Back at it!

For a multitude of reasons I have not been posting here for months.  Not that I haven't been working and writing!  I have been teaching in the busy, messy, noisy way Vicki Davis talks about.
And I have been continuing my graduate studies.  And my volunteer work... and my family life!

With two students who have autism and another whose first language is not English ...in addition to the other smiling/not smiling faces in our class this year, I have been extra busy as a teacher since September rolled in.  (There aren't actually enough hours in the day, are there?!)

Or at least I felt busier!  And stressed out a little more too!

Teacher stress is very real but it's not unmanageable.  Recognizing that you are experiencing it and acknowledging that it is a normal emotion in this profession is perhaps key to staying sane!

As teachers we quite often take the daily experiences of being in the classroom to heart.

..a lesson plan goes awry
...the Internet is down
...the copier jammed and we needed that stuff

...that student looks unhappy again this morning                    
...this student is trying so hard but still struggles
...she can't find her pencil and he can't find his report and
...another student that you thought 'had it' - doesn't!
...this one is attentive but that one isn't!!

...just getting settled with that group when you're interrupted again



...and all the other school-related expectations
like planning
and preparation
and reading student work

and responding to student work                      
and assessments
and keeping in touch with parents
and report card writing
and meetings
 and ......

usually these don't happen all on the same day but we all know that some days feel like that!

So I tried not to lose my perspective...

I tried to realize my own limitations...                                                             

I aimed to try new approaches...

and above all keep in mind why I am in the classroom in the first place...those faces that greet me each day!

So I haven't been HERE  because I had to make some choices around what had to be done and what could be put on a back burner.

It takes time to blog and to read great posts and to tweet and browse and reflect on what one comes across.

I found I was bookmarking so many interesting and truly useful sites, but I wasn't getting time to think about how to most effectively incorporate the thoughts and ideas as so many more were coming at me each time I logged on through my contacts/PLNs/favourite bloggers!

So I was on hiatus (noun) interval; break; period of rest; separation; interruption!  That being said, I am easing myself back into my digital connections.

I will pace myself  and undoubtedly continue to need to prioritize within my professional and personal lives.

But I'm enjoying this too much to not do it!