simply open their door and say, "Hey, I'm totally and completely overwhelmed. How about you?" #thetruthshallsetyoufree

:)
TWP