"Do Not Teach In Tears"

One of my personal goals while in Uganda is to figure out how I can be a sustainable teacher; by this I mean a happy, life long teacher.  During my student teaching placement in Madison I repeatedly asked myself if teaching was something that I would be able to do forever.  I felt that everyday I gave my classroom, my students and my school everything I had and yet when I left at the end of the day I was still bogged down by things that still needed to be done or situations I couldn’t change.  I was always thinking about my classroom and my students.  The time that I tried to take for me was usually effected by what was going on at school.  This intensity influenced my personal health and the health of my relationships with others.  I felt as though I had no time for anyone but my students. 

On Friday Jenna and I met with our supervisor Enoch.  Enoch outlined his expectations for us during our time at Rwentutu.  His expectations were similar to all of my past supervisors except for one thing, he emphasized that while we are here we should “not teach in tears”.  Enoch explained that we should take time to enjoy ourselves and enjoy Uganda while we are here.   The ability to create a balance between teacher and self is something I feel that I must learn in order to be a life long teacher.  My experience here in Uganda gives me the perfect opportunity to focus on developing professionally but also the ability to separate my professional and personal selves.