I love the week following Christmas break. The students (and teachers) have accustomed themselves to staying up late. Many of them woke up Monday morning earlier than they went to sleep Friday night/Saturday morning. As a result, Monday and Tuesday were sleep-deprived transition days. Classroom management was much simpler on those days than many days so far this year.
I can’t help but think of those poor student teachers who have started waking up before 10am for the first time in years. With college class schedules having 15 minute breaks built in on busy days and three or four hour gaps of relaxation time on the standard days, how are they handling the workload of a real 8-hour day? What about the 30 minute lunch period?
I remember when I first started, I was amazed by the constant action in the band hall. The 30 minutes of lunch break was the only period of quiet in the entire day; and even then we would have students stay after class and others come before their next class began. At my current job, the two band directors have different lunches, and so there is action constantly from the time I get to school before 7:30 until we leave after sectionals around 5. We have classes going on during our conference periods. Sometimes I use that time to sneak over to the high school or the 6th grade campus. Or just run up the road and buy an unsweet tea from McDonalds (my only source of caffeine) just to get some fresh air for a few minutes.
What are some ways that you handle the busyness of your schedule?
