Hi All,
I am a 4th/5th grade teacher one year post radiosurgery and still am having a lot of balance and fatigue issues. This is less of a problem now because it's summer vacation, but being in the classroom has been a huge challenge. I ended up having to go out on medical leave this past spring/summer. I tried to go back after a month off and within 3 days the symptoms returned. I lasted 2 weeks then went back out on leave. I teach 5th graders and my style of teaching is not traditional. There is a lot of group work and discussions going on much of the day. The constant auditory and visual stimulation is exhausting. By the end of the day I would practically stumble out to my car then have to sit for 10 minutes with eyes closed to stop the spinning so I could drive. Then I'd go home to my family and hour or 2 of school work. I was exhausted and making all sorts of little cognitive mistakes-- reversing letters, not able to finish a sentence because I couldn't find the word I needed or because I just plain forgot what I was talking about.
The plan is to go back to work this fall, but I am nervous about "failing" the kids again. I am doing vestibular rehab and it's helped a little, but not as much as I'd hoped. I absolutely love my job and if I could do it part time I think that would be the answer, but this isn't an option in my district. This fall I am looping my class, which means the 4th graders I had last year had the option of staying with me for 5th grade this year. 21 of my kids and parents wanted to stick by me and that means the world to me. They are a wonderful class and I want to give them my full attention this fall. But, am I setting myself and them up for another disappointment?
Are there other teachers out there? Are you struggling with working full-time in the classroom? Do you have any tricks for making the job more manageable. Simply sitting down a little more alone is not enough... I tried that. Any advice from fellow educators would be so appreciated!!
