Hmmm...

When I think about what I need to accomplish at my school before the year's end, I get immensely overwhelmed; in fact, lately I've been trying to avoid the subject. I haven't yet begun on the yearbook that I agreed to take over. I haven't organized the Beta Club ceremony, nor have I had the time to call a meeting of its current members. The 7th Grade Writing Assessment is 17 school days from now and tryouts for the track team begin Monday... so this weekend will be spent organizing materials for that because I'm the head coach... but oh wait, those basketball teams for which I'm the assistant coach have their final games on Saturday. Did I mention the Ed Law midterm that I should be studying for or the MTC portfolio that has been pushed beyond the back burner?

What about those dozen students who are currently failing my class? Those students whose parents won't return my calls. The ones who fail to understand how important it is that they turn in their projects - because a late grade is better than a zero. Before I even begin to think about what I want to accomplish on a personal level, I need to get past, or at least compartmentalize all of those other things.

But when I actually do get a spare moment to think about it, to think about the fact that my time here is almost through, the "to do list" rolls out with ease. I want to build better relationships with all of my students. I want their faces to forever be imprinted in my memory. I want to spark a passion for writing in some of those students who I know have a gift, and I want to show my most jaded children that their cynicism is crippling them. I want to get M to sit still for ten minutes straight and convince S that it's cool to be smart.  I don't really care about the test scores, but I do care that my students move to the eighth grade with proficiency and feel confident that they can continue to improve.

I know that all sounds incredibly cliche, but it's the truth. Those are the things that really consume my daily thoughts. Those are the things I think about when I'm choosing to avoid the pressure of everything else.

A Day in the Life Part II

Last year I went through and itemized every minute of my typical day. Unfortunately my schedule has not really changed, save the additional 30 minutes I've added to my commute. Now that I am the proud owner of a hybrid, my fuel cost isn't a whole lot worse than it was last year, so my drive has become something I really do enjoy.

I still hit snooze five to six times before I actually roll out of bed. I still apply makeup, drink coffee, eat breakfast, and listen to NPR on the way to work. I know it sounds stressful, but the two lane country road I take to school is actually pretty beautiful in the morning, so after I've finished the aforementioned part of my routine, I relish the solitude.

Once I get to school, I still stand in the main hallway for duty. This is one of my favorite parts of the day because, for some reason, I LOVE enforcing dress code. Maybe it's the "fixer" in me. Besides that I get to see the adorable elementary schoolers who can barely contain their excitement most mornings and frequently burst into skips on their way down the hall. My pleas for them to walk are typically fruitless, but they're so cute that I can't help but laugh most of the time.

While my days are vastly more enjoyable and less stressful than they were last year, I'm still pretty exhausted by the time I head home. But again... I love the drive. I roll the windows down, turn the music up, and decompress. I think that drive has been a huge part of my sanity this year.

When I get home from school I turn into a hobbit. Occasionally I grab dinner with friends, but mostly I close my bedroom door, read a bit of whatever book I'm on, write a blog, and sleep. I rarely plan. I rarely grade. I rarely socialize. In some ways I enjoy my evenings the most.