this job is fun

I've read a lot about teachers who burn out after year five (or before), attempts to keep them in the profession, to make the job more sustainable, etc. Some weeks, especially in the spring months, I think I'm *burnt* out, not just in the process, but toasted, basically.

We've been interviewing candidates for the new principal position at South (though 'interviewing' isn't the right word; we ask questions, the candidate answers, and we, the faculty, fill out feedback forms. I'm not really clear on who makes the final decision, or how). And my favorite candidate, a guy who's been the principal at one of the only exam schools in Boston, said something that surprised and impressed me. "Schools are fun places," he said, with an emphasis on the word 'fun' and an easy smile. He meant it. No matter how crazy/hectic/impossible/frustrating/maddening things get, it's still, you know, *fun*.

So I've been trying to look for the things that make me laugh in every day. Sometimes it's something as simple as a look or a laugh from a kid...other days it's something a colleague writes on a white board, filling up with comments (both tongue-in-cheek and not). The fun will keep the job sustainable.

And, more seriously, sometimes the job is more fun than some other parts of my life, which tend to wound and cut in ways that I wish they didn't. With kids I feel relaxed and easy; they can laugh at themselves, and I don't have to put up walls to protect myself, because they're just not difficult that way. They may be tired, or cranky, or reluctant, or sad, but they are such troopers...they come every day, they work (even hard sometimes), they go home, sleep a little, and do it all over again. I admire them so much.