We All Need Some Quiet Time Now And Then

This is our cat Stormy, and this is normal for him about 7:30 a.m. as I'm headed out the door on school days.  I must admit that I'm very jealous sometimes.

There are many people in our society that believe teachers are overpaid for the job they do.  After all, teachers even get paid in the summer, and there isn't even any school!  (I love that one.)

In fact I will be honest and admit that I earn a very competitive salary for my career, and I know many other very good teachers that also earn a very competitive salary.  And by the way, we are not compensated for summer vacation.  School districts generally allow their salaried employees to choose whether they would like to be paid only during the contracted school year or to have their salary split across twelve months.  Most salaried school employees just opt to receive paychecks year round.

While I admit - and proudly so - to earning a very competitive salary, I also admit that teaching is a draining profession.  In fact some days, some weeks, some months, and some years are just downright exhausting.  A few days ago a friend of mine asked me, "So how is the school year going for you?"  I was honest and replied, "This has probably been the busiest year of my career - I'm really, really tired right now."

I'd like to encourage you - if you need to - to look for a way to have a "Stormy Day", and to avoid beating yourself up over taking a break.  We all need breaks, and a healthy break does more to help us continue to be hard-working teachers.  Healthy breaks allow us to just relax, and in that process allow us to recharge our minds, our hears, our bodies, and our souls.

Are you feeling drained?  Do yourself, your family, and your students a favor - have yourself a "Stormy Day" - sleep in, have some quiet time, watch a good movie, read a book, go for a walk or a cup of coffee at a little cafe, have lunch at some place you've never been, take a walk in the woods, meet up with an old friend and have a beverage.  If you need to catch up on some schoolwork, give yourself an hour or two to accomplish something, but don't work the whole day.

You work hard...your students work hard...you have high expectations that deplete energy.  If Spring Break or Summer Vacation are just a little too far off on the horizon, don't be afraid to take a "Stormy Day".