Journal Entry: 3/29/13

This is one of those moments where I have so much on my mind, that I don’t know what to write about. So I’m just going to level with you:

The past couple of months have taken a toll on me. Fulltime teaching and writing a book in my extra time, on top of my usual writing and teacher leadership activities, have been no joke.  I’ve pushed myself mentally and physically past what I thought was my limit. No, writing is not a sport; I’m talking about teaching without a full night’s sleep too many days each week, for weeks at a time. (Serious empathy going out to the teachers out there who are new moms and dads and do this for their little ones).

This weekend I’m spending time with family, and I feel like I’m barely here. I haven’t had time to just be. I haven’t had time to get my nails done or other seemingly unimportant stuff that grounds me.

I’m not complaining. I’m proud and excited that I’ve written a book about an aspect of my teaching that I feel so passionately about and can now share on a new level; I love my students and I’m energized by teaching every day. I would not say that this feeling is one of being burnt out. It’s just that there is a personal cost to trying to do so much at once.

Yes, this should be called “Extreme Teacher Leadership”!  There are other ways, though… Check out the discussion by teacher leaders at the  Teaching Ahead Roundtable on Designing Your Dream Hybrid Role.

[Note: After writing this post, I finally got my nails done 🙂 ]

[image credit: www.tourismontheedge.com ]

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Author

Ariel Sacks

Ariel Sacks began her 13-year teaching career in New York City public schools after earning her master’s degree at Bank Street College and has taught and coached in grades 7-9. She is the author of Whole Novels for the Whole Class: A Student Centered Approach (Jossey-Bass, 2014) and writes a teaching column for Education Week Teacher.

Ariel’s work as a teacher leader with the Center for Teaching Quality involved her in co-authoring Teaching 2030: What We Must Do For Our Public Schools – Now and in the Future. She was also featured in the CTQ book Teacherpreneurs: Innovative Teachers Who Lead Without Leaving.

She is currently working on a book about the role of creative writing in equitable, 21st century schools, and she speaks and leads workshops on the whole novels approach.

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