I moved for this job. The job is working out so far. Except for a higher proportion of loopy parents, I am enjoying the lower stress environment. I still work closely with students, but. . . aieee. It's hard to explain without kind of saying what I do. But I no longer have classroom management issues. I work with students one on one or in very small groups. Although one day I was teaching math to two students who kept interrupting me and thought OMG I have totally lost my skillz in just a couple of months. I can't even teach two students together. Not true. But lol.
Anyway, all I do now is encourage and motivate. I rarely have to kick butt. One neighboring teacher had a kid using the f-bomb one day and I couldn't resist and nearly threw him out. It turned out someone had stolen his bike AND his dog had just died. That's why the teacher was letting it go. Plus the kid was ED. I didn't know. I completely silenced the poor kid. I felt bad after the teacher explained. Anyway . . .
I moved. That's my point. And I am not reaching out and meeting people. Weight gain and arthritis make me not want to. Hell, I don't even hang with my nice roommates so much. Back home, I would probably also be isolating, but not this much.
ANd it's begun to be a problem. The job is great -- as jobs in education go -- but it's not my life. That's one reason I got the job, so I would have energy at the end of the day. But I am not overwhelmed by the beauty of the area I am in. (I sacrificed that.) And I am not near the friends I hang out with no matter how creaky and grumpy I am. So I have to take action. On my health and I just have to start making time for others.
It's not going to be fun. I am way past being able to walk for exercise. So I have to swim. Anyway, there are lots of "have to's" and I am kind of daunted. But I can't be a good teacher or a good anything if I am in pain and isolated. And I am letting that happen.
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