Teacher Truth #15 January is Just Survival

I used to think that October, with Halloween widely recognized and celebrated in schools in the USA, was the worst month to teach. Boy, oh boy, was I wrong. January brought with it freezing temperatures, some snow days and a reminder that bouncing back after a break is incredibly challenging, for both students and teachers.

Teacher Truth #16 Snow Days are Sacred

The one benefit to this month was watching the snow fall with hope and joy. To my horror, I learned that some schools offer some form of digital instruction for snow days. How absolutely awful for both teachers and students. The epitome of the toxic work culture to not be able to take a day when freezing temperatures strike or snow needs to be plowed. Just carry on children your rest, nay your safety nay your winter time joy is not as important! Teachers, obviously, should not be having joy anyway.

What if, we thought about each day as an opportunity to have fun and learn? What if we prioritized making learning fun for students as opposed to forcing the government’s skill and drill agenda on them. This radical thought would make others physically ill, and I love that because I believe cultivating time for joy each day is the best way to fight back against toxic work culture.

Teacher Truth #17 January is eternal

Some months feel longer than others, then, there is January. The eternal month, the month that never ends, the month with a million years within it- that month. No more holiday joy or shining lights to bring cheer to the home. Nope, all that starts to get packed away right as we need it the most in January. Why do we need to get our trees collected at that start of January? I protest! I need one more month of joy, please don’t do this to me in January, no not January!

Between no lights on a too fast- whisked away trees, no light due to the winter season of literal eternal darkness, and everyone’s joyless attitude- January is everlasting, eternal and endless.

Even as I right this at the start of February reflecting back, January haunts me, ready to drag my soul back into the pit of doom from whence it came. Stay strong and February on!