The end of summer. For teachers, it conjures a mix of emotions no one else quite understands. The thrill of meeting new students, buying new school supplies, and starting a fresh new year. But also the dread of getting up at 5 am again, spending your nights grading, and sitting through yet another faculty meeting.
These kitties feel your joy (and your pain). Let them be your catharsis as you face the close of another summer.
Surprise
The school calendar has been out for months. You marked it in your planner. You knew the day was coming. Yet it still feels like the break disappeared overnight.
Denial
School can’t be reopening, right? You must have looked at the calendar wrong. It’s still June. It has to still be June.
Anxiousness
What were you thinking all summer? You shouldn’t have gone on vacation with your family. You shouldn’t have taken all those naps. You haven’t done enough to prepare. You can never do enough to prepare.
Saltiness
The people who say you have “all summer” off clearly have no idea what they’re talking about.
Frustration
No more sleeping in, no more late-night movies, no more guilt-free Netflix binges. In a few short days, you’ll have grading to do. For the next nine months.
Bargaining
Maybe school will be delayed by a week. Just one more week. You could handle anything if you had just another seven days of classroom-free existence.
Excitement
Okay, going back isn’t all bad. Actually, far from it. You’ve got a summer’s worth of Pinterest browsing to unleash on your classroom and your lesson planning. It might as well be Christmas morning.
Determination
Change lives? Pass on years of wisdom? Mold the next generation? Yeah, you’ve got this covered.
Optimism
It doesn’t matter how last school year ended. Everything’s going to go your way this year.
Happiness
Yes, teaching is a demanding field. You knew that before you took the gig. But what other job lets you change young lives like this one?