no. i mean, yes.

I have been unbelievably tired this week, mostly because I have SO much trouble sleeping here. Today was supposed to be a restful day, but things happen, and those things are usually good. Those things were definitely better than resting today!

My Thursday is supposed to end at 2 (a full 6 hours before any of my other weekdays)...I look forward to a little non-teaching time with my co-workers and some extra time to plan lessons, and even a little time to REST. But just as I was walking out the door of school today, heading for home, my administrator finds me and asks me if I'd be willing to teach another class. Since I can't, no matter how hard I try, say "NO" to anything, I agreed. Then I asked her when the class started.

Her answer: It started 5 minutes ago. They're waiting for you.

Uhhh, what? So, I have a brand new TOEFL Intermediate class, starting right now, and I have zero prep time? Needless to say, severe lack of sleep and being so caught off guard almost made me a little grumpy.

So, while my new class waited patiently for me, I dug through the bowels of my hard drive, located my archived Kazakhstan lesson plans, found a killer lesson, printed it, and wabammo, taught a rockin' lesson.

It turned out to be a GREAT lesson--there was great communication between me and my new students (all university-aged guys), they learned a lot, and we had a good time doing it! Every time I'm in front of a classroom, like it more than the last time...I'm completely in my element. I left that class FULL of energy, and I guess it all comes down to this:

I really REALLY LOVE TEACHING. I love my students, I love planning lessons, I love being in front of the classroom and watching my students understand and learn. (Teaching is not all lollipops and candy canes, though. I DESPISE my 4:30 pm lesson on Tuesday.) love that at this time in my life, I'm doing what I know I was MADE to do, and I love that I get to be a part of something SO MUCH BIGGER than myself.

Teaching rocks my socks off.