The Dreaded Newsletter

     Before I get started talking about the weekly newsletter, I will preface with the fact that I am not against writing a newsletter by any means. However, it seems to be one of the "to do's" on my list that weighs heavier than most all other responsibilities as a teacher. Some of that is self inflicted. 

    Each August, before school actually begins, the whole staff gathers to discuss things like the year long calendar, specials schedules, duties, etc. In addition to that, we inevitably talk about the value of the "newsletter." Is it important to continue doing? Do parents actually read it? Should the teachers contribute every week? Should we take turns? Then we brainstorm ways to make it easier on ourselves. We could add in pictures. We could do bullet point lists. We could also have the kids contribute. Ah yes, by the end of the conversation, we all agree that the value to the parents outweighs our resistance to completing it weekly. We walk away from the meeting and wonder how that happened.... again! Ugh- the dreaded newsletter is here for good. 

     " I can do this!" "I promise to get it to the Admin Assistant on time this year." "I don't know why this is such a big deal." All of these thoughts are rolling around in my head, not just right after that meeting, but every time my calendar reminder shows up on my phone reminding me that TODAY IS THE DAY! Newsletter Submission Due to Laura. Who's Laura? She's the last Admin Assistant that was there, which means that I have had this stupid reminder on my calendar for say.....4 years. And I still can't seem to get it done on time consistently! What is is about this newsletter thing that is so daunting? 

    Oh I know what the problem is. I am anal about what I write.  I could simply let myself off the hook by, instead of being so creative all the time, simply state the facts. What did we do? What will we do next week? Keep it simple....That's a novel idea. Nope, it is occurring to me as I am writing this is that the reason I cannot do such a thing is because I like writing. I like to reveal a little of my personality to the audience. Maybe through this one activity the parents can get a sense of what the students actually have to put up with in the classroom. (There is no doubt that the kids tell them how sill I can be in class, but they can see it first hand through the newsletter.) What is wrong with me??????

    I will share two short stories about this newsletter business. The first one is that a few years ago, I got the bright idea to add a creative sign off to my newsletter. Of course, alliteration was involved and so, it had to start with a B. Example: Mrs. Blustery Bovat (it was cold and windy that day), Mrs. BRRRRvat (super cold),, but my favorite was Mrs. Boovat (Halloween). Not long after that, students started coming in calling me by my "Newsletter Name" and so it started. Now, I knew that the parents were reading the newsletter. Since then, I have added Samantha to the mix so I had another letter to work with on occasion. As it turns out- everyone, including the rest of the staff, waits to see who I will be each week. No pressure!

    The second story is very revealing about my ridiculous attachment to making my newsletter "interesting" and sometimes humorous. So, one night I was sitting on the couch with my laptop. My husband was watching TV. I just had to get the dang newsletter done on time this week, so I could walk into school the next day with my head held high. I start typing about what happened this week. Then I get a brilliant idea (Where it came from I have no idea.), I will write my whole newsletter as a poem. Yes, that is what I will do and if I am going to do this right, I must put my headphones on and listen to music, drowning out the stupid car show that is on the television. 

    I begin just brainstorming and rhyming and all that. Then, I start rearranging. Should I do a limerick? Should I do a Haiku? Should I just do free verse? I start laughing to myself. Oh great, now I need a piece of paper and I need to have a thesaurus open in another tab. Now, I am full-on cracking myself up and I look down the couch at my husband who is grinning from ear to ear. He knows that I am amusing myself and tells me that I have been giggling for a while now, so it must be good. I explain and he gets it right away. Don't worry, it only took me an hour to write the poem (2 poems actually) and I was done! So proud of myself that I finished, I emailed it to the Admin Assistant and Principal that night. When I went in to school the next day, the Principal says to me,"When I was reading it, I was imagining you sitting with a piece of paper and writing and rewriting." She was spot on! I guess I am a bit more transparent that I thought. Oh well, it was done and in on time. 

    The long and short of it is that I have done this to myself. I can complain about the dreaded newsletter all I want, but at the end of the day, I am the one to blame for its dauntingness. So, if your Principal tells you that you need to write a newsletter each week or even every other week, my advice is that you think long and hard before you start something that you will be beholden to. Even if it is your own doing. 

Respectfully, 

Mrs. Finally Blogging Again Bovat