A Hard Day to be a Teacher
A Poem by S. D. Manning
Written June 2, 2021
Students struggle
I’m trying my best
I struggle
I keep showing up
Where’s the pat on the back for a teacher?
Behind the scenes
it’s so hard
challenge after challenge
Together and alone
Behind a screen
I keep showing up
Where’s the pity for a teacher?
Yesterday I wanted to quit
I didn’t
Today I want to cry
I still might
I keep showing up
Where’s the validation for a teacher?
My back hurts
Physically and figuratively
Battles and bumpy roads
I keep showing up
Where’s the blessing for a teacher?
Patience and paperwork
Tomorrow might give me something small
A moment, a connection
A treat that gets me through
I keep showing up
Where’s the empathy for a teacher?
Tomorrow I may remember
Why I need to be here
I may be starving
But I refuse to let them, so
I keep showing up
A Hard Day to be a Teacher
The story continued...
“Actually, we just wanted to come on to the call and wish you a good weekend, Ms. Manning.”
My jaw dropped, “What?”
Another girl continued,
“Yeah, you’re a really good teacher and we wanted to all thank you for your help.”
“WHAT!?”
Fiji Apartment Tour
- There is no oven or dishwasher
- I am using a stove that runs off of propane
- There is no hot water connected to any of the sinks (the showers have a small hot water heaters that plugs into the wall in the shower. You turn it on and off every time you use the shower)
- The windows are all barred and the glass tinted
- No clothes dryer, just a good old fashioned laundry line outside for hanging your clothes out to dry
- The outlets all have on/off switches. It's not the first time I've seen this, but it's embarrassing the number of times I've plugged something in to let it charge, walked away for an hour, only to come back and realize I forgot to actually switch the outlet on!
Fiji's COVID19 Update
Prayer Requests
- Opportunities of love and serve my co-workers and students during distance learning (and the ability to recognize the opportunities)
- Friends and people who I can develop deep, meaningful relationships with (I'd like to feel less isolated and alone)
- Health (mental, physical, emotional, spiritual)
- Motivation and intentionality without burnout (we're heading there and I don't know how to stop it)
- Continued inspiration to be creative
- This one is silly, but I'd really like to get some outdoor furniture and be able to use my back patio. If I had a seating area or table, I could see myself spending more time outside in the sun reading, eating my meals, and just being able to step away from the dark interior and a computer screen (which I know would boost my mood during distance learning). As far as I can tell all the furniture stores are still closed and if I'm going to buy something, I'd like for it to be something I can really love and enjoy. It would be amazing if someone might be selling a set an dI could find out about it, but right now my connections are few and far between.