Sara asks: Should I continue directing the school musical/drama club advisor next year? My decision changes daily. It is going to be a lot of work next year, but there are no replacements. Go out with a bang? Continue and hope for the best?
Here's my decision: do it, but only on condition that you find a co-advisor.
I totally know where you are coming from. On many days, advising a nationally recognized robotics team was only better than, oh, sticking a fork in my eye or eating a plate of tomatoes. In other words, it sucked. Like, for instance, the time one of my kids hit another of my kids in the head WITH A ROBOT CONTROL BOX. That was fun. Or the time when one of my kids lost a ring AT A PHILADELPHIA FLYERS HOCKEY GAME. Good times.
On the other hand, some of my best memories are times spent with those kids--traveling around the country, squeezing 30 people in Daddy D'z BBQ Joint, drinking Starbucks coffee by the bucket.
Sure, dealing with teens can be a total hassle, but when they get it right, when they pull themselves together and amaze you, it's so completely worth it. Plus, occasionally they'll go and do stuff like this.
The key, however, is having another adult around to help you keep your sanity. We had five adults coaching the robotics team and, hoo-wee, did it ever take all five of us to make that circus run effectively.
I can think of four reasons for having another adult on-board: (1) someone to share the work load with, (2) back-up when you make an unpopular decision, (3) someone to complain to, and (4) someone to drink with. The adult need not have any drama experience; I didn't know a lick about building a robot. You just need someone who can properly fill out paperwork, who can be present and engaged, and who can manage teenagers. I imagine about 50% of the teachers at the high school meet this criteria, so you just need to wrangle one of them into being your co-advisor.
So, yes, do it. But ONLY on condition that you find yourself a co-advisor. After a day of dealing with teenagers, you definitely need someone to sneak out with you for late night cocktails at Trader Vic's is all I'm saying.
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