It has been one week since I returned from my vacation and it has been one week of working only one job. Though I started taking one weekend a month off, it was odd to have a full week and weekend of having only one job.
I took my first vacation in almost 6 years and had a solid week of only working one job. It’s ridiculous how much I have been able to get done after work and on the weekend. I started working a second job out of having no real choice.
Teachers in education simply do not make enough to provide a comfortable lifestyle. Note that I said comfortable and not lavish. One check a month from my second job covered the expenses that my teaching salary did not and the other check was used for luxuries. I saved up for about two years to build a computer and buy all new office supplies. I also was able to pay for self-publishing two books and for a vacation that left me with 0 debt.
None of that would have been possible as a teacher but at what toll has it taken? I am facing three issues with my knee and one that I will live with for the rest of my life. Granted this issue would have happened down the road due to being an athlete, but I do believe that working the way I have has accelerated the process.
Sadly, our teacher salaries will not change anytime soon. I don’t want to get political but our representatives from both parties have failed. I am among the many who work two jobs in education and among the many more who have the creative side hustles. As we work as many and more hours than our representatives for a quarter of their yearly salary please keep in mind to take care of yourselves.
It’s easy to just push through the pain and convince yourself it will work out. We do what we do to push through because we know we have too but is it worth the long-term repercussions? Would I be facing 3 issues instead of 1 if I had taken more time off or by seeing a doctor sooner? It’s hard to tell but I may be facing the choice of having to quit the second job to slow the advancement of the issues. Time will tell.
So in a very long and drawn-out way, I encourage you to take care of yourself both mentally and physically.
D. W. Saur 