Intellectually, he is juggling half a dozen lit torches, Ming vases, live puppies, and running chainsaws.
—Neal Stephenson, Cryptonomicon, p. 819
This morning, I was reading-along with a MetaFilter post (Melting Spoons and Autistic Burnout) and reflecting on my many clients and the challenges we all face.
I am quite new to the World of Teaching, and my skill and understanding has grown immensely this past year.
I conduct face-to-face, direct-instruction in all Sciences (at the same time (in the same classroom)) to High School level kiddos. Our school is part of a Psychiatric Residential Treatment Facility (PRTF), and our always-revolving student population of 89-100 reflects almost the entire spectrum of Exceptionality.
I am also approaching the end of the 1st Semester of my Teaching Certification/MAT program.
For me to say that "each day is demanding" belies the depths of attentiveness, care, concentration, motivation, and time management needed to just make it to the 2nd Period bell.
And I have another three Periods that request the same 230% of my energies.
Oh yeah: then there's my own schooling, layered atop all this.
I feel like Randy Waterhouse (in the quote, above) when the Dentist comes to greet him in 'jail'. It's like I'm constantly juggling a bunch of babies, watermelons and chainsaws ;)
I find that I have been spending an inordinate amount of my day reflecting on my teaching, and the experiences of my kiddos.
What do I know about who they are?
Did I actually address their needs?
Did I help make their life more?
Did I hear them?
In my readings and reflections, I was struck by this quote by the user notoriety public:
Something I've said about depression is that it holds up a mirror to the world, and in a mirror, you see everything backwards. But that mirror image is just a reflection's thickness away from the real world of life and hope. When you're on the wrong side of the glass, it seems impossibly far away. It's not.
So, here I am looking through my own mirror, and wondering how I can prepare myself not only to know what side of the mirror I am on (and for ways to make sure that I keep my inner fire lit), but that I can make sure I fuel the same needs in my students.