Teaching is hard.

It's really, honestly hard. It's time consuming. I wake up at 5, plan, get to school by 8, teach until 3:15, plan until 5, come home, eat dinner, and then plan again until 9:30 or 10 and do it all again the next day.

It's not just the time commitment that is hard, though. It's the caring. I care so much about those students. I want them to achieve their full potential, so I'm going to do everything I can to get them there. It's emotionally draining, really.

So it bothers me when people who are not involved in education want to have great debates. I love these quotes I found in the Readers' Digest...

"If we teach small children, don't tell us that our jobs are "so cute" and that you wish you could glue and color all day long."

"We take on the role of Mother, Father, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, we're watching for learning disabilities, issues at home, peer pressure, drug abuse, and bullying."

Yeah, there's a lot to think about. So don't argue with me about No Child Left Behind, because I see the repercussions (good and bad) of that act reflected in the eyes of my students every single day.

I don't know everything about education--I'm definitely a rookie teacher--but I know enough and I care a lot. So let's stick to our respective areas of expertise!

Yes. Teaching is hard. But I honestly, truly love it!