The calendar gods have played an evil trick on all of us. They made Thanksgiving early, so we have 4 weeks between breaks instead of three.
What?! That must be why I’m in this funk.
Seriously, this seems to be a teacher-wide, school-wide, state-wide, country-wide crisis. The after-Thanksgiving funk.
Yes, I know we all shower regularly…it’s not that kind of funk.
It’s a general malaise that makes us feel like everything requires too much effort, and something is just off. Our to do list is too long, and our motivation is kaput. It’s happening in the ELA department, as well as every other department (except fine arts because they make a party out of everything- so jealous).
Everyone seems to feel like something is wrong, but they can’t put their finger on what it is. It’s not an illness (those come with their own challenges). Which means that we have no idea how to fix it. I know there is some clever acronym for this time of year, but I can never remember what it is. Just the fact that there is a clever acronym should signal that this is a real affliction. We should be able to get doctor’s notes for it.
In my case, one contributing factor is that I hurt my back over the Thanksgiving break. This means that I didn’t get any of my pre-Christmas cleaning done. It also means I haven’t wrapped anything yet (yes, I’m that person), my house isn’t decorated, and the lights aren’t put up. The tree, however, is up and decorated, so I’m going to put that in the win column. As for everything that didn’t get done? Yeah, it’s staying undone. Why? Cuz the funk, that’s why.
Aside from the general teacher malaise, the students are actually being really great (thank the Lord), so I have no complaints there. My students came back from break in a good mood, and they have been working really well. I probably just jinxed the crap out of myself by writing that, but it is the truth.
All I know is I’m ready for two weeks off, but I know coming back from that might not be any easier than shaking off the last break. If you have any tried-and-true pick me ups, I’d love for you to share them. I’m sure we could all use the info!
