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Health & Fitness

Back to School Like the Commercial...NOT!

We all laugh at the office supply commercial with the ecstatic parent rolling down the aisles throwing school supplies into the shopping cart while the music in the background croons; "It's the most wonderful time of the year.” I've never found that too funny since I was one of those parents who hated for the summer to end; during those two months I was able to spend quality time with my son. You see I am a teacher. For me (and most of my colleagues) pre-back to school time is fraught with sleepless nights, full blown anxiety attacks over classroom prep that needs to be done and a queasy feeling that your house will never be clean again.

Now if you're a spouse, child or sibling of a teacher, no need to read on. You have experienced first hand your loved one's desperate attempts to complete all of the items on their endless "Summer-To Do" list two weeks before school opens (teachers make lots of lists) so they can have the next week to prepare their classroom. You have witnessed the never-ending trips to the "Teacher Store" to pick up bulletin board paper and color coordinated borders that support each subject area. You have watched your loved one transition from Birkenstocks and "Life is Good" T-shirts to sensible shoes and a business casual look that adheres to the dress code.  And you have held your loved one close, stroked their head and said "...maybe they'll implement just one new initiative this year".

To be clear, it is not the children I fear. I love kids. That's why I do what I do. It's the constant jabber from those outside the classroom who have never stepped foot into one (aside from being a student) that sends me into a back-to-school cycle of denial, discouragement and depression. I'm tired of having my years of education, preparation, certification and experience, discounted by every Tom, Dick and Michelle who wants to make a buck and a name for themselves politically. I'm tired of politicos and pundits focusing on what teachers are doing wrong instead of what they've done and continue to do right. I'm weary of being asked to shoulder all of the responsibility for public education's shortcomings.

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So when you see that funny "back to school' office supply commercial...remember the tons of teachers out there shopping and preparing to welcome back your community's children. Partner with them to make it a great year.

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