{"id":77,"date":"2018-02-16T18:45:19","date_gmt":"2018-02-16T18:45:19","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.wordpress.com\/?p=13"},"modified":"2023-09-30T11:43:02","modified_gmt":"2023-09-30T15:43:02","slug":"what-do-we-do-on-the-bad-days","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/itslitteaching.com\/what-do-we-do-on-the-bad-days\/","title":{"rendered":"What Do You Do When Teaching Sucks?"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Sometimes, teaching flat out sucks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I woke up in a miserable freakin’ mood this morning. I mean, really, really mad. There wasn’t any real trigger. I’m just tired from only getting six hours of sleep each night this week, hungry from dieting, and absolutely dreading having to work three hours at my second <\/i>job after I finish a long Friday at my teaching job. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

#teacherlife<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wish I had some happy-go-lucky “Here’s What I Do When I’m Stressed Out” listicle for you. Maybe some trick for exactly how much lavender oil you need to diffuse in your classroom to make these emotions go away. But I don’t. That’s not really how life works, anyway, right? What happens when you wake up, feeling awful, knowing full well you’ll be going to bed late (again), tired (some more), and broke (like always)? You do what you have to do, and you get shit done anyway.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Teachers don’t get enough credit for showing up and doing the work, even when it’s hard. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Showing Up is Sometimes the Hardest Part of Teaching<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

If I worked in an office of adults, I could go to work looking bedraggled. I could hover around the coffee machine and bitch to my coworkers. I could explain to my office mates about the lack of sleep, being behind on Netflix, and apologize self-righteously for not looking as *fabulous* as I normally do. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The griping would be normal. My coworkers and I might even bond as we do it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when you’re a teacher, those aren’t options. Even the best lesson plans, most organized classrooms, and all the color-coded binders in the world (*note, you’ll see none of the above in my classroom), can’t shake a bad mood. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

All you can do is grit your teeth, smile, and fake it for your students. And you have to fake it for your students<\/strong><\/i>.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

My kids walk, sometimes a mile through cold weather to get to school. They come from abusive households, poverty, and downright crummy parenting. They have boyfriend\/girlfriend issues. Some are in the closet, worried about their peers or their parents’ judgments. Some are facing drug or gang issues–addiction, being worried about being jumped on their way to school, or even stressing that someone will discover the drugs in their backpacks. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

The last thing these kids need is my stress or my crappy attitude polluting the one place that’s supposed to be healthy and safe.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"What<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

So We Show Up Anyway<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

When my alarm went off, and rage filled me, I got up anyway. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Perhaps the only tip I can give you when you’re having an off day is to stick to routines. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

I could have skipped the gym this morning in favor of an extra half hour of sleep, but then instead of being mad at the world, I would have been mad at myself, which feels infinitely worse.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I texted my best friend and ranted, and halfway through my squats the edge of my anger had subsided a little. At least I’m not angry that I missed a workout, too.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

I got to work, stole an extra cup of coffee from the guidance office, and put on my teaching mask. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Ok, the second tip for when you’re having a bad teaching day? Coffee. Always more coffee.)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Did I do a great job of teaching today? Absolutely not.<\/em> <\/p>\n\n\n\n

After poking one student three times, I gave up and let him sleep through his quiz. Two of my ELL students may have been cheating in the back corner, but if they’re helping each other puzzle through foreign texts and bridging the language gap between their native tongue and the snaking metaphors of Ray Bradbury, aren’t they still learning? <\/p>\n\n\n\n

My teaching was not exemplary; on Charlotte Danielson’s Framework for Teaching, I am a solid 2: Basic. Thank goodness there were no surprise observations.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

But when it came to the important things–building my students’ confidence, creating relationships, not being one more crappy adult in a world full of crappy adults–I did my best. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n