Next week, most of my students are off on school trips. One class is off for Amsterdam, and the other for Prague. That means I'm off for Jutland form Monday through Thursday. I can already feel my heartbeat slowing down. On the other hand, I know that on Tuesday, I'll be missing my students, wishing them home again. That's the thing I (mostly) love and (sometimes) hate about my job. It's up close and personal. I spend more time with these kinds than I do with my friends, and almost as much as I spend with my boyfriend. I know that I befriend my students more than most of my colleagues, I let them know things about me that most teachers would hide intently: "Yes, I'm actually nervous about this lecture I'm giving 90 students in about 15 minutes, so I might be a bit off today..." I don't see any reason my students shouldn't see that I get nervous, confused, angry or just jolly happy when I've found a new, brilliant dictionary (nerd alert!).
But teaching also means you give yourself. Maybe not 100% every time, but almost. And you really need these breaks from time to time. You have to, pardon the cliché, recharge the batteries. Find the energy to answer tons of questions, correct tons of papers and write tons of words on the blackboard.
Usually, these holidays make me think about what I do, and how I do it. So the next week, you can expect more philosophical posts from a teacher who, in her tiredness, spelt awful aughful.... Then I knew it was time to cool off!
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