Last night, I sat awake in my bed thinking about my students who refused to work on their project. They understood the instructions, the asked questions, and they still did nothing. In a class of 30, I had several other groups to check in on so I couldn't sit there and force them to work. How could I have gotten them engaged? This is the question that kept me up. It's not always the non workers. Sometimes it's the "good kids." Other times it's the struggling students. It could be any group of students that keeps my mind active while I'm resting, but the point is, I'm always thinking about my students. The best advice I got from a veteran teacher my first year was "don't take this shit home with you, it'll drive you crazy." They were right, but when you're a young, energetic teacher that dove in head first, that's a lot to ask. Carve time out for yourself and just escape. There are nights where the students wake you up at 3am by weighing heavily on your heart and soul. If you let the students of yesterday steal your rest, the students of tomorrow will suffer for it, especially if they are the same student. Leave the day's negativity in the parking lot on your way our and remember that every day is a new day.
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