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Friday, September 13, 2013

Overwhelmed?

While ending a meeting with my principal today he asked, “Are you feeling overwhelmed?”  I hadn’t thought about being overwhelmed until he mentioned it.  Since then the word “overwhelmed” has been running through my mind. 

I thought of the day I took off to finish my research project for my admin program, the many meetings I’ve had this week, the students I’ve had to comfort because they are struggling with emotional issues and family struggles, and the fact that because of those things I have also only spent 2 full days this week in the classroom teaching.  The amount of curriculum that I still need to cover for the week and the lessons that I needed to re-teach because I know I can do it better make overwhelmed seem like an understatement!  As I pondered all these seemingly overwhelming things I also thought of the huge hug and smile I received as one of my kiddos left school today and said, “I’m glad I got you for my teacher.”

Overwhelmed began to take on new meaning.  In that moment I was overwhelmed and realized I want to overwhelm my students with a feeling of belonging, being loved and accepted, and with a belief that they are capable of achieving great things.   Although I felt like this was a crazy and unproductive week, something I did made this little guy feel extra special.  It is in those moments that I realize that although I feel like I am drowning in the curriculum and slightly annoyed by the many imperfections I see in myself, I am also being showered with love and adoration from a great group of 4th graders and I want them to leave each day feeling capable and confident.

So, to my teacher friends feeling overwhelmed, remember that we are there for the children and they make it worth it!  So when you are feeling overwhelmed, remember…


Maybe one day I will remember to bring my camera home to download pictures to show that I actually am teaching!

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