Today is the last day of summer vacation.

Today is the last day of summer vacation. Next week I have convocation and teacher work days, and in 10 days, I'll have minds to inspire. Last spring we were told we were moving buildings (I teach at a charter school, and we had outgrown our building) and we'd have access to unpack and decorate our rooms well before the beginning of the year. As of today, my room is not finished, I do not have a key to the new building (I do have a contract, so I know I'll be working there!) and I've got two groups to instruct instead of one. The problem? I teach kids with relatively severe autism, behavioral challenges AND co-morbid disorders (that means that they vie for superiority in wreaking havoc in a kids ability to access education). Legally, I can't put them all in one room because of the age gap (has to be less than 5 years from oldest to youngest), so I'm going to be bouncing from room to room. I know I should be working on my home today, but I'm tired. The stress is waking me at all hours, and I can't go back to sleep. I think I'll go make myself a salad, go to the library (nothing like escape into a book) and visit the chiropractor. I'm going to have a fabulous year, and my kids are going to learn a ton, and learn to control their behaviors. The boss said he thought he had someone to hire to cover one of my classrooms, but I haven't heard if it's official yet. What I do know is that this school does excellent work with kids that school districts expel for aggressive behaviors. I have 4/7 in one room who are assaultive and 3/6 in the other room. The boss knows that I have the extensive experience to teach these kids self control, but I really need to be in the room to make it happen. No particular need for advice, just needed a safe place to vent a bit.

Be kind to your friends who are educators - we donate a lot of our personal resources to supporting kids with whom we work, often leaving us with little for self care. Invite us for coffee or a cocktail. Insist that we join you for that spin class or yoga session. Tell us we need to get that mani-pedi to look good for family pictures. Remind us that we need to be present in our own families as well as the children we teach. Above all, listen without judgement and without offering your solution. The solutions I have heard over the last 5 years have all been illegal, immoral or unethical - trust me, if it weren't, we would try it. When you insist that yours is the only solution that makes sense, and you cannot comprehend that if we do that we will be prosecuted to the full extent of the law, do not be surprised when we eliminate you from our circle. There is a reason teachers hang out with other teachers - it's because we know education law.