I Grade Their Work, But I’m Failing Myself

Sometimes I stare at the assignments my students turn in and wonder if they know how much I envy their certainty. They write with conviction—about themes, about purpose—like the world will reward them for it. I read their words and remember the nights I spent hunched over my own papers, convinced that if I just did everything right, I’d finally feel like I belonged here. But I never did. Not after the degree, not after the job. I hand back their essays with careful notes, pretending I’m the authority, but most days I feel like I’m still waiting for someone to grade me, to tell me I did enough. I wish I could tell them that sometimes the real assignment is surviving the silence after the grades are posted. #Education #TeacherCareers #AcademicBurnout