I consider myself a damn good educator. I love teaching. It’s my life’s work.

And I’m tired. I’m worn out. I’m mentally, emotionally, and physically drained. The teacher I am now is not the teacher I’ve known myself to be, and yet I know that I can’t compare the two.

And I also can’t stop myself from doing it sometimes. Fighting that instinct also drains me.

Some days, finding enough energy to do the thing is draining. And other days, it comes easy, almost like it used to. But those days are few and far between.

This is what pandemic teaching has done to me.

And I also constantly wonder and worry about what students might be experiencing and how I can help alleviate the stress. What do they need? How can I be there for them?

And also how can I make sure I have enough energy to keep this going?

And that’s the thing: none of this is sustainable. We have to remember that. We can’t let folx make this “the new normal.” I refuse to believe that, and I hope you do too.

We can’t keep doing this.

Many people tell me they respect me as a colleague, as an educator, as a person. They tell me they love how I speak truth. I know there are first-year teachers and early career educators who follow my work. And the veterans, too—we lean on each other.

So let me speak my truth: I consider myself a damn good educator, and I’m struggling.

This is it. This feeling that no amount of effort will ever finish all that I have to do & also that I can’t just not do anything because of it. So I keep going knowing I can’t do it all & feeling terrible because I can’t but also knowing that it’s unreasonable to think I can. https://twitter.com/msjasminemn/status/1328866904115646468