Whoa Nelly!

It's Friday already? Where did the week go?

September always flies by due to the massive to-do lists that are part of starting a new school year. This year there have been a few changes at school that make time zip by even faster. The biggest change is that we have a new schedule.

To make a very long story shorter, the school day has been shuffled by 20 minutes. Those minutes were carved off the morning period and stuck into where our lunch recess was. Now lunch recess is 20 minutes, instead of 40. This is great for cold winter days where kids are in danger of frostbite. It is not so great for teachers who hope to use the washroom, make a few copies, and eat their lunch during that time. It just isn't long enough.

So, I feel like I have been running flat out every day since school started. People are already walking around the halls looking like they usually do in November. And we have our first few teachers out with the flu.

I am trying to adjust to these changes graciously. I know that the reasons behind them are good. I am just working on getting my brain and teaching rhythms to fit with them.

The biggest challenge for me is that I spent ten years teaching in small parent-run private schools where it was an eight year battle to have one period of prep time a week. (Yes, fellow teachers, I said one period a week). For some reason, persons in the business world did not agree with staff members that making a 5 hour-long presentation, 5 days a week with less than 2 hours of preparation for each presentation made for less than quality presentations. This issue has always been a BIG sticking point for me (and an emotional one - so please pardon me if I am a bit intense on this). It was part of why I couldn't stay working in that school system.

Now I am struggling to be gracious about the lunch changes. Am I being selfish in feeling that I really do work hard and deserve a lunch break as much as any other Canadian? I only want 30 minutes to eat, pee, and take a few deep breathes before jumping back in.