(no subject)

[sorcyress]

So I'm about three eighths of the way done with year two of the Dream Job.

I work close to ten hours a day on average. I have to get to work by like 6:45am if I want to get all my prepping done in time. I've got students who smoke enough pot that standing near them makes my eyes water. At least six of my students have some variety of Serious Bad Mental Shit, like the kind that takes them out of school for days at a time and makes them sad and sullen and withdrawn when they're back. I've hit fun new teacher milestones this year, like "help a student navigate having been sexually harassed by a classmate" and "be called a 'fucking cunt' to my face by a student laughing to his friends".

Oh, and I'm deeply panicked about the upcoming evidence file being due, and I'm constantly drowning in ungraded papers, and how do I deal with the number of students who are failing, anyways? Like, I know they're not coming to school, but is there something that I can do to make up for it??

I love my job _very much_. I haven't stopped loving my job, to any degree, not yet. I don't think I will anytime soon --there is nothing like teaching in the rest of the world, and it's such a delight to do.

But it's the kind of thing that eats time and eats brains and eats souls, and I have to remember that. I've been happier in the last year-and-three-eighths than I was for several years before that, but my stress and anxiety levels have been pretty damn high alongside it. I haven't seen most of my friends in two years (depression sucks), and I never feel like I've gotten enough sleep.

Still though, I wouldn't trade it. I hope you're able to find something that brings you joy.

~Sor
MOOP!

Comments

[joshuazelinsky]

This reinforces my general perception that teaching gets generally easier the older the students one has. Even having taught at a variety of colleges with a whole bunch of socioeconomic backgrounds. I've had some issues with students but they seem to have generally been less extreme than some of what you are dealing with.

I've had students come to class high but that's rare enough that it is memorable (and the students at least have the good graces to try to hide it albeit pretty unsuccessfully).

I've also had to deal with students who have had problems with sexual harassment or sexual assault, and some of that is for obvious reasons pretty emotionally draining.

(Aside, apparently faculty who are women or present as female get having to deal with this much more frequently than those who are men or present as men; in 5 years though, I've had three students(2 girls and 1 boy) come to me with issues related to this sort of problem, and I know that many other male faculty have had many fewer students come to them about these issues. I'm not sure why I get them. I suspect it may have to do with for some reason I come across as less masculine or less strongly male presenting than other men? I've had at least two students conclude that I'm LGBTQE; I'm not sure in either case what lead to that conclusion.)

But it sounds like your day-to-day involves a lot more, or at least your density of incidents per a teaching day is a lot higher.

[child_of_the_air]

I'm glad to hear you're still loving the Dream Job, despite all the stresses of teaching!

[verdantry]

♥

You are the kind of teacher I was glad to have in high school, and that I want for all the kidlings in my life.

(and god damn I wish my favorite kidling had YOU for her math teacher, instead of the ass that she has to deal with, but ah well.)

I hope you get some socializing balance soon, and some sleep.

[42itous]

You are awesome and your students are abundantly lucky to have you looking out for them.

[quietlymagical]

I like hearing about your work. I am glad you continue to love your job.

I also have a very stressful and very wonderful job. I feel so lucky. Seems not many people can say they love their jobs.

[choco_frosh]

Hang in there! Two more weeks and you get a break, right?