Life at my desk is A.P.-musing

Full disclosure: I'm not a parent. At least not yet. But I can tell you for a true certainty that parenting is way harder than being an assistant principal and here are 3 reasons why:  1. Parenting is a 24-7 job.  All the parents I know are constantly parenting, thinking about parenting or working through parenting situations. It's the job that never quits. I have so much respect for my fellow man who raise tiny humans. My job is time consuming too, but nothing like the time it takes to help tiny humans become productive members of society. I mean seriously, on a crazy week, I probably work 55-60 hours. I am excited to do it. Sometimes there are extra hours, or late email nights. But overall, I get to shut down the work side of my brain consistently. Parents do not get that luxury. Even when they are at work, they are parenting. Twice today I saw colleagues have to assist their tiny humans in one way or another. Parenting tiny humans is an all day, everyday job. period.

As an assistant principal, sometimes certain situations take a whole week or longer to resolve. This was one of those weeks. And this particular situation dealt with a unique classroom of sorts: The School Bus. I would like to declare to the mountain tops that a bus driver has absolutely the hardest job on the planet. Not only is the bus a moving classroom, it is also the only classroom on the planet where the adult has to manage students who are to be sitting BEHIND them. It's education 101: rarely if ever turn your back on a room full of students. But a bus driver does it every morning and every afternoon. A bus driver drops millions of students off at their homes and schools, and are given executive privilege to literally stop traffic at the push of a button. A bus driver navigates traffic lights, crazy drivers, texting maniacs and who knows what else trying to get students home safely. Millions of miles are driven in the length of a school year. Hundreds of successful trips