The other day, I went into the 8th grade teacher's classroom to speak with her about a student. when I walked in she was teaching a class on appositive, verbal phrases, and prepositional phrases. When she finished explaining the assignment to the class, she turned around to talk to me. I hadn't been in the room for more than 5 minutes when one of her students finished. She asked him how he had managed to finish so quickly. He replied, "Because Ms. Rhodes, Ms. Bowens taught us this last year and we had to learn it or she would've had a fit" The teacher and I both fell into a fit of laughter. When I turned to walk out the door, he yelled. "Hey, Ms. Bowens thanks. This is by far the best thank you I've ever had.

It has been an extremely long month already and it has just started. Between coaching basketball for middle and high school, I have games 4 nights a week. It is exhausting. On Saturdays, when I’m not in class, I’m at practice or scouting a team. Although, I enjoy it, it is very hard work. It is my relaxation.
Work. I do that to. Everyday in addition to all the games, I do have to go to work. It’s not as bad now since, I have the reading classes. They gave me an assistant to do all my grading and paperwork so all I have to do is teach. Well, when I’m in my classroom. See, that’s the catch. I’m now on my principal’s good side, (If he had one.) and so I’m constantly called out of class to go to this meeting or that workshop. Did I mention that some of the workshops are on Saturdays? Yep, he takes my weekends too.
Those are the weekends I’m not at class. Class, a whole other task to be tackled. I find myself up at 1 in the morning trying to do my homework or read the 100+ pages that I’ve been assigned. I used to say that I wanted to continue until I at least had a specialist degree, but I’m so exhausted now that I honestly believe that the master’s will do me just fine.
Then there is my son who is at this point feeling extremely neglected. He’s with my mother and I try to call him everyday, but its been 2 weeks since I’ve seen him. That’s where it gets hard. I’m doing so much that I can’t get home like I should to take care of him. I did finally get him registered in school in Jackson so he will be moving soon.
Lastly, is my personal life. What is left of it? My boyfriend is so busy being at all my games and driving me to Oxford because I’m too tired to drive myself that he has really just gotten caught up in my life. He does not have one of his own.
I encourage everyone who can handle it to teach, but don’t take on more than you can handle. Teaching in itself is tiring and you have to find an outlet, but don’t get so caught up I either that you can’t see the next breath.