Sometimes I’m jealous of my husband. I wish I could sit quietly at my desk at work, like he does.
He works REALLY hard, ..but he gets to sit there quietly, and concentrate on his pressing matters. His work actually looks like hieroglyphics to me, and it’s dreadfully incomprehensible, but still, he gets to be in a mostly, low-key office. Not only THAT, he can go to the bathroom, if he has to ( ! ). He can go out to lunch if it’s somebody’s birthday, or if a peer is celebrating a new baby. He can stay home when he is sick!
Like I said before, I could not do his work. I do not have the natural propensity for it, nor the mental gifts.
…then....LiGhTbULb!
He does not have the natural propensity for MY job either, and he would not be fulfilled by my work. I know that he thinks teachers are critically important. I KNOW that he is so proud of what I do. That’s enough for me.
I, too, work really hard. I do NOT get to sit quietly at my desk. (That would be ridiculous at my workplace!) On the other hand…
I get hugs,everyday, as a natural consequence of working with young children. I will NEVER take that for granted. I am given love, everyday! That love has truly changed me throughout my teaching years; has built me up, and fortified me in ways that I cannot describe. I have, in turn, recycled it and returned it to the children who need love. I have never noticed this secret circle of giving love at school. (Isn’t that only what families do?) But I am convinced that it is there.
How else do teachers never give up, reach so far, keep on going, and dream of new ideas for their students, every night? There is a secret, powerful force behind it all, and it is intangible.
I hope that you have some things that you desire at your workplace… whether it’s hieroglyphics or hugs!
Teachers Write 
A variety of propensities, nicely contrasted
LikeLike
Well expressed, each person is different and what they do and how do isvalso different. Regards
LikeLike
I enjoyed the part where you listed all the things you’re jealous about your husband’s job–it’s so true (going to the bathroom when you want!!). I also loved the line about the cycle of love–receiving and then being able to give it to others. So beautiful.
LikeLike
thank you so much, Natasha!
LikeLike
Oh, how I love this! First, YES our field is fueled by love (though we still need and deserve MUCH MORE money and other concrete helpful stuff), and somehow this cycle of love between adults in education is under-recognized. Thanks for teaching me.
And, I feel like it’s been a lifelong journey to come to understand *anything* about what I actually need, in work or anywhere else. Most of the time we just work with what we’re handed, when we could be more actively styling the conditions in which we work, live, and love.
LikeLike