Thursday, June 18, 2009

You'll Sleep When You're Dead!

Call me a nerd (and trust me, many people have!), but I have been trying to do everything I can to get ready for student teaching. This 3 month period before school starts in August is beginning to feel like an eternity!! I know I should be cherishing every second of mindless free time that I have, but urge to “get ready” is about all that is keeping me from busting! I have been organizing the teaching materials I have accumulated over the last 4 years, been catching up on my readings and blogs that deal with education…as you can see I’m trying to make sure all of my bases are covered!!

Well, the most recent addition to my self-established “student teaching readiness program” is my conversion to “Early Rising”. By early rising, I mean starting the day before noon! I was never one to actually sleep that late but I most certainly wouldn’t be up before 10am! Nonetheless, I know that as a teacher, this will more than likely be a thing of the past. So, I have now committed myself to getting up by 6:30 am every morning. Although I am only 2 days into it, I have found that there is actually quite a bit that can be accomplished because I am adding a few extra hours to my day: working out, praying, reading, and NOT RUSHING TO GET READY IN THE MORNING!! I’m not even going to lie- it has not been easy, but I really think that getting up earlier will help me to be an even more productive person and make the most of every second of life. One of the best gifts I can give my students is to be healthy, happy, and full of life- I think this early rising thing my be exactly what I need to round of my holistic approach to student teacher readiness.

I end this post with a quote that I have heard many times before- “Don’t waste time sleeping; you’ll sleep when you’re dead!”

- I never really believed this quote to be true…in fact, I’m not sure if I even believe it now! Hopefully, writing it here will move it a little deeper into my spirit. Well, I think I’m going to go to sleep now….6:30am is going to come quickly!

2 comments:

  1. Make sure you don't spend all your time this summer thinking about and planning for student teaching. Part of being a healthy and happy teacher is having a life outside of school that fulfills you. It's good to practice getting up early and getting into a routine, but you have all year to do that and even if you waited until August to get into that routine you will get used to it quickly. Enjoy the summer and the leisure! Many teachers get burnt out because they go full steam ahead all the time. It's important to take time out for other interests as well.

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  2. KT,

    You make a very good point. As exciting as this entire experience will be, I have to make sure that "the teacher" does not become my sole identity. This is so hard for me to balance because I am so passionate and excited about teaching. However, I know that going so hard all the time will lead to an incredible burnout. KT, I appreciate your honesty and openness! I read your post about to-do lists and I must say that truly enjoying this summer and the company of family and friends is definitely a top priority. Thanks again for your perspective!

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