I'm sorry, have we met?

No, I didn't keel over. No, I didn't go into the witness protection program. And no, I didn't become like my 40 gazillion friends who are pregnant. Where have I been? WORKING.

Yes, my friends, I got a job. A real job. A job with a salary.

And I am....ex-wait for it----hausted.

I never realized the amount of time that teachers spend working. I knew that they worked from around 8 am to around 3pm but I assumed that they worked a little while after the students went home and that was it. I remember telling BF how nice it would be when I would be able to get home before 5pm traffic and be able to relax or cook! Sha...right! This has been the most exhausting 3-ish months of my life working 12-16hr days, nights and weekends.

All in all I'm surviving. I'm working hard, messing up, picking myself up again and doing my best to survive this first year.

Alas, I do have a little something to entertain you tonight.

I never realized how much I had to learn until I became a teacher. Here are my top 10 at this point:

10. Apparently I don't come across as a nice person. I've had 3 other staff members complain about me. Its true that when you work in an environment that is primarily female, you have to act like you did in a sorority. And be prepared for all of the drama that can come along with it. I find myself adding unneccesary smiley emoticons in my emails, adding a lot of "girl, those shoes re so cute" and talking in a higher pitch voice as to really add the gushy-friendly stuff. Ugh.

9. I was blessed as a child. My students are in a completely different place than I was, they are much more independent because they have to be. They come from single parent and/or low income households where they have to take up the slack at home. They don't have the luxury of having parents in careers where they can take a day off to come to their awards assembly or stay home with them when they are sick.

8. My wardrobe is under a microscope. I wore skirts 3 days in a row and one of my students asked if I'd gone shopping and said they liked my new style. They also said my old style was L-A-M-E. (I had a 2 week jeans pass!)

7. In business, I always knew it was a C.Y.A. game. In teaching, it's a survival skill. It's a team sport but it's an every man for himself situation most of the time.

6. The fact that every town has enacted a cell phone ban in school zones means I now only have 10-15 minutes to talk on the phone during my drive home. (I only talk on my cell phone during my commute...I have no time at school and I don't want to use it when I get home)

5. The person who decided to show full episodes online is one of my heroes. I can catch up on my shows while I'm cooking! Thank you!

4. I have no money. Seriously. And what I do make, I spend on supplies needed for school. Grr.

3. Lunch. I miss lunch. I miss being able to go out to eat with friends for lunch and being able to schedule that lunch break. (The trick is to take a later lunch...around 1pm or so..cause then you only have a few hours left when you get back!) That being said, there is no diet coke break or potty break in education. I'm amazed that my body is trained to only have to pee before 8am and after 4pm. Cause really, there are very few options if it wasn't.

2. Teachers don't need desks or chairs. I remember getting carpal tunnel and headaches from my posture and sitting at a desk all day. Yeah, um...I don't sit. BF was going to buy me a cool chair for my desk before school started and I decided to wait until I found one I liked. There's no point now, I never sit! Although, apparently it's comfortable...I've had one observer and one substitute that both fell asleep during class!

1. The vests are still there. Remember those teachers who wore the same 5 or 6 outfits and the ones who couldn't wait to bring out the holiday pattern vests and embroidered jackets? Yeah, they're still there. lol. Now I understand how all of those fabric stores are still in business!

All in all, I'm very lucky to be where I am. I've been hanging in there and doing an ok job so far. I'll try to report with more funny stories soon! Thanks for all of your support, understanding and prayers. I've needed it all! 12 days until Thanksgiving break!