At the beginning of each week, I start teaching with a fresh mindset– the problems of before can be gone, never to come again, if I just change my perspective! That’s it– perspective! It will take away the suffering I see! Perspective will put emotional boundaries up so I don’t take my work home, even just inside my head! Perspective will help me not care about the fact that a student can’t attend X school because a box wasn’t checked on the original paperwork!

Sigh. I guess right now I don’t have an optimistic perspective.

Try me again next week.

One way I make myself feel better at work is with food. I guess that is why I have put on 25 pounds since I started teaching full time. Yesterday I made pickle rolls to try to make my lunch fun in order to forget student troubles for my break. (And also to celebrate the Minnesota State Fair season.) It didn’t work, but I did get some laughs in the teacher’s lounge.

Laughter is important. And breathing. Breathing is important too.