overwhelmed

My sister and I are learning how to blog. Here is her list of excuses as to why she doesn't keep up.

Sorry.....I really have been swamped!!!!!!

Here is my list of bad excuses:
1. Leave house at 7:30.
2. Get home at 7:00.
3. Continue to work on lessons until I get a bite to eat.
4. Try to spend some quality time with my husband.
5. Just overwhelmed ...!!!!!

Tips for dealing with excuses.

My sister is a teacher of middle school English. English is a critical skill. In fact it is the single most important skill that a student needs to learn to become a functioning and successful adult. And middle school students, I recognize, are the hardest students to teach, being caught in that strange transition from compliant youths into a rebellious, hormone-filled young adults. Sports, dating, and the internet are higher on a students' list of preferred activities than learning rules of grammar and the art of composition. So, God bless her, my sister who tackles the challenge of educating today's youth for tomorrow's challenges.

Lately, she has felt overwhelmed. I know the feeling well, don't we all. Daily, we are confronted with life's burdens - multiple projects to get done and not enough time; or, managing kids and work; or, trying to console a spouse who is his or herself troubled at the office, while you have your own set of worries. Don't we all just want to say, "Enough, time out!"

I know that I have been accused of being insensitive. I should understand that it is hard to learn a new skill set, that it is hard to take on thirty new students, create a lesson plan, and continue to be super mom and wife at home. Okay already. I apologize for being a hard taskmaster. But, the taskmasters of the world get the tasks done. And, after all, isn't that what teachers do - cajole, plead, ask, and bully, in order to get the very best out of their students? Get the job done.

As Popeye famously said, "I am who I y'am."