Stressors

I'm about to start a series of nights; I once again hope for some interesting tales to fill these pages. They may just be my last set of nights, too, so I'd better make the most of them. I should, in the next few weeks, evolve from Registrar to Consultant. (Attending, I think, in the language of my North American cousins)

it is what I have trained and worked for, for all these sodding years. I have sat numerous exams, and slowly seen my mind rareify to the exclusion of all else.

This transition, especially the final passing of my Fellowship exams, should have brought my stress levels down. And those of La Belle Fille. But that hasn't quite happened yet. I guess the effects haven't quite kicked in yet. Or, in the grand way of yin and yang, as my job stress goes down, so La Belle Fille's goes up.

Teaching is a thankless enough task at the best of times, but it seems that at LBF's institution, the grand strategy is to wring as much from your teachers as you can. It isn't enough to have them become good at teaching. They must continue to be good at teaching and absorb any amount of extra-work, curricular and extra-curricular. The parallels between hers and my job are fairly plain. To me, anyway.

But it makes it hard. LBF knows what is expected of her, but has the temerity to want a life outside the school, whereas the school seems to want to syphon all the life out of her.

Is it just her? I think not. Many teachers seem to pull long hours, far in contrast to the stereotypical idea we have of the short hours, and long holidays. Confusing the pupil with te teacher, it would seem.

I'm sure there are plenty of polymaths out there capable of handling all of this, and plenty of folks prepared to dedicate their every waking hour to what they do. I suspect many professions depend on people like that.

But shouldn't there be room for people who just want t be good at what they do?