Single Best Thing

Of course you would expect that my statement will be a rousing, enthused discourse on the beauty of children learning, the fulfillment you feel after a successful lesson, or maybe even how much you learn while you are teaching the little nuggets what they should know as third graders. But no, today I speak of something much more tangible. Tangible, sometimes edible, sometimes a shoulder to cry on. What could I possibly be talking about?

The single best thing about teaching is the faculty lounge and faculty bathroom. Yeah, I said it. The simplest thing you would never realize could make such a big difference in a teacher's sanity. I have to say that when I step in the roomy faculty bathroom, lock the door, and look in the full-length mirror to adjust my dress, not only do I feel like a total badass, but I have those 3-5 socially acceptable minutes where I can cry, laugh, sit and stare sullenly, or just wash my face. Even better, there is a little cabinet for women to put such feminine necessities (sorry, boys) that are so much more comforting than the metal "25c gards" dispenser that you would be stuck using instead.

But I haven't even gotten to the lounge. Thanks to a generous principal, we have a Keurig coffee maker which, if you don't know what it is, please just go buy one and be amazed. There are cute mugs with hearts and bears on them, comfy chairs, recipes that have been shared magnetized to the refrigerator, silverware for common use, and (best of all) chocolates available for cheap purchase for those days when you just won't make it without a Reese's cup.

I could go on, but I think everyone gets the picture of how faculty bathrooms/lounges save the lives of elementary school teachers every. single. day.