Tilly yawned for the umpteen time that night as she sat on the wooden chair at the kitchen table writing comments on 25 report cards. Her last, thank the Lord. Her shoulders ached, her legs ached, her eyes were sore, she just wanted to finish the report cards. Ending the term with parent-teacher interviews demanded so much preparation that it tipped her stress level into the red zone.
"Why did I decide on a teaching career?" Tilly really loved children and it was an easy decision when she was choosing a tertiary course at uni. What she did not know was the sheer amount of energy it took out of her. Report card writing was the worse, it added to the already heavy workload. Trying to put all the great information about her students into a report was her problem, if only she was not such a perfectionist. Her fault was that she cared too much.

Tilly liked being as positive as possible with all her kids, even with 'mischief maker Max, wandering William and social chatter Sarah'all of whom were colourful personalities trying to fit into the social scene in the classroom. Then, her mind dwelled on little Annie who really tried to do the work and keep face with her classmates. Annie was a sweet little darling who only wanted to please Tilly and her parents, but regrettable Anne had the biggest learning difficulty.
All the children deserved to be understood because they were only trying to fit into the social scene and be accepted. Tilly set personal goals for each child in the areas of happiness and work success. She really felt that she had made a difference, she alway strived to create fun working classrooms for kids. Parents were always welcome.
Then bong rang out in the still of the night, the old grandfather clock abruptly interrupted her reverie, "Go to bed Tilly, you have to get up early to organise your children for school and get your reports cards to the principal's office for signing."

In ten minutes Tilly was creeping into bed snuggling up beside her fast asleep husband, feeling immensely satisfied that she had done her best for her students. This was why she chose teaching. she loved it.
Cheers and Blessings
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