The non-entry
I am not updating the blog today. This week’s Tuesday blog entry is about how I am not updating. I am not updating because I am frustrated, tired and stressed out.
I am a full-time-plus (my own special term for overtime-less workers out there who work 60-plus hours per week, but get paid for 2/3 of that time) teacher who attends graduate school at night and on the weekend. I am a grant writer, a behavior committee member, an after-school tutor, a dormitory piano teacher, an Art Club sponsor and a Thursday night karaoke singer. I am tired. I am stressed. I have procrastinated far too long and now have too many assignments due tomorrow for graduate school.
For all you full-time-plus teachers out there, this one’s for you.
Bah.
(I’ll update with a real entry later on this week. Maybe.)
Comments
One of my favorite songs by folksinger Bill Milford has a verse that says:
"I can only do what I can do
I can only be what I can be
If that's not enough
Well that's tough stuff
Cause it's just enough for me."
Each of us is pulled in 100 directions by life. The key is to determine what is important when so many urgent things are pulling at your sleeves.
I applaud you for setting a limit here with your blog colleagues. You have met your obligation by saying hello, and now you are back to the important issues confronting you on the res.
Hope to hear more from you on how you are managing to juggle so many things.
Good luck getting through it all!
Posted by: Phil Nash | November 14, 2006 1:33 PM
yea, there are only a few of us to take on that responsibility. you've learned alot about the people and the structure. it seems that society and government has given the responsibility to the teachers for it's failings. a cut and run tactic and leave it to education and teachers. guess what?!, we teachers are feeling the effects of our u.s. education system - standard base education seems to be creating more standard base feelings and emotions, creativity null and void, because of too much work not being shared equally by the people. things educationally wise has changed things so dramatically on the reservations, sorry to be so generalized, so much work to be done with a few always doing all the work; be careful.
Posted by: Tony | November 19, 2006 2:08 PM
Hello Ms. Shyu
The Anishinaabek people have a saying, "the Creator only gives you what you can carry" Try not to be too stressed about your situation, most Native American communities on Turtle Island have similar situations, where people who accept responsibility, can see gaps in the system and try to make repairs. Maybe this is something that while you have tea with the Grandmothers, could be brought up as a topic of conversation. One more tidbit, a friend of mine usually reminds me, that you can only eat an elephant one bite at a time.
RESPONSE:
Thank you for those words of encouragement! I'm going to teach that saying to my students tomorrow. I can't wait to hear what they think it means...
Posted by: vale | December 13, 2006 9:00 AM