Day Off

Days off are a Godsend in any field, but in education they are dearly cherished. Never mind that we get summer, Spring Break, Thanksgiving Break, Winter Break, professional development days, and the random illness or organized union activity that precludes us from entering the building. Daddy always said to cherish your days off.

For most people, days off are a time to rest and relax. Fire up the grill, burn some meat, crack open a few PBRs, and let's have a good time! For me, it's about reflection. I can go shopping at some random store for a ridiculous sale any damn time I want, but I really need the time to reflect about the choices I made that day, that week, that entire year.

Most of my reflection is spent wondering Am I doing the right thing? Is anything I do right? It's a bit harsh on myself, but my reflection is similar to Tom Brady breaking down game tape. Should I have told that 8th grader I hopes he gets his ass kicked in high school? Was breaking up that fight the best call for me? Damn, I should have told the principal what I really thought about that budget proposal.

More and more, I realize that I'm not like everyone else, and I can't just shut my mind off when I'm on vacation. This is my time to look at the damn game film and evaluate just what the hell I am doing. I'm not looking like Tom Brady, with the Bieber-esque hair, perfect pocket poise, and gobs of money falling out of my pockets. Rather, I'm looking like a purple-drank induced JaMarcus Russell, stumbling out of the pocket and delivering the ball to the defense. If I could shut my mind off like JaMarcus did during his film session...