Breaks for Teachers? I Think Not!

We always look forward to the next break. We get tired of the run around that the work week brings, the students get tired of working, and let's face it, we look forward to sleeping in if even for a day or two!

But... I don't know that since I have become a teacher I have ever truly had a break from the job.

For instance, when we had fall break last month I spent it worrying about two of my students that are always being crazy boys and hurting themselves. I wanted to check up on them and make sure they were making good decisions and not poor ones like blowing gasoline out of their mouths onto a blow torch and burning their face off. (Sadly that is not a made up story.) I worried about the girl in my class that has to take care of all of her siblings day in and day out so both of her parents can work to support them. I wonder how well my video game addicts are doing on their games. I wonder how my band nerds are doing at their competition. I pray that my good kids are still being good and are not getting pulled in bad direction while we are out. And on top of those stories that stand out, I think about all of those 

But this break has an added stress to it in the form of END OF COURSE TESTS... duh, duh, duuuuuuuuuuh.

We are now under the new common core and North Carolina has just recently released what the new test will look like and it is HARD. No, forget that, it is nearly IMPOSSIBLE  for freshmen students that have been through just one math class. But, regardless of my opinion, my students will still be taking this test just 15 days after we get back. And even though I feel that this upcoming measure of my students learning and my teaching is not fair, I still have that glimmer of hope that "I can do this. They can do this. We can do this!" It is like a challenge and I want to prove that me and my sixty odd students are up for it!

So, I will be enjoying this Thanksgiving at home with my family stuffing my mouth with all of the goodies that come with this holiday. But I will always have that test and my students in the back of my mind. And I will have it on my finger tips as I create more Common Core review materials for my kids and my TpT Store. That way we can all work to attain the most success possible as we go through our first round of new standards.

Happy Thanksgiving to you and yours!