Teachers are under appreciated.

I had no idea how much work teachers do...and now I'm experiencing it all first-hand. I've survived my first two-weeks with some hilarious stories, little sleep, and lots of stress. For starters, on the second day of school one boy said the "F-word" out loud in class and another said "masturbation". What a way to start out the school year! The first week was shocking to me, and I will admit I shed a few tears that week. But by week two I had toughened up a little. I'm starting to get used to being on my feet all day, dealing with attitude, bad behavior, and learning how to teach integers and absolute value to 150 pre-teens. While its been WAY more work that I ever imagined, or even dreamed of doing in my previous job I really do love it. I love connecting with the kids, laughing at/with them, and seeing the light-bulb go off in their head when they finally "get it". And I'm sure I will love it even more when I'm enjoying a week off for Thanksgiving, two weeks off at Christmas, etc...you get the idea. More stories to come!