Teaching is REALLY hard work!

I am in my 21st year of teaching and have just this year returned to the classroom.  I have never had a class of my own all day in all of my experience until now.  I have to tell you that I secretly couldn't wait for the glorious time I heard all of the teachers call special and all that I would accomplish during this time.  I couldn't wait to teach my own group of kids all day and every single subject that they would learn this year.
If you couldn't tell from WEEKS of silence, I have been BUSY!!!!   Teaching is incredibly hard work!  I had fooled myself into thinking that it wouldn't be much more to teach another half of a day. After all, I had been teaching half of a day and coaching the other half.  While I am having an absolute blast with my kids, I feel like I have been in an intense wind tunnel of information and I am not getting out of it any time soon!  I can't imagine being a brand new teacher these days.
It has been 10 years since I taught 2nd grade and in that time, it has changed quite a bit.  Ten years ago the standards were created by the state and I knew them inside and out.  I had internalized them after three years in the same grade AND I only had to learn the Language Arts Standards.  Now we have the Common Core.  It's good stuff, but it's a LOT.  I have the Language Arts portion pretty well managed, as I went through it over the summer, but math is tricky.  Thank GOODNESS that our math coaches created units to keep me afloat while I am getting my feet under me.
I study curriculum every night because I just won't be happy with myself until I don't have to think so hard about everything.  I am trying to get to a place where I know what the take away is for my students.  I always ask myself, "How are you using their precious time wisely?".  I want to make every bit of their time in my room meaningful and intentional.  I read blogs and watch videos and I think, I want to be just like that.  I want their vocabulary to flow from my mouth in a natural way and I want to prompt children for behaviors with just the right amount of support all of the time.
I know I will get there, because that is who I am.  I will work and work until I know the ins and outs of my kids and of 2nd grade.
I love this hard job and I wouldn't trade it for the world.  I am so lucky to get to work with the GREAT kids in my room and I will keep plugging away until I can see in their work and on their faces that I have arrived to exactly what they need.