The past few weeks have not been exceptional. In fact, it has been very routine. I work long hours, I have horrible days behaviorally (especially with my special ones all my friends hear me groan and growl over day after day), I have great teaching days and a lot of gray matter in between. Some days my kids get the material, other days I get blank stares. I work way longer than I mean to work every single night, but somehow I don't lose my steam. About two or three times a week one of my lovelies tells me something that humbles me and breaks my heart and about two or three times a week I completely lose my straight face and burst out laughing at something absolutely preposterous one of my kids said. It's up and down, but it is fluid. It's my daily rhythm. It stretches me and compresses me. It sustains me.
I came to this realization today when I had a meeting with my principal. We were discussing the progress of my students, my own professional and personal development and all things in between. We do not meet as often as we could and probably should, but when we do, it is always so meaningful and insightful. At one point in the meeting, my principal said, "You know I got the best compliment the other day from ___ (another one of my bosses). She said that I have a knack for picking employees who other people may not; but who turn out just right in the end, just like Hannah." She went on to say a couple people did not think I was the right choice in the beginning but she saw in me a passion that others do not have and knew that I would come through and she believed I had. She also said my haters (as I will henceforth refer to them) agreed that they had underestimated me. Granted a perfectionist of sorts would be boggled down wondering why said people were against hiring someone as absolutely wonderful as myself, but as I have never been a perfectionist, I will instead just be proud I made them question their own judgments and will of course, refer to them as my haters behind their back.
In reality, I am far from perfect in the world of teaching. There are so many things I am working to improve on and my work-life balance is far from reaching any sort of equilibrium. Not to mention, some of my students still don't know the simplest of concepts or are still behaviorally out of control--cursing, jumping on tables, you name it. But, it is nice to know someone sees progress is me. And I must admit, despite how historically hard I am on myself, I see major professional strides in me as well, which in all honesty, is the most meaningful reflection of all.
So I don't really have much to say. I know this is refreshingly brief of a post for my consistent followers, used to pages of rambles and stories, but I guess all I have to say is I'm in sync. Again--not the boy band.
I'll leave you with this quote. The prose is less than impressive, but witty in the context of the post. Also, I really just miss going to hockey games.
"I love proving people wrong." -Ed Belfour
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