First of all, I am good about getting my parking pass. As soon as announcements are out, I order, because I don't want to deal with the student and their lines. Last night, I went to put the sticker on, with my 2026-2027 Beach Pass, and I can't find the Fairfield one. Why? Because I brought several months of mail to Edem and I believe my parking pass was handed to him in his pile. That was my bad, as I've been driving with my parking pass for a month, fully intending to put it on my car. Now I believe it is with him (if he didn't throw it out).
Hell. Roads. Pavement. Good intentions.
This meme came across my digital communities yesterday and I started to think about it...it's so accurate. More cruel is all of us who start post Labor Day, who end up laboring all day for the labor needed on the first day. And yes, this is laborious preparation only to reach the classroom to labor, followed by more labor of grading, assessing, reflections, and planning more. This might be the very reason why so many people don't go into education and even more the reason why so many walk away.
The work never ends. Truth. This is my 30th year teaching, 29th in schools after year as a Louisville Writing Project educator. It's my 49th year in school, having entered kindergarten in 1977. I was five. 50 years later I'm going to be 55. I think the retirement plan is to last another decade, but knowing all my colleagues have retired, I'm not sure how I will hang on. I have to, but it seems like a very long haul.
My syllabus seems to be in check...the classes are mostly organized, and I think I'm ready for back to back instruction today. I won't get home until late and laugh -- tomorrow, the calendar is back-to-back meetings from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. (so much for processing the classes taught the night before). I'm exhausted before I even being knowing I'm a good month behind on CWP-Fairfield goals (and then there are the reports due next week that I doubt I will get to).
Yep, it's back. Maybe the university will tow my car away because I've lost the parking pass. Who knows? All I know is that my enthusiasm isn't what it used to be and it's probably because I'm exhausted even before any of it begins.
I need to be patient with myself and forgiving. I know all the abuse still to come and that is is par for the course. But thinking about Labor Day, and the meme above, I got a little more cynical. Teaching in higher education is slow-motion compared to K-12, but doing/working in both is extra abusive.
And wiat that, it's time to get to work once again.
