I have come to fall in love with teaching in Catholic schools. What are YOU in love with?...

"Nothing is more practical than finding God, that is, than falling in love in a quite absolute, final way. What you are in love with, what seizes your imagination, will affect everything. It will decide what will get you out of bed in the morning, what you will do with your evenings, how you will spend your weekends, what you read, who you know, what breaks your heart, and what amazes you with joy and gratitude. Fall in love, stay in love, and it will decide everything." - Pedro Arrupe

Monday, January 13, 2014

I Could Care Less...

I recently came to the conclusion that life would be a heck of a lot easier if I cared less.

Think about it:

  • The 8th grade wouldn't drive me so bonkers because I just can't figure out how to stop them from interrupting each other (and me) so much in class...
  • I could skip commitments at Church if I wasn't feeling up to it or had other things that I needed to get ready for school...
  • I wouldn't be so stressed if other teachers at work were getting worked up over things I couldn't handle....
  • I wouldn't be frustrated by the lack of respect students show their peers and their teachers throughout the school day...
  • I would let someone else worry about and take responsibility for guiding a student through conflict in choosing a Confirmation sponsor...
  • I would take planning time for things I personally needed to accomplish rather than RTI meetings and other obligations with committees, parents, etc. I'm involved in...


Sometimes, the stress level just gets too high. And what frustrates me the most is it ends up stressing me out because I care SO much and want to do my very best to help my students & others. But then what happens is I end up neglecting myself.

So, what do I need to do? Well, probably the best thing is to keep praying about it all. I also need to constantly remind myself of the big picture and of what's most important in my life. This article provides some additional suggestions, especially for the weekend, on how to keep things in perspective.

Yes, I could care less...but I don't think that's my best option.

If I cared less, I definitely wouldn't be teaching in a Catholic school.
If I cared less, I wouldn't find as much meaning in my daily work and activities.
If I cared less, I wouldn't be surrounded with friends, families, and co-workers of such high caliber.
If I cared less, I wouldn't feel triumph in overcoming challenges and struggles.

Caring less isn't the answer. We have to fight the good fight and finish the race. (Ok, so I paraphrased from Timothy's passage a little...but it's true!)

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