After last Friday’s disappointment, I decided to chill out a little. It took me a few days but I finally considered the advice of a teacher blogger who told me that if I’m not working now, I should be relaxing because come June 15, I’m in for it (NYCTF training starts that day).

So I tried really hard not to do work this weekend. By “work” I mean writing cover letters, sending resumes, finishing the 600-page book, writing my demo lesson plan and practicing it, and studying for the LAST and CST. These activities were keeping me up until at least 1 a.m. every day, and I was so exhausted by Saturday that I got a migraine.

I had plans this weekend to have brunch with my gf and her best friend. We did that. And then, after brunch, we all talked about my lesson plan. “You need to make it easier on yourself,” they said. “Why are you trying to have the kids tackle world problems that adults haven’t yet tackled?” True enough. So I’ve got my little literary device lesson plan – a much easier lesson to teach, while still being creative.

And I was supposed to be not working!

Anyway, I also picked up a new plant to add to my collection of babies on the windowsill. May I introduce Copper?

She’s the new pet plant whose job is to keep me relaxed while I’m at the computer doing work. I love my plants like babies because I can’t get the cat that I so deeply long to love.

Did I say I took a break from work? Well, that was kind of a lie. I have been reading this TFA book for clues about how their program might differ from Teaching Fellows and for a preview of what my life might be like in the next couple of years. So far, based on the book, I can expect to not have a social life, to be emotionally drained at the end of every day, and to feel really, really, really responsible to my students. And to have some small successes with them that will make me break down in tears of joy. The latter will serve as the reward. I’m ready for it all, I think.