Has your job as an educator ever impacted your relationship?
Good evening, everyone.
In looking back at my relationship history, I found myself thinking about am ex of mine and the moment I knew a 4 year relationship was about to come to an end.
A few years ago I had a class that was ROUGH. I mean 3 to 4 fights a day kind of rough. I'm usually pretty solid but this class was different and one of the first groups we had coming off of the pandemic. I warned the administration that the mixture of kids was toxic... EXTREMELY toxic. To the point of where I seriously considered making it my last year.
I ended up taking my first day off for the year to grieve the loss of a family friend only to find out the next day that things had gotten so bad that the sub was calling the office for help when I had never done so.
Long story short, they ended up breaking up my class not long thereafter but it was still a very emotionally trying experience.
Sorry for the rant but I needed to provide context...
At any rate, the school year ends and I have to move all of my materials to another classroom. I remember speaking with my ex whom I'd just hung out with the weekend prior and telling her that I was worn out.....just ohysicslly and emotionally drained.
She then proceeds to ask me, "How can you be tired if the kids arent even there?"
I dont know if it was because I was already emotionally depleted...the lack of empathy on her part...her trying to tell me that just having a positive attitude regardless of the kids would solve my issue 😑🤨, or the fact that she didn't really believe or understand what I was saying until she asked a friend of hers if she felt the same way at the end of the year (which was confirmed), but in my mind, I knew that the relationship had an expiration date.
All that being said, I just want to know if anyone else has had a similar experience or been turned off by the lack of understanding or empathy on the part of a significant other who has never worked a day in today's classroom setting.