I have just finished the end of my 29th year. I truly enjoy teaching, but the demands of the job seem rougher as I get a bit older. I am ready to enjoy a relaxing summer---go on vacation with one of our daughters and two of her friends and get through the clutter of the house and straighten it up.
It is the emotional part of the teaching job that wears on me. Seeing so many children without one of their parents, physical and sexual abuse victims, poverty, growing numbers of special ed needs, and behavior problems I never dreamed I would see in a classroom. These things have all increased in the past 5 years. We are a small town, but have inner-city ghetto problems.
I will feel renewed some after I have had 3 months of rest (including 3 classes I will take to help inspire me). Are any of the rest of you overwhelmed with the problems your students face?