A Teacher’s Prayer the Day Before Thanksgiving Break

God, You know I need this.  We haven’t had a break since Columbus Day and, no matter how we try to lie to ourselves, teacher workdays do not count.  I need a few days.  There are dust bunnies under my couch that are becoming sentient.  The dog has forgotten what walks are.  My own kid has started shaking hands, introducing himself, and asking, “Have we met?” when I pick him up from preschool.  

So today is the day.  I’ll wander around school humming “One Day More” from Les Mis from homeroom until study hall; it’s all very exciting.  But I have a few requests before my day begins.

Please don’t let the teacher in the class before me give out candy.  Or, You-forbid, cupcakes.  Why would anyone do that?  Are they secret agents of Satan?  You can tell me; I won’t tell.

Please don’t let administration come over the intercom and say, “Teachers, we will have a brief five-minute meeting after bus call today.”  They think it’s cute to get us all together and tell us to have a happy Thanksgiving and not work too hard over the break.  Or to get us all together and yell at us because the kids haven’t been tucking in their shirts.  It’s not cute.  Not even a little bit.

God, I love the kids and I want to help them, I really do.  But please, just this once, could I just not find out one hour before the end of the day that one of my kids is suicidal/homeless/being abused?  Because seriously, every break for the past million years, that’s exactly what has happened.  Can we maybe dodge that bullet this time?

Please keep the weather pretty so we can have outdoor recess.  I can’t keep them in my room again, God, I just can’t.

Mostly, please help me to remember it’s only one more day.  Please help me to watch my language and my general demeanor.  Please don’t let me do anything that makes the news.

Amen