It’s been a tough week.

We picked 30 pounds of plums from our tree, froze them for wine, started the thawing process, and then forgot about them, resulting in a big mess.

Both of our lawn mowers are currently out of commission, and we had to beg to borrow a trailer to take them to the mechanic.

School is so much harder now than it used to be because I’m the one who is “in charge” of planning, which is tough for me.

My wife is struggling with a new literacy curriculum that doesn’t make sense in kindergarten. I’m struggling with a new literacy curriculum that doesn’t make much sense in 6th grade. We are both dealing with year two of a much more “rigorous” (I hate that word) math curriculum.

Those all bother me, but what bothers me most is not having a sense of belonging. If I don’t initiate a “hello” or make eye contact, I’d guess that I could spend the entire day without talking to anyone here. We talk about “finding your people”, I have not. Not at all. The one person I could really trust has moved to a new position, and with that, my connection.

Now, as I say this, I enjoy the district. They are doing things the right way for their population and are moving in the right direction. I see so many good things happening around me, which makes me proud to be a teacher here. I just don’t feel like I’m part of anything.

I don’t know. The world is burning, and I’m trying my best to keep it at bay for my students. This is their safe place. I just don’t feel like I have anyone to keep it at bay for me.

Thanks for listening to me whine a little bit. It feels to to drop this out of my brain.