The Last Day…

Today was my last day of a four week break from work and tomorrow I must return to the grind. I am both glad and sad at its arrival. Sad of course because we all prefer to be on holiday than to go into work, but glad also because finally the dread at this day’s arrival can end. The nightmares about returning can cease. It’s really not that bad, I know that in reality, but it doesn’t stop my unconscious self torturing me with a variety of doom scenarios. Once the first day back is over with I can probably breathe a great sigh of relief.

I’m a teacher and I go through this every year, twice a year. Winter holiday and summer holiday.

I haven’t left my house in the last four days also, so tomorrow might be a shock to the system. It’s probably something I need though, to wake me up from my current stagnation. I can put on clean clothes, tie my shoelaces and walk out into the morning with purpose. I will at least try to focus on the positives of the first day, seeing some colleagues and friends again after a while, making plans and lists for the new semester, getting myself organised. I try not to think too much about the actual students, the teaching I need to do, and my homeroom group I have to see each morning again which consists mostly of demons. I think I’m dreading seeing them again the most.

My principal says that being a homeroom teacher is the ‘best part of the job’ and I couldn’t disagree more. Not when your homeroom has some of the worst behaved students in the school, and that description has come from many other teachers, I’m not biased.

So here I am, on the last day of freedom, about to face tomorrow, the first day of the second sentence *cough* semester of the academic year. It’s not a happy day and I know more nightmares await me.