unreasonable expectations

I am stressed by my school and I'm only blogging for the therapeutic advantage of it.

Today, I am asked if I have my emergency lesson plans stocked up in case of any future 'unplanned' absences. I say, "No." I am asked, "Do you know what they are going to be?" which basically means, "You should have them done by now...why haven't you spent all waking hours making sure these stupid lesson plans are done?"

Probably because I spend all my waking hours doing my freaking job. Based on my schedule (and the schedules of all other teachers at our school), it seems like we must appear like super-heroes who can accomplish all preparation that a teacher needs to accomplish in one 40 minute period, which you sometimes have and sometimes don't. I have no 'prep' periods two days of my week. When I do have a prep (like today), I'm assigned to cover a group of students during my prep instead. At least I got two lesson plans done while I did that, but still.

I read once somewhere that as a teacher, I shouldn't talk too much to my non-teacher friends about school and everything. The book said they would be bored and probably wouldn't care too much. I sometimes think they're wrong because I think my friends are nice. But, then again, I've never really asked them. They probably are all bored.

I know that being a teacher isn't a job you can always 'leave at work.' I know it comes home with me. I am FINE with it coming home with me, but I am not fine with home being the only place where I ever have any time to do work. Shouldn't schools allow teachers time within the school day to be more successful instead of putting useless things into their schedules?

If you read this, I thank you from the bottom of my heart. If you respond...well, then that means that book I once read is entirely wrong.