Sighing with relief

Well, the teacher I've been filling in for since Day One of this school year returned today. I've gone back to being a day-to-day substitute. No more lesson planning. No more trying to keep track of 9632 pieces of paper. I came home today after looking for a geocache, then hung out with Piper at the Bark Park for a bit. Then I ate supper and played The Sims 2. And now I'm going to bed.

No more "ten things to do between 7:30 and 8:45 AM" lists. No more rushing to get the attendance submitted, or trying to get a decent spot in the photocopier queue, or fighting with paper jams when I'm running out of time.

It hasn't been all bad, by any means. But it has confirmed my thoughts about not pursuing a full-time career in education, because a full-time career in education means a 24/7 career in education. I want a life, and I haven't really had one the past four weeks.

Make no mistake: They really don't pay teachers enough.

And I'm going to go scrape teeth.