Blog Gems Brag / ErinCondren.com Giveaway

I have some awesome news, friends!  

First, my favorite ever blogger, E at E, Myself, and I shared my "Open Letter to New Teachers" in her Blog Gems post for last week.  Sooooo exciting-- really, go look!

I am thrilled . . . over the moon . . . to be recognized like this.  In honor of this little achievement as a new blogger, I'm hosting my first ever giveaway!!!!  I'm an English teacher who hates the over-use of exclamation points, so you can see how excited I really am.  I just used four.

The good folks over at ErinCondren.com have agreed to share a $25 gift code with one of my lucky readers.  They make beautiful, sophisticated-yet-adorable personalized stationery, life planners . . . and lesson planners.  I have heard nothing but good things about their products, so I'm super excited about sharing this with you all.

Credit

Contest ends one week from today, and I'll contact the winner via email within 48 hours of the contest end.  Get to it, y'all!

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The Importance of Teacher-Friends in Preventing Burnout

   I'm so enjoying this summer, and the easygoing productivity that comes with it.  I've painted the living room and hallway in my house, made some lesson plans, read several novels, and done lots of cooking.  It's nice to be able to accomplish things, but do so in a relaxed way.  One thing I love about summer is the freedom to spend my time as I choose-- and today, I'm choosing to spend some quality time with good friends.  Teacher friends, to be exact.  I had lunch with an old friend today, who recently became a colleague.  We spent our time talking, and a lot of it was, honestly, about school.  We compared techniques and ideas, and made plans to do some classroom thrift shopping together next week.  Tonight, I'm heading to a fun get-together with some of my favorite people ever-- most of whom are part of "the lunch crew" at school.  

Homecoming Week festivities with some of my faves

   Thinking about our time spent together reminds me of the importance of having a tight-knit group of friends at school.  We live in a time when teacher-stress is rampant: think standardized tests, complicated new evaluation systems, more and more security concerns, and the ridiculous habit some politicians have of blaming teachers for our nation's problems.  Many young teachers are sprinting out of the classroom before the ink even dries on their first year's grade book.  There is a lot of information out there about how to manage teacher stress and prevent burnout, but I can tell you firsthand that the best thing new teachers can do is to establish a close relationship with a group of colleagues.  

   My "lunch crew" is a group of fellow teachers from my school.  Obviously, we eat lunch together-- but we share a great deal more than that.  We've been through divorces, marriages, births, deaths, celebrations, and heartbreak.  We talk child-rearing and husbands and shopping . . . and you know what?  We even talk about teaching.  And our students.  Shocker!  We rally together to help one another in the classroom as well as out of it.  It's common for us to share lesson plans and classroom management ideas.  We discuss difficult classroom situations and learn from one another, and it just makes us all so much better.  

   I adore my job.  I honestly believe I teach in the best darn school on the planet, and a major reason for that belief is my colleagues.  I've been through some difficult situations in my career thus far-- angry parents, students in heartbreaking situations, and an often overwhelming workload.  Sometimes I understand why young teachers leave education behind for higher-paying (and easier) professions.  But I will absolutely not be one of them.  One reason for that is the relationships I've built with my colleagues.  Without a support system, anything will crumble.  So if you're new to teaching (and even if you're not), go find yourself some teacher-friends. But I bet they won't be as great as mine. 

On Saying Goodbye

Last night, my school said a joyful, tearful, hopeful, beautiful goodbye to the Class of 2013. Despite the persistent threat of rain all week, the one two three trains that interrupted the ceremony, and the crazy wind, it turned out to be a lovely (albeit cold) evening.  

Some of my favorite pictures from the night:

Graduation ceremonies have always made me a bit sad.  I know, I know-- they're supposed to be exciting; they're celebrations.  I understand that.  I do.  But they're also goodbyes, and I've never liked saying goodbye.  I sobbed at my own high school graduation, and I was dry-eyed but broken-hearted when I graduated from college.  

I have been weepy all week, because this graduating class is the first class I ever taught.  Four years ago, they were round-faced, short, giggly little things.  They were children.  Today, they're adults.  It's amazing how quickly that can happen.  Their senior slide show, complete with an awesome drama PSA on "Senioritis," made me laugh and cry, often simultaneously.  (Seriously, watch that PSA-- hilarious!) I'm so proud of them, but I'm also more than a little sad to see them go.  As teachers, we attach ourselves to "our kids" in so many ways-- we laugh with them, celebrate their victories, support them, feed them, hurt with them in the bad times.  It's a proud moment, seeing them in caps and gowns, but it also tugs at the heart.  

There are lots of complaints in the world of education that we aren't paid enough, respected enough, trusted enough, etc. etc.  And those are valid issues that need addressing.  But I can tell you one way we do have enough-- we have a job that will never cease to be fulfilling.  We're molding lives here, people.

Photo Credit: Horace Mann via Pinterest

I did, as expected, shed a few tears last night.  But I really did cry proud, happy, thrilled tears.   

Now to gain lots of new Facebook friends! ;)