No teacher Truly Has All Their shit Together

Tap tap goes your thumb on an image of a teacher who has it all together.

The freakin’ cutest outfits, excuse me #TeacherOOTD #TeacherStyle.

Hundreds, or even thousands, of likes on every damn teachergram post.

Their smiles look real. Ya know? Like they actually enjoy teaching still.

Students all sitting on the rug, criss-cross-apple-sauce, hands folded in their laps.

But let me tell you something my friends-- teacher life ain't always what is shown on social media.

I initially became the “Kinda Sorta Teacher” because I inconsistently blogged about all things of my life-- kinda parenting, sorta teaching, definitely things that pissed me off. But somewhere along the way, throwing stories and photos with quirky captions on Instagram or corny videos on TikTok became easier than blogging.

I didn’t have the time to get all of the things done. Ah-ha, I didn't have the time to do everything I wanted to.

It may seem as if I have my shit together, but I too am crippled in terms of having enough hours in the day to complete all of the things.

It takes less than 60 seconds to snap a perfect seeming picture and another few minutes to throw it up on social media with a super relatable caption that makes your followers double tap and comment, “same.”

But then there’s all of the other things: SLO, IEP, and 504 meetings, lesson planning was reintroduced to my school this year and I am currently teaching three different preps of the same students I've had three years in a row, so ew, that means alllllll new content for alllllll of my classes, grading as an English teacher, you know the list goes on and on… and on, of course.

What if I told you that I am stressed too?

Sure, I looked cute on spirit week, but y’all, it ain’t been all sweet.

I think many people who are not in the teaching profession do not realize the emotional surge we undergo as teachers. We truly are told to “leave work at work.” By that, I can finally in year 8, leave my laptop on my podium. I can hit pause and say it’ll get done when it gets done.

But what about the invisible work.

The thoughts-- how can we leave those at work?

The kids that are approaching graduation and have no plan?

You know how people ask, “What haunts your dreams?”

I literally had a dream (Jesus, I guess a nightmare) just last night that three of my seniors failed their ASVAB and could not join the military.The guidance counselor gave me their results and I was asked to break the news to the kids.

You know how Facebook asks, “What’s on your mind?”

The student that looks like life isn’t being kind to them, but tells you they’re fine with a smile and bright eyes.

So while my agenda slides are cute and my interactive activities are best sellers-- they have not yet brought me world peace within the walls of my classroom, or the walls of my teacher-heart.

I tell my students to pre-write. Brainstorm. Draft. Revise their thesis. Proofread it once, then proofread it again.

I am not taking that advice here. I have no big point to wrap around, I am just saying I see you, you can see me.

My year is meh at best.

It’s not the kids. It’s not the school. It’s not the gig.

It’s the profession in its entirety.

Things have changed for teachers since 2020 and are never gonna be the same.

But maybe we don’t want them to be the same-- we want them to be better.

Stripped down and rebuilt.

But that’s for next time.

I’m going to get one of these out per week people, hold me accountable, will ya?

The point of this whole thing, which could have been an Instagram caption) is nobody has their shit together.

The picture just was cute.

The caption was just edited and worded nicely.

It’s a shit show over here too.

And quite frankly, it may have seemed like I haven’t had much to say lately-- but really, I’ve been thinking.

And man, thinkin’ can be a dangerous thing, can’t it?

I will say, I am so sick and tired of using my inside voice to make others comfortable.

Super over it.

‘Tis all for now. I hope you are having a super lovely Tuesday.

XoXo

Love, hugs, and Lots of Kisses,

Cheers,

Ty Tiger | Kinda Sorta Teacher