It Just Won't Quit

Some of York's hardest working audiologist/hearing itinerant teachers!

Current and future teacher educators in higher education...  :)

The other day, I heard an oldie but goodie on my iPod.  I was listening to one of my favorite Meatloaf albums and “It Just Won’t Quit” came on….a song that I’ve heard before but this time around, it took on a whole new meaning for me.  Perhaps it’s because it is crunch time at work/school and I’ve not been sleeping well.  Perhaps it’s because the end of the semester is upon us…and with that comes looming deadlines, finals, and needing to pack for the upcoming holiday travel plans not to mention get Christmas cards and gifts together, etc., etc., etc.  Or perhaps it’s because I’m a little older than when I used to listen to this album in middle school.  Whatever the reason, I found myself hitting repeat over and over again when this song ended as I drove to my schools the other day.  Here are the lyrics to the song…

And I never really sleep anymore,
And I always get those dangerous dreams
And I never get a minute of peace,
And I gotta wonder what it means
And I gotta wonder what it means

Maybe it's nothing and I'm under the weather
Maybe it's just one of those bugs going round
Maybe I'm under a spell and it's magic
Maybe there's a witch doctor with an office in town

Oh is this a blessing or is it a curse?
Does it get any better? Can it get any worse?
Will it go on forever or is it over tonight?
Does it come with the darkness? Does it bring out the light?
Is it richer than diamonds or just a little cheaper than spit?
I don't know what it is
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit

And there used to be such an easy way of living
And there used to be every hope in the world
And I used to get everything that I went after
But there never used to be this girl,
But there never used to be this girl

Maybe I'm crazy and I'm losing my senses
Maybe I'm possessed by a spirit or such
Maybe I'm desperate and I've got no defenses
Can you get me a prescription for that one perfect touch?

Oh is this a blessing or is it a curse?
Does it get any better? Can it get any worse?
Will it go on forever or is it over tonight?
Does it come with the darkness? Does it bring out the light?
It's a stairway to heaven or a subway going down to the pits
Is it some kind of love?
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit

I don't know what it is
I don't know what it is but it just won't quit

There was a time when nothing ever really mattered
There was a time when there was nothing I didn't know
There was a time when I knew just what I was living for
There was a time and the time was so long ago
There was a time and the time was so long ago
And I never really sleep anymore

This song also makes me think of teachers and how we, as teachers, just don’t quit.  We work long hours at school and bring schoolwork home with us and work nights and weekends planning and preparing for our lessons, completing paperwork, and looking for new ways of teaching the material.  We don’t give up on our children in our classrooms and are always searching for ways to reach that hard to reach or difficult child or show the neglected child that someone does care about him or her.  Even when we are underpaid and underappreciated, we just don’t quit doing what we were born to do … in the hopes that we are able to change at least one child’s life.  Even if we have administrators who don’t understand what it is that we do, governments who take away funding, or parents who feel that they have all the answers, we just lean on into it and keep on persevering and continue working hard because we just don’t quit.  We keep evolving and growing by taking classes and trainings to stay current on the latest research and trends in the field and pay for materials and supplies with our own money so that our students don’t go without…yeah, we just won’t quit.  Students may refuse to work, might even hit or try to bite us, or cry but we, as special educators, continue to try to find that missing piece of the puzzle and work together to turn things around for our students.  Sometimes we are the only ones in the child’s life who believes they can be somebody and that they do matter.  It is for those children that we do what we do and we won’t quit.

Lastly...when typing this blog, I couldn't help but think about one of my favorite Youtube videos of all time...here is a link to the 3 minute clip.  Enjoy and thanks for reading my blog!!  

What Teachers Make: Taylor Mali