Beat

"Well, adieu, most stressful week of my summer. Please do not stop by again."

I don't think last summer's session of this program was this stressful, because I can't imagine wanting to do this ever again after having a month (or, really, not even a month yet) like the one I've been having. Or maybe I did what women say you do with childbirth, when your mind fades the pain into some sort of warm, glowy memory, so that the human race has a chance of multiplying rather than dying out because no one wants to do more than one pregnancy.

Or something.

I'm insanely tired. I thought I had been pretty tired before in my life, but right now, i just want to melt into a napping puddle on the floor at least once an hour. I know I must look like crap to my kids, and they're probably wondering what's wrong with that old bag at the front of the room. Good heavens - it's right before my 28th birthday, and I've turned into that worn down, old-lady teacher who looks 15 years older than she actually is. That's depressing.

Anyway, because of my crazy week, I haven't been blogging much; not that I haven't had stuff I wanted to vent about, I just couldn't work up the strength to do it. And this week, surprisingly, I'm having a pretty good time of it. I think my decision to engage in minimal contact with everyone associated with my proram who isn't a student is paying off, although I suspect that as a result there's one staff member at the school who I might never again address in full sentences. That's kind of a shame, because when he's not throwing "a 12-year-old hissy fit," as one of my co-workers called it, he's funny and good to hang out with. Maybe I should just avoid working with him again, and we can return to being friends.

I think that my stepping back from making any more comments about how poorly this program is run has also forced the other staff members to speak up themselves if they are having issues, rather than leaving me to be the spokesperson. Not only does this keep me from being left flapping in the breeze by myself whenever I press an issue, it also allows the upper levels of management to see that it's not just me yelling like a crazy person - other people are experiencing these same issues with similar levels of frustration.

So I feel more at peace, and secure in the knowledge that in less than two weeks, I'm free!