Picture the first day of high school. Kids walk nervously from class to class and look for friends. In homeroom, teachers hand out the mountain of school forms and the school’s academic planner. At most, the teacher might say, “Keep your planner with you and …
One of my most cringe-worthy actions as a teenager included a planner. Long story short, I sent a guy a cassette tape (that’s an audio recording, for you youngsters) in which I advised him to use an academic planner. That is the kind of wild …
My least favorite period of my life was when I was working full-time and attending school part-time. It sucked. I had so much to do, so many things I wanted to do, but not nearly enough time to do it all. But, I got a …
One fall, my roommate and I got in a doozy of an argument about . . . Daylight vs. Standard Time. He was going hiking the day the clocks turned back. I warned him that the sun would go down an hour earlier, so he …
A few years back, I found my middle school diary. One thing that struck me (other than the generally high level of melodrama in my life) was how stressed I was by schoolwork. In the 8th grade. By college, I definitely had a few breakdowns …
Last month, my doctor prescribed a medication that I am supposed to take just before bed every night. I took it the first night and promptly forgot to take the medication for the next 2 nights. Then I would remember for a day or two …
When I was teaching, at least one kid a day was missing something – a bookbag, notebook, or even something to write with. When I asked why, the answer was usually that they woke up late and forgot their things at home. I get it. …
I’m not going to lie – I don’t want to write this blog post. I’m tired, cranky, and think I’m coming down with something. I’ve managed to distract myself with lots of other tasks. So, I’m being productive, but not on the task that I …
I hate being late. For anything. A party, an appointment, a TV show, class. (Don’t even get me started on how to switch classrooms, use the bathroom, and prep my new classroom for class all in 7 minutes.) I love being on time and always …
When I was in college, I wanted to try studying in places other than my dorm room. So, I checked out the library, the field on a sunny day, a coffee shop. You know what I discovered? I couldn’t stay focused in any of those …