The Super Teacher {Myth}

I know many of you are going back to school soon, so y'all should probably just ignore this post.  It's kind of a downer, and I don't want to cause you unnecessary stress, but it feels cathartic to share this, even though I'm telling you not to read it.

I'm in my 6th week back in school, and having a very difficult time doing my job this year.  My green beans are very sweet, and I miss them when I am not there.  These kiddos remind me of why I became a teacher.  I am there to help them become independent, critical thinkers who will benefit our society and the world as adults.  My job is important, and I take it seriously.

However, there's the downside: paperwork, meetings, new curriculum, little support for new curriculum, more paperwork, more meetings to discuss the paperwork, 10 different passwords to enter data in 10 different websites - all of which are {apparently} important, changes in how we collect the data, changes in how we analyze the data, and a constant barrage of 30 emails a day in my school account - each of which must be read.  I'd like to have an opportunity to spend my planning time actually planning my lessons or analyzing student work to learn more about the green beans I work with throughout the year.

I'm sick at home today, since my anxiety has my stomach in knots and I can't keep food down.  The stress is actually making me ill.  I'm not the only one, as gauged in the stress level of my colleagues; it seems that many of us have the same level of stress, so comments get mis-interpreted, leading to further stress.  I went looking online for a bit of inspiration, and found a video called “The Myth of the Super Teacher” from Roxanna Elden.
 
It's over 12 minutes long, but definitely worth the time.  I found it funny and insightful, even though this is my 14th year of teaching instead of my first.