Counting Sheep

Count sheep.  Don’t open your eyes.  I said, don’t open your eyes.  Don’t look at the clock.  Count sheep backward.  Don’t look at the clock.  Slow, deep breaths.  What time is it?  It MUST be close to my alarm time.  3:30 AM.  DRAT!  Looked at my clock.  My desk at school is piled with paperwork.  I hope little Johnny behaves better today.  Did little Susie have dinner last night?  I wish I would have handled that student discipline situation differently yesterday.  Hope I didn’t ruin that kid’s life forever.  Need to email my weekly agenda to the staff.  Seven parents to call and the state standardized test schedule to formulate.  I should get started on my taxes.  Did I miss my wife’s birthday?

No matter what your profession, no matter what your job, we all have restless nights.  Sometimes I wish I could just flip that switch and not think about school for once, but that would completely opposite of who I am.  I am wired to help students and staff be the best they can be.  I’m not always successful, and maybe that is why I wake up in the wee hours of the morning with my thoughts directed toward school.  The desire for me to make life better for others is why I am who I am, and why I do what I do—every day.  A great principal friend of mine includes the following sentence in the signature line of every email he sends to his staff: Today, I will do whatever it takes to help you have a great day! 

Educators (teachers, principals, deans, counselors, paraprofessionals, custodians, secretaries, librarians, bus drivers, coaches) strive to make every day the best day possible for our students.  More often than not, it includes time and energy the public does not witness.  No one said that teaching was an 8-5 job.  How could it possibly be?  Some days you may see a teacher leave the school building before 4:00, but most likely she will be awake at 3:30 worrying about Johnny and Susie, formulating lesson plans in her head, cutting out bulletin board letters, baking cookies as a reading goal reward, searching Pinterest, Twitter, and other websites looking for new teaching strategies, standing in line at Walmart to purchase school supplies for those who cannot afford them, or wondering how she will inspire her students to do their best on the state tests.  Some say, “No rest for the wicked.”  Maybe we should say, “No rest for those who truly care.”  There are those who just do not understand the complete dedication of a teacher, and that is OK.  WE know that we are doing what we are called to do, and we will not give up on any student.  Ever.

4:45 AM—load of laundry done, living room vacuumed, blogpost written.  Too bad today is a two-hour weather delay for our school.  Looks like I will need to brew a second pot of coffee.