There's always another Day One....

I've been teaching for 17 years.  I started as a high school English teacher, and then I moved on to "part"-time teaching while I completed Masters and doctoral degrees.  I've now held my job as an English prof at a small college for nearly six years.

Seventeen years really isn't very long, but in recent months, I have felt myself tiring of the routine. I've found that the energy required of me to teach seems greater. The mental diligence needed to teach four different classes in a row seems more challenging. The material that I must know inside and out seems more difficult to master some days.  In short, I'm on a road to burnout that I'm trying to exit.

Thankfully, in teaching, there's always another "day one."  There's always another "first day" to start with clean sheets of note paper and new rosters.  It is like renewing a habit you want to continue. My new "first day" was last week, and it went well.  In fact, the first few days went well.

Whenever I feel uneasy or sad about teaching, I think of a phoenix.  By the end of each semester, I am the burned out mass of feathers, much like the phoenix Fawkes when Harry Potter first encounters Dumbledore's mythical bird at Hogwart's.  But by the next term, I renew and resurrect for another cycle. I wish the burning didn't have to happen again, but at least I can trust in the time to put myself back together and live on.

Thankfully, I get to live as a teacher with some really great people.  I also have fun, wise, and usually sensible students. Through much time and experience, I've learned how to troubleshoot and problem solve to make my courses stronger.  I plan and I check off the days and I get through classes.... over and over again.  With each new semester, I breathe and aim to focus on the present of each class and student. I don't always succeed, but I try, over and over.  A phoenix always gets another chance.