We are coming to that point in the semester that we were warned about. That point in time where we wake up in the morning and wonder if we will ever emerge from this huge pile of work we call critical tasks. When I think about all of the work and commitment I put forth in this program, I continue to remind myself "you signed up for this"! I did . I wanted this challenge. I wanted to do something that made a difference in the world, no matter how small. So I ask myself, how does doing all this work help me become a great teacher? One of the constants throughout classroom management, and education in general is that there is never enough time in the day. You have to plan and re-plan and make time where there is none. You have to organize, and do things in advance and try to hold on for dear life knowing that it will all be worth it. So, that's exactly what I did. I sat down, I planned it out, I organized it and I attacked it. I took charge of what I thought was an overload and I made it manageable. Now, if I can just remember all this when I'm pulling my hair out my first year of teaching, I may actually survive. The other important aspect to remember about stress and overloads, is that the feeling of being completely overwhelmed is something that our students also experience. This is why it is important to make sure that we give our students the some of the same strategies that we use to keep ourselves organized.
I know it's hard, and we will keep working on refining it. However, I appreciate your mental approach. While you could have complained (which would have only added to the emotional stress), you were proactive, created a plan, and attacked it. What a model for others!
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Blog posts on this page are reflections and connections that I make between courses, texts and classroom experience.