What I Don't Want to Be When I Grow Up!

So, my daughter's preschool year is coming to a close. It's been quite an experience for the both of us and I've learned one really important lesson. When I grow up I DO NOT want to be a teacher!My daughter participates in a cooperative preschool with 3 other girls her age. All of the moms take turns teaching the class every week. Now, understand that we only hold class one day a week, so I'm responsible for teaching only one class a month. Believe me I didn't need any more experience in the classroom to realize that teaching is not for me! Yes, it does take a heck of a lot of time to develop lesson plans. You'd think that preschool would be easy right? I mean it's not like I'm teaching quantum physics or anything! But, in retrospect, developing the lesson plans wasn't even close to the toughest part. Teaching is like running yourself through the wringer 100 times a day. I'd come home after each class completely exhausted! And of course the kids weren't interested in half of the stuff that I had planned to do each day. It's hard work keeping four rambunctious 5 year-olds focused on the tasks at hand. They are wiggly little balls of energy. Imagine having 26 wiggly balls of energy to deal with! Oh, my gosh I'm getting cold sweats just thinking about it! I realize that I do not have infinite patience by any stretch of the imagination!

I know without a doubt that teachers are born not made. They are blessed with a gift and a special spirit. They work day in, and day out under paid and under appreciated. They put up with stuff and deal with situations that most of us don't want to touch with a 10 foot pole! I now have had the opportunity to see teaching from both sides of the coin. My dad has been teaching for over 40 years. I've heard his stories and I've seen how hard he works each day to educate our kids. I've wondered for years why he keeps teaching after all of these years, but I get it now. It's his calling. It's what he was meant to do, and he's good at it. Now, I know not all teachers are created equal. I had a few crummy teachers growing up. My 7th grade English teacher comes to mind. That woman did nothing but give me ulcers! But as we all know, you can't let a few bad apples spoil the whole bunch! There are so many awesome teachers out there and I think it's about time that we give them the credit they deserve!

So, today I tip my hat to teachers....no wait I bow down to you and praise you for the tireless work you do! Thank you for not strangling our kids, because believe me I nearly did. Okay, not really, but I think you get my point! If your kids have a great teacher let them know how much you appreciate the work that they do. After all, it is teacher appreciation week. And believe me I have an appreciation for teachers unlike most others! There's no doubt in my mind, I DO NOT want to be a teacher when I grow up, but thank you to those that do!