Striking a Balance

This latter part of 2008 has been an extremely difficult time.  Over Thanksgiving, I resolved to do a better job of striking a balance, so I wasn't wearing myself out completely.  I was tired and cranky beyond belief....and my nerves were really getting to Mrs. Bennett level proportions.

This week, I have worked towards balance.  I have not let my students wear me out.  Instead...I've been wearing them out.  They have had more and more difficult assignments than ever before.  They have been given detentions at the first sign of misbehavior.  And they are starting to fall in line.  At this point, in the majority of my classes, all I have to do is pull out the disciplinary referral form, and they straighten up.  It's made my job infinitely easier, and I wish now that I had done it earlier.  It's okay, though, it's my first year.  I'm learning from my mistakes.  I'm also figuring out how to best use my time.  I only grade certain assignments, and I currently have my lesson plans through Christmas break done.  And after a marathon session with the copy machine, I have most of my copies made for the early part of next week too.

Other parts of that balance have meant that I have been taking into account how my time is spent.  I have started to do all my housekeeping in the morning, before school, when I'm still full of energy (as much energy as you can have at 5 am).  That means I've been doing some laundry, some picking up and some cleaning just a little bit each morning this week.  And my house notices the difference.  In the afternoon, to unwind a little, I've been reading.  I went to the library on Monday and checked out three books.  Two were pretty fluffy reads that I could finish with a few hours of reading.  They were by a Christian author, about a girl who is in her early thirties and looking for a husband.  They were fairly funny...the last one was about her wedding planning process, and it had some fairly funny moments.  The third book I cheked out was Wuthering Heights, because I'm all about Brit Lit this winter.  I can't find my copy, so I just borrowed one.  In a few weeks, I should be receiving the Jane Austen and Bronte sisters collections I ordered off Amazon.  I haven't spent much time on the computer, or watching tv.  Mostly I've been reading and spending time with my husband.

Andy and I haven't rushed to put up our Christmas decorations...we're doing it a little at a time.  I've been slowly buying our Christmas gifts (just a few more to go...and I need to go to Clarksville for most of that) so that's almost taken care of.  I just have to figure out what to get for Andy, who never wants anything.  Stupid non-materialistic husband. 

And now it's Friday, December 5, and I don't feel like my eyes are glazed over or my hair is going to fall out.  I feel like my mental capabilities are better than they've been in months.  And for that, I'm thankful.