Boy, don't I wish I could take a day off from teaching and head for the beach on a sunny day. I can imagine the breeze blowing my hair, the sun beating down on my face, a tacky romance novel in my hand while resting in a low-slung chair and my feet nestled in the sand. Or I could spend the day at the outlet mall, my arms laden only with packages and spending lunch in a cute cafe with exotic fare, then indulging in a chocolate treat.
I relinquished that option when I started homeschooling.
However, I'm possibly more deserving of a mental health day than public school teachers. They work 185 days a year and get 10 days paid sick leave. (a standard professional career requires 260 days of work with perhaps 10 days vacation) I teach well over 180 days of school, chaperone all field trips, act as the lunchroom monitor, serve as the bus driver, function as an advisor for music and sports activities, and supervise my students as well as their siblings for all other days of the year as well.
On the other hand, I don't have a school district tracking my sick days and trying to find out if I am home coughing into a hanky or skipping school for the day. If I want to brave the beach trying to balance a baby in arms and keeping fearless children out of the waves I am perfectly free to do so. If I want to slog through traffic for an hour listening to Toddler Time tapes and then drag cranky kids through outlets looking at fine china, then that is my decision (however insane it may be).
No matter how few days vacation I receive (0) or how little compensation I am given ($0) I am still glad that we are homeschooling. It isn't just a job, it is an exercise in love and commitment. Sometimes I just need a little reminder of that when I hear that siren song from the sand and surf.
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