Wow ... you must be so patient ...

... Nope... Just crazy.

When people ask me what I do and I tell them I'm a teacher, they always act shocked.

"Oh, bless you."
"I could never do that."
"That takes a calling."
"I can't imagine dealing with other people's kids all day long."

And then I tell them I teach middle school, and they're all,

"Wow, how do you handle the attitude?"
"You must be asking for punishment."
"Middle schoolers are so disrespectful; how do you handle them?"

And then I mention that I teach special ed 8th graders.

And I contain my giggle as their faces contort and twist into expressions of shock and disgust.

Seriously, people, it's not that bad.  The horrors and nightmares you have contructed in your mind are nothing like my days.  Well, not entirely.

If anything, the kids are the reason I stay in teaching.  And the super awesome people I work with.

So why do I do it?  In these days of crappy health care, budget cuts, growing class sizes, and more focus on test scores, why do I stay in the classroom?

Trust me, I hear this question almost as often as I see the contortion in faces.

Most days, if you ask me, I can't come up with a reason right away.  My reasons are difficult to put into words.  Especially is you ask me on a day when I've had meetings, essays to grade, and parent phone calls to return.  Especially if you ask me after my small group language arts class which, 4 days out of 5, feels like a 3-ring circus.  Especially if you ask me after a lesson that I have spent hours writing fails miserably because of lack of interest or behavior problems in the classroom.

But there are glimmers in a day ... moments of enlightenment ... and I am reminded ... reminded of what brought me to teaching.