But On The Brighter Side...What Do You Do When Depression Sets In

©LaDena Campbell 2012 aka justateacher

Sometimes I feel like a failure. Like nothing in my life is going the way it should be going. I think about the bills that didn’t get paid…the milk I forgot to buy…the paperwork that didn’t get sent in….the student I can’t get figured out. When I think of all of these things…and all the other things not going right it makes me dwell on the negative. Then everything feels negative. At Christmas time I wrote a hub about wishes for some of my students. A fellow hubber reminded me to look at the positives in the lives of those children. I thought about that this week as I, once again, was dwelling in the negative.

I must remember that there are positives in my life. I have a wonderful family. I have a great husband who supports me in all I do…I have four wonderful children who are doing what they love for careers or who are working towards the dreams they have. I have two wonderful, intelligent, handsome grandsons who are healthy and doing well. I have a grandchild on the way…maybe a girl this time? And I can’t wait for that child to get here. I have a great job that challenges me each and every day. I have a roof over my head and food for my belly and a vehicle that gets me where I need to go. For the most part, the bills are paid and there is a little money at the end of the month.

And at school, I must remember my students are always learning...even if it doesn't always seem like it...

One student that I am having a great deal of difficulty with right now is making me feel so frustrated. I have to remind myself every day that he has made gains. When he first started school this year, he could not even walk in the hall correctly. He would run and skip and yell and scream and run into people. Now he is on the second tile, single file and has his hands behind his back and his mouth quiet. At the beginning of the year, he could not even recognize his own name. Now he can trace his name and he knows which name is his on a chart full of names. All of those months ago, he couldn’t count to five and didn’t know the letters of the alphabet. Now he counts to ten and puts numbers in order. He not only knows all of the letter names of the alphabet, he knows all of their sounds.

At the beginning of the year, he couldn’t remember my name or his regular teacher’s name. Now he knows the names of every teacher in our hall, all the women in the office and most of the other teacher’s. This year he has learned how to put a puzzle together, recognize his shapes, how to hold a pencil and crayon correctly and how to stay in his seat. He has learned not to fear the nurse’s office or the fire drills or the tornado drills. He has learned that he must hold onto a teacher’s hand when we cross the parking lot to get to the playground.

This little guy who has very little academic ability has shown a great aptitude for music. Where most kids his age can’t sing on tune or keep a beat, he can do both and do it well. He was the star of the kindergarten program! A little boy that could not throw a ball, can now shoot baskets (if they are low enough!) When the school year began, he could not control his anger, his excitement, his sadness or his happiness…now he can…he doesn’t always choose to, but he can…

In times that are frustrating, it is hard to see the good things. It is hard to see the sunshine through the clouds. It’s hard to remember that there are silver linings on those gray clouds. But it is there. You just have to search for it…