Marking late or bed early?
After a good sleep last night I woke this morning with a question in my thoughts: “Should I have stayed up late to finish that marking… Or was it better for my class that I went to be early?” I remember years ago during my teacher training year, our experienced languages lecturer said to us: “Kids would rather a lively, happy teacher than a perfectly prepared lesson!” As you can imagine we were all surprised by this as she smiled from ear to ear. This was here answer to the dissonance that teachers live with — that feeling that there is always more and I’m living in catchup for my kids.
I tend to agree with Sylvia. We all know that the biggest factor which translates into effective learning for our students is not ICT, not SLO’s and not more PL. It’s the report and relationships we have with our classes. The better the relationships, the better the learning. Period.
Although I’m definitely not advocating for sloppy administration or under-preparedness — I’m just saying that a good night’s sleep which positions me before my classes with grace, poise and the ability to ride the wave of the emotional, cultural and personal demands of the 30 students I’ll be facing every period today rests on my energy and ability to be emotionally present. A rested soul gives me the tools I need to ride this wave and to make today’s experience one where each student of mine will leave knowing they were heard, loved and taught.
So if it comes to a choice between late night marking and getting a good night’s rest — I’ll choose the latter. Every time.
