Thursday, May 19, 2005
I still owe a post about why life is just so fabulous (outside of my work stress as you'll see after reading this), but in the meantime, I need a bit of advice from anyone out there who actually still reads this thing. :) And pardon my rambling, I am exhausted and I'm not really sure to begin with how to make someone who isn't a teacher understand, but I need to get this out, please to try make it through and make some sense of it, I could really use the help!
As most of you know, I currently am one of the few alternative calendar teachers at the school, which means while everyone else is on breaks I am at work, including summer. Benefit to this of course random vacation time instead of scheduled breaks, but it's quite stressful because I actually only take a couple weeks off every year instead of the like 3 months most of the teachers get off, and while people who aren't teachers generally think we are spoiled and don't see why we need so much time off, you honestly do get burnt out if you don't get that time away. Hence Thanksgiving, Christmas, summer, and spring breaks, getting you away for that little extra time to actually miss the kids instead of never getting having a break and getting frustrated with them. I'm only 23, and I find myself getting very frazzled when I've gone months without a break from the kids. For example this year, I took off the day before Missy and Nick's wedding back in December, I took one week off in March, and I have one week off in July. So anyway, getting to my point... tonight I was offered by one of my student's parents that (starting next summer as I'm already contracted for this summer) to be their nanny, which would only be 3 (or 4 if I want the extra day of pay) days in a week, and they'd give me a couple weeks off for personal vacations too)
This sounds wonderful to me, because it allows me to keep getting my teaching salary year round, but with the added income for a much easier job during the summer. Sounds simple, easy choice to make, make my teaching career much less stressful. But, as most of you do know me, I have always been a people pleaser. I often put what others want (or what I think they want) ahead of my own needs, so I have this strange feeling of guilt over my desire to do this. How do I break it to my boss that while I love my job and I don't want to offend her in any way, that I want to start teaching on the regular calendar and not year-round anymore? I think I feel more guilty about it because I know that I won't just be taking the summer off to relax and recharge totally, as I will still be with kids, but only 2 instead of a classroom full, and for many less hours in a week. And also from knowing me, you'll realize that I couldn't just take the summer off totally, I am way too ADHD for that, would be bored out of my mind so quickly, which is exactly why I took on this position in the first place, but after two years, I am ready for a bit of a break on myself. Not only for myself, but I honestly after seeing it, think that alternative calendar kind of sucks all over. Kids need breaks too. I don't object to year-round school, I could handle a public school year-round calendar because they do take weeks off throughout the year, but our school literally is open every day except major holidays, which I find a bit ridiculous. Normal parents find things to do with their kids so they can work during kids school vacations, and I'm sure that all my kids rich parents could too, but who can blame them for taking what is offered? It's not really fair to the kids either to have such stressed out teachers, sometimes I just want to lose it and yell which of course I can't, such as today when we were stuck inside due to the storms and they were being insane. I think if nothing else my boss needs to give alternative calendar teachers all the normal school year breaks too and maybe just have a summer session. That to me, with maybe one week off in summer, would be much more bearable. But since it's not that way, I need to do this nannying thing somehow unoffensively to Cindy.
Comments-[ comments.]
As most of you know, I currently am one of the few alternative calendar teachers at the school, which means while everyone else is on breaks I am at work, including summer. Benefit to this of course random vacation time instead of scheduled breaks, but it's quite stressful because I actually only take a couple weeks off every year instead of the like 3 months most of the teachers get off, and while people who aren't teachers generally think we are spoiled and don't see why we need so much time off, you honestly do get burnt out if you don't get that time away. Hence Thanksgiving, Christmas, summer, and spring breaks, getting you away for that little extra time to actually miss the kids instead of never getting having a break and getting frustrated with them. I'm only 23, and I find myself getting very frazzled when I've gone months without a break from the kids. For example this year, I took off the day before Missy and Nick's wedding back in December, I took one week off in March, and I have one week off in July. So anyway, getting to my point... tonight I was offered by one of my student's parents that (starting next summer as I'm already contracted for this summer) to be their nanny, which would only be 3 (or 4 if I want the extra day of pay) days in a week, and they'd give me a couple weeks off for personal vacations too)
This sounds wonderful to me, because it allows me to keep getting my teaching salary year round, but with the added income for a much easier job during the summer. Sounds simple, easy choice to make, make my teaching career much less stressful. But, as most of you do know me, I have always been a people pleaser. I often put what others want (or what I think they want) ahead of my own needs, so I have this strange feeling of guilt over my desire to do this. How do I break it to my boss that while I love my job and I don't want to offend her in any way, that I want to start teaching on the regular calendar and not year-round anymore? I think I feel more guilty about it because I know that I won't just be taking the summer off to relax and recharge totally, as I will still be with kids, but only 2 instead of a classroom full, and for many less hours in a week. And also from knowing me, you'll realize that I couldn't just take the summer off totally, I am way too ADHD for that, would be bored out of my mind so quickly, which is exactly why I took on this position in the first place, but after two years, I am ready for a bit of a break on myself. Not only for myself, but I honestly after seeing it, think that alternative calendar kind of sucks all over. Kids need breaks too. I don't object to year-round school, I could handle a public school year-round calendar because they do take weeks off throughout the year, but our school literally is open every day except major holidays, which I find a bit ridiculous. Normal parents find things to do with their kids so they can work during kids school vacations, and I'm sure that all my kids rich parents could too, but who can blame them for taking what is offered? It's not really fair to the kids either to have such stressed out teachers, sometimes I just want to lose it and yell which of course I can't, such as today when we were stuck inside due to the storms and they were being insane. I think if nothing else my boss needs to give alternative calendar teachers all the normal school year breaks too and maybe just have a summer session. That to me, with maybe one week off in summer, would be much more bearable. But since it's not that way, I need to do this nannying thing somehow unoffensively to Cindy.
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