School Holidays (with a complimentary rant)

After a fairly long 11 week term, my break has finally arrived!

Two weeks always disappears before it begins, but I'm not one to complain. That's the perks of working as a teacher; we get the holidays when the kids do. And thankfully, next term is only a 10 week one (that ends three days before Christmas, how bad is that?) so I'm sure it will fly by.

I know that people think teaching is an easy job, that I shouldn't complain about the workload and the stress that comes home with me - well, I'd love for them to work just one day in my shoes. How would they deal with the ongoing questions, the patience, the amount of things that have to be taught in the shortest possible time frame? The extra curricular stuff, too. Coaching sports teams, Having reading groups two mornings a week, staff meetings, staff development, PROGRAMMING.

Boo to people who think my holidays are all just play. Sure, I'll relax, I'll take it easy. But still.

I have the whole damn term to plan for. 10 weeks of teaching time. Not to mention planning for the end of year concert, an excursion, oh, and the small thing called END OF YEAR REPORTS. No stress there.

AND, I have to start my Teachers Accreditation piece of crap. It's a new scheme for beginning teachers (they claim that all teachers will have to do it eventually, yeah, right, we'll see about that) - where you have to do an accreditation portfolio and response sheet to be a qualified teacher. I have five years to do it, since I'm not permanent, which is nice. But get this. You have to pay "the institute" $80-$100 a year, whether or not you complete it.

Yes. That's right.

I'm paying those guys money, just so I can get my accreditation. Do you stop paying after you've got your puny little card? Hell, no. It's ongoing. Forever and ever.

I'm doing the work, yet I'm paying other people for it. What the hell? I'm in the wrong career for ripping off people. Perhaps I should consider a change. Blech.

Have I mentioned that if you don't pay on a yearly basis, you can't teach at all?

Nice.

But I digress. It's school holidays, and I'm planning on going to the gym every morning during the week, and Saturday too. Because I'm motivated like that, ya'll. And because I'm enjoying it. (!) Insane.

I hope everyone is enjoying a happy and safe weekend.