Month: March 2016

Join us in the Slice of Life story challenge. Every day for the month of March, bloggers all over the globe are writing their slices and sharing them on the Two Writing Teachers blog.

Today I had the day off of school. In our school district, we get the day off after working the equivalent amount of hours for two evenings doing parent conferences. Usually, by the time the Friday that is the day off rolls along, we are all mentally and physically exhausted and ready for this free time.

I had mental plans about all the things I would take care of during this time off. Have you ever noticed how a DAY OFF seems to signify in your mind that you will have hundreds of hours in which to take care of every little thing on your to-do list? I always have this ridiculous list of things I want to do on my day off. I always think things will take way less time than they actually do take…or maybe I just think the day will somehow magically have more time to it than other days. It always seems that before I know it, the day has flown by and more than a few things that I wanted to get done are not done.  The free time blues are starting to creep in…

It is at this moment, when I have so many things left on the to-do list, that it is most especially crucial to take a step back and really take inventory. What did I get done today? Well, I scrubbed down the stovetop that sorely needed a scrubbing and ran the dishwasher so my kitchen is clean. I cleaned the bathroom. I sorted through a pile of papers that needed sorting in my office to clean off a shelf. I read books and worked on writing. I cuddled with my dog. I ate a healthy lunch at home and resisted the urge to go get something from a restaurant. I will be going to my barre class in a little bit. I watched an episode of Fixer Upper. I took care of my e-mail inbox in all of my accounts. Okay, maybe most of the day was spent reading, but there are quite a few things on this list. So in this moment when I could feel like I did not accomplish much, I now have reframed my attitude and realized that there were a lot of things that happened today. And, for a day off, I think that is enough.

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And because I cannot do everything, I will not refuse to do the something that I can do.”
― Edward Everett Hale

Remembering to take the time to reflect on what I DID accomplish rather than what I have not yet accomplished is such an important thing to remember to do. I am reminding myself right now that I need to also give myself a break in my classroom. I don’t know about you, but I have a tendency to always be feeling like there is a lot of work to still be done with my students. I notice my shortcomings and the things that we haven’t yet accomplished much more readily than I notice the successes that we have had and the things I have been able to accomplish. I have to consciously make the decision to see the things we have done and to not always focus on what we should have done or what still remains to be done.

Taking the time to reframe your perspective can make all the difference. It doesn’t mean that there are not still a lot of things to get done, it just means we all give ourselves a break and understand that we must recognize what we have already done and be proud of it. Then, you can approach the to-do list with renewed vigor and possibly a more clear vision of what the priority items might be.

 

 

Every day when I pull into my parking spot behind my house, the neighbor dogs come running to the fence to say hello. I love that these dogs have learned that we are friendly people and that they want to say hello when we are around. It is so nice to come home to that greeting and then to get inside and have the doggy greeting from my dog. She is so excited to see us and there is nothing like the enthusiasm that a dog has when they love you and are happy you are home.

Wouldn’t this world be a better place if all the people in the world acted the same as most dogs do?

 

I woke up this morning and immediately looked out the window. There was a slight dusting of snow on the ground. Maybe an inch. Nothing like the 4-7 inches that were predicted for our area. I looked at the weather app on my phone. The Winter Storm Warning was cancelled, now we just have a Winter Weather Advisory. Snow totals of 1-3 inches. I am relieved. I didn’t want to deal with the headaches that a morning commute in 4-7 inches of snow would cause. Living in Wisconsin, I knew that those totals would not be anywhere near enough snow to close schools. It was just an unpleasant situation that I was anticipating. Now, I can go about my day in an almost regular way. We don’t even really need to shovel this morning. We can get out without doing it.

It is funny to me how the weather predictions usually seem to be inaccurate. It almost seems that the weather tends to do the opposite of what is said. If the meteorologists say there will be a lot of snow and to be prepared, there is only an inch of snow. If, on the other hand, they predict less than an inch, you better be ready for 5 inches. I love that we have all the modern technology, but nature still works to surprise us and to make the predictions almost impossible. It keeps us on our toes and makes us learn how to roll with the unexpected.

I can’t help but think about how a teacher’s job is so similar to a meteorologists job in some ways. We can predict how things will go on a given day, but it isn’t always a guarantee that we will be right. We have to be willing to accept the unexpected and adjust. Sometimes, that means being pleasantly surprised by the ease with which our students take on a task. Sometimes, it is really stormy in our classrooms and we have to shovel a lot of extra negativity out of the way. But despite the fact that we have an ability to predict the success or failure of an idea in our classroom, we really have to learn to roll with it and accept the unexpected. Whatever we have to deal with, I hope we can learn to be as natural with it as a Wisconsinite is with dealing with snow. No panic, just an appreciation of the beauty of nature and then getting down to the business of dealing with it.

Here’s hoping that I will be pleasantly surprised today in the classroom as I was this morning looking out the window.