Not that there have been no changes. On the contrary, where work is concerned, there have been changes aplenty going on. However, these changes have by and large meant more things to do, and consequently less free time. Note though that i didn't say that the changes were all bad. Many changes have really been for the better. It's just that none of them result have resulted in even the most microscopic of shifts in the mythical work-life balance towards the latter. In fact, i'd say that at least from my own experience, i'd consider any attempt to promote work-life balance in any teachers' recruitment drive that moe may ever think of putting up to be a clear-cut case of misleading advertising.
Whatever the case, though, there is much about what i do that i enjoy, even if it has meant much ore work in the process. While i'm pretty sure that, provided i remain in the system, i will never have the opportunity to teach areas of history that i'm deeply interested/passionate in, at least (most of) what i've to teach doesn't result in me having to dig deep to find whatever token acting talent that i may have in order to feign enthusiasm anymore. Or is it just that i'm becoming a better actor?
Where these acting skills would really come in handy would be in how i react every time there's something that has to be done in which i can discern little, if any value in doing, beyond padding my work review at the end of the year. This year i've occasionally reached the proverbial tipping point, whereby i somewhat brusquely declined to do something simply because i had too much to do. I don't regret having done that in the sense that i don't really care (or at least so i think) about how that might reflect upon my prospects for promotion [because, particularly after looking at the amount of work that the higher-ups have to do (or in the case of some of those that i work with, more of delegate), i can honestly say that i don't care for a promotion]. However, i am somewhat regretful of having done that in the other sense of not wanting to be a bad witness, as i'm pretty sure that i could have carried myself off far better than i'd ended up doing.
Until things start changing on the moe end (which, realistically speaking, will not happen anytime soon), maybe i should look towards my own change instead. Then come the end of bond time, we'll see how things end up working out.
