As I worked on next year’s schedule, I came to a painful realization.
We often mark education in allotments of time.
40 minute periods. 80 minute blocks. 180 day years.
Even the calendar shared out by most school districts captures how many days have been completed by both students and teachers each month.
I’ve heard students, educators, and parents constantly referring to the countdown.
“Only twenty more days.”
“One down. One hundred seventy nine to go.”
“Just three more days.”
I’ve been guilty of it myself. Especially last year.
This year, I’d like to encourage everyone to find another metric to pass the time.
Mark it in smiles.
Mark it in dreams.
Mark it in lightbulb (a-ha) moments.
Find a different way to commemorate the time you spend in the classroom this year.
If we’ve learned anything, it’s that time passes too quickly if we don’t stop to appreciate the beauty happening around us.
Rich