First, I do know that it is three o'clock my time and yes, this post woke me up enough to write. I am the type of person who cannot sleep if my mind continuously runs. For the past two hours, I tried to to fall back asleep knowing that in five hours I would start my day.
Just like students, we have a lot on our minds. If I am awake at three o'clock needing to write this blog, I couldn't imagine if a student is awake worried about an assignment, going to school, a parent coming home, or just the fact that he/she cannot sleep. We never truly know what or how our students are feeling when they are not in school.
I cannot say that I have caught a student or two sleeping in class. I cannot say that I have been angry when they fall asleep during a lesson or completing an assignment, and I cannot say that I have called home once or twice. For me, being woken up out of no where is common. I worry a lot, I think a lot, and, just like our students, I will find myself tired during the day.
Sometimes we forget that students are still learning to grow no matter how old they are. In sixteen years of teaching, it didn't occur to me that if I am up, maybe a student is too -- and not by choice. This morning, I walked downstairs to write this blog hoping that I will be able to get in at least another hour of sleep before my day begins. My Golden doodle follows me downstairs and lays next to me (not asleep because if I am not asleep, she doesn't fall asleep or so I thought). I pet her head as she then stretches her arms and legs and looks at me. She is slowly falling asleep. But by the time I finish this blog, her back leg is moving and is worried about something. I pat her head once again giving her a piece of mind to go back to sleep.
With all my worries, I tend to forget that a student may need to be "patted on the head" instead of criticized for falling asleep. We may not know why students fall asleep (and some may because they are bored or tired from playing video games all night). But, we tend to forget that just like teachers, students have worries that keeps them up throughout the night that we may not know about. A student will not wake up thinking if teachers are sleeping peacefully until the alarm goes off. And they shouldn't. I learned that one of my students, at 17, has two jobs, plays a sport, takes care of his siblings, and finds time to come to school. Just because one student may not fall asleep in my class it doesn't mean that he doesn't in another.
My 10-year old son is sleeping but I am not sure if he worries at night. Today he brought home a math test with a "C" on it. I know he is better at math than that. I look at the "C" on his test and then at him. He knows that we are not happy with his grade. But just as much as we are not happy neither is he. I look through the test reading question after question. Three of his answers were marked 'wrong' because he did not box his answer like it said on the test. My first reaction was "didn't you read the directions?" My next thought was "how stupid to take points off for not boxing his answer when it is clearly marked?" Fourth grade math and an answer is marked incorrectly for getting the right answer but not boxing it. I wonder how many employees were fired for using paper instead of plastic or how many people were fined for littering. Even though he is not up worrying about boxing an answer, it doesn't mean he is not worried about his next test.
Before my lesson begins today, I am going to reflect on his blog by asking students, "what keeps you up at night." Not to call anyone out -- but to understand what keeps students up throughout the night. Because if we don't know their stories, how can we help them be successful? A standardized test definitely is not going to help them sleep at night.
Would you like to know what keeps me up at night?
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