Let me point out that gray hair runs in my family. Almost everybody on my mother’s side gets gray hair at an early age despite living a stress-free lifestyle. Notice that I said “stress-free”. I used to live a stress-free life before going down the path of pedagogy. Don’t get me wrong. It is a well-rewarded path but – oh, my God – it sped up my graying process.
I always say that, when I do something, there’s a certain level of stress I’ve come to explain. When I became a writer, I accepted the stress that came with it. Same when I decided to become a teacher. Going back for my Master’s added on a lot more but, again, I accounted for it. However, when someone tries to add on what I didn’t ask for, things like that can make a person’s hair grayer than I care for.
It’s been happening every so often where I’m voluntold to do something in my free time. The cycle is the same. I’m voluntold to do something and I respond with a simple “No”. I used to explain myself until I realized that they (admin) would try to find counters. Stress meets hair. Now, I don’t explain myself. I say “No” and then I walk away. However, now, I have to deal with being called “unreasonable”, “disrespectful”, and “not a team player”. Sure, that part can be stressful but, alas, that falls under the category of “Expected Stress”.
Now, I’m adding doubling up on classes this semester as “Expected Stress”. The classes are a bit of a shock to me. I thought it was going to be easy but, like always, I’m finding myself putting my foot in my mouth. These teachers are a bit tougher and expect a lot more from me. Good…I do love a challenge.
Now! I must get back to work. Please don’t forget to follow me on my social media platforms (Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and Goodreads) on my web page’s right side. Also, I love hearing suggestions of what books to read outside of my norm (Science fiction and Fantasy) as I am a part of the Goodreads’ reading challenge for 2024. At the moment, I’m at 175, while still teaching three grades and taking two classes. I’m definitely going to reach 200 before the year ends.
