Don't Let the Sun Catch You Crying

This week is taking FOR. EV. ER.

I'm experiencing a medium-sized case of burn out. I'm tired to going to school every day, of teaching stuff and grading stuff every day, of dealing with teenagers and their constant questions (not good "Hey, there's thinking going on!" questions. I mean the "Are we doing anything today?" insulting-type questions) and their tears (Oh my lands, the tears! Valentine's Day hit the freshmen girls hard this year. The sobbing, the weeping, the "Today's (sniff) not such a great day for me (sniff, sniff)." and the tug-your-hair-over-your-eyes "I'm not doing okay? Because I don't like it? When people lie? To your face?" check-ins this week!) and having to walk to my classroom in the west building. Then to the theater in the east building. Then to the west building. Then back to the east building. Then drive up the mountain and down the mountain and up the mountain and down the mountain and wake up at 5:00 AM when I really, really need to sleep until 6....

Yeah. I'm a little grumpy this week.

The sudden change in weather might be part of it. We went from so-cold-we-cancel-school-because-the-buses-won't-start to the mid-50's-no-jacket-needed in a pretty short time span. Everyone's feeling spring fever and itching to go frolicking, yet it's still just February.

There's also the usual show craziness. The musical's chugging along, but we're hitting the stage where it's not new-stuff-fun and it's not show-time!-fun. It's more chore-like, and it's harder to keep my enthusiasm up high enough to drag along the students.

Plus, the Advanced Drama class is doing their first show next week. I told them at the beginning of the term that I didn't want to do a play the first quarter because of the musical and speech and other craziness. They, of course, begged and pleaded. We compromised with a student-directed one acts festival. And really, it's gone fine considering. There's the usual personality conflicts, of course, when you ask students to direct other students, especially when the director-students don't really know how to do that without bossing everyone around (which produces, what else? More tears!).

They asked me today, "Are you worried about our shows next week?"

"Not really," I said honestly (I'm busy, yes, but not worried).

"Why not?"

"Because I'm not the one who'll be up there on the stage in front of people I know."

"Harsh!"

"Maybe, but it's true. It's your show and how you do has very little bearing on me personally."

"Because you're God?"

"That's right."

Their performances are next week. As are two after-school field trips. Because I've apparently turned into a masochist.

All of which is to say that I get to go home this weekend and play with my family. And I really, really need to do that right now. Which I think is part of why this week is taking so freakin' long.

Two more days. Heaven help me, two more days.