I am certainly capable of working every day (though I'd have to take some jobs that I'd rather avoid). The issue is that certain days I feel so drained and discouraged that I can't get myself to accept a new job for the next day. Is this normal? Will it eventually go away? I'd like to start working every day of the week without feeling terrible.
I work pretty much every day. I was just thinking right before break that I was so tired. Since June 2011 I think I may have had 10-12 days off the entire school year. Addition to that were regular school holidays, which is not much. Thanksgiving we get 2 days, and winter break is 7 school days total.
So I've been working my butt of for a year an a half, no vacation. Off course it's my choice, and if I could have I would have worked those day, too.
But it's a wonder I'm not burnt out. Our regular teacher take off 7 weeks during the school year (including summer) and they have 3 weeks sick days. I don't have any, so if I'm sick, I work.
The week before Christmas I was sick, and 2 days I really felt miserable. I still went to work because I didn't want to lose money, and didn't feel like writing sub plans (even though I'm a sub,, it was a 3 weeks assignment, where I planned everything).
If you are new microbe, then I definitely think it's normal. I do recall dreading the morning phone call, halfway hoping it wouldn't ring, because of my apprehension. It's funny when I look back now. I do think there is value in perservering, and almost forcing yourself to continue to work, even though you ar feeling unmotivated/discouraged/etc.
I never worked 5 days a week, but that was by my choice. I stopped feeling guilty about turning down jobs after the first year. There was a time where I was working 3 jobs at once, and if I subbed everyday I would be working 7 12-14 hour days a week with absolutely no breaks whatsoever. I worked enough to cover my bills and that was enough for me.
I have a LTS now, so I'm obviously working 5 days a week, but I still have one of my part time jobs.
I am listed in four districts. The largest one, and the one in which I could easily find a job each day is the one I most try to avoid. The schools are not in the nicest neighborhoods, the kids tend to be out of control in many of the rooms, and it's a bit of a drive when I look at the money that I'll make....so...yes, it is possible for me to work five days a week, but sometimes the aggravation is not worth it.
I am listed in four districts. The largest one, and the one in which I could easily find a job each day is the one I most try to avoid. The schools are not in the nicest neighborhoods, the kids tend to be out of control in many of the rooms, and it's a bit of a drive when I look at the money that I'll make....so...yes, it is possible for me to work five days a week, but sometimes the aggravation is not worth it.
Before I got my full-time job, I was working every day. I would then rush home and teach hours of piano lessons every night. Around January of last year, I started feeling really burned out and was really glad to take some 1/2 days that I normally would have tried to avoid. Part of the reason for my feeling so tired last year was because one of my big districts got a lot of recently graduated subs. They even posted on Aesop that they were going to be giving these new subs more jobs so that they could gain experience. I remember feeling so discouraged that I had to spend hours on Aesop and Subfinder looking for jobs!
Then I got an interview at the end of January for a full-time job. I started working at my current teaching job in February. It seemed like I got out of subbing just in time! It looked like it was going to be a hard stretch for jobs!
I usually work 5 days per week. When I was new to subbing, I frequently encountered what you're describing, and I still do occasionally. Yes, it is normal. Yes, it does go away, or at least become less frequent. But only if you do something about it. First of all, figure out if you have a trigger. Do specific grade levels do it to you? If so, take those jobs less frequently. I discover that if I push through, and make myself sub again the next day, I usually recover faster than if I take the day off and sit at home. Also, a friend of mine stops at the gym and works out on the way home, burning off any frustration for the day. I started Friday, and I must say, even though I was worn out when I got home, I felt much better than when I left school and a bunch of students who thought they were still on Holiday break.
Also, I book my days ahead of time using an app that notifies me every time a job posts. That way when I've had a long or tiring day, I'm not making the decision of whether to work the next day. It has already been made. I started at 3 days and am up to 5 now. I hope this helps.
