Seriously. I don’t know how people function when they are working full time. This must be the reason a lot of people gave me a nutty look when I said I was going to balance work and graduate school. I am starting to feel a little nutty myself after three months. The stress of work and papers is hitting me. My Thanksgiving weekend was hectic, tiring and work filled.
There are always fun adventures I can tack onto my normal work load with my puppy around. Since his neutering last Friday we have been frequent fliers at the vet. This is the first day he is back to his normal self and does not have a cone on his head. His sweet calm temperament is back and it could not have happened at a better time. I love my puppy to death but this past week I discovered that animals can also be bad patients. Maybe it is a male thing.
All puppy drama aside, work has been surprisingly exhausting the past few weeks. I knew being a teacher would be tiring and there would be moments of stress and things I just can’t deal with. Those moments are things I did not quite expect like working around personalities in the building I don’t match up with and navigating the politics that come along with working in a school. I love work and my kids more than words can describe and I have seized every challenging interaction as a learning opportunity. I am certainly stronger and more confident in how I view teaching and classroom culture. I am grateful for this year because I am learning and seeing things I love and things I might try differently in my own class. It has also given me the strength to take on the challenge of my own classroom next year if I am given the chance.
The one thing I am still seriously struggling with and starting to really miss is socializing with non-work friends. It has been great making those relationships but I have not seen Brandeis friends in the Boston area. I also have not entered the dating world in two years. I am starting to miss those new connections. That might be a goal for the coming months: learn how to balance work, my constant state of exhaustion and socializing so I can meet new people or connect with old friends. I have no clue how people do it. I think I need a fairy godmother to help me balance life. I might also need more hours in the day. Whichever can happen first.
Featured Image Credit: http://sd.keepcalm-o-matic.co.uk/i/keep-calm-because-the-struggle-is-real.png
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