I wake up and from the moment my feet hit the floor I feel like I am literally running. Running out the door with coffee in hand, running into the classroom for the early morning parent meeting, running to the bathroom for a quick two minute pee before the bell rings 'cause only the good Lord knows when I'll have another two minutes to myself. Running around encouraging, loving, cheering on my 24 kindergartners as they interact, engage, and learn their reading, writing, math, social and emotional skills, and science in 2 hours and 45 minutes. Then I get to clean up the craziness for the next round in the afternoon.
I kinda forgot why teaching is so hard. It's demanding. I can't just take a 15 minute break. I have started to slide into the old me. I forgot about the staff meetings, the extra demands placed on us to get everything done in a short amount of time, and the way I feel like just going to bed when I get home.
I can't forget how far I've come. 50 pounds lost is HUGE! I have so far to go, but I can't slide back now. I have to figure out a way to keep my sanity yet be the best teacher I can be. I need a balance. I kinda forgot how much energy teaching takes. Sometimes I get worried. I worry that I won't be able to hack it, that I will revert back to my old ways because I don't have time to cook, exercise or spend time with friends. But then I also forgot that I need to continue to MAKE TIME to do those things BECAUSE I need to be the best teacher I can be. I kinda forget at times that those things that are important to me need to remain a priority.
So I'm going to eat healthy. I am journaling. I have joined a support group at school with fellow teachers who want to get healthy. I NEED to keep on going. For me.
Then I remember those kiddos. Those kiddos that just melt my heart when they tell me I'm beautiful. That I'm the best teacher they've ever had. That I'm sooooooo sooooo funny. And silly. I remember that they may not know how to tie their shoes or sometimes they forget to flush the toilet. But I love them. When a child finally "gets it" and I see the light bulb go off...THAT is why I do this. And that, my friends, is hard to forget.
