My Time Is Up

The last day of school is a whirlwind of emotions.  Students and teachers alike are ready for summer break but going to miss seeing friends and coworkers.  I can honestly say I will miss all of my students, I just may not miss having them in class.  :)

As I was giving some famous last words to my seventh grade students it suddenly occurred to me that my time was up.  What I mean by that is I will not have the opportunity to positively impact those students and prepare them for the real world like I did this year.  Sure I will see them in the hallway and maybe coach them in Track or Basketball but for the most part my time is up.

It makes me stop and think.  Did I do my best?  I know they are prepared academically but what about socially? Will 8th grade teachers be able to tell that they had my class?  Are my students more or less respectful than others?  How can I do better next year with my allotted time?  What will they remember about me and my class?

Instead of counting down the days until summer we should be counting down the opportunities to teach and impact our students.  Once our time is up, students move to the next teacher on the assembly line to help shape, mold, and develop them into the final product of successful and respectful men and women.  Teachers, we have a new batch of students that need to be poured into, loved, valued, educated, and challenged.  Recharge those batteries this summer so that you can feel confident when your time is up.

The Greatest Gift

My Mom's birthday was coming up and I wanted to get her a special gift.  I don't know about you but it is very difficult for me to find good gifts for my parents.  So I looked and I searched and I hunted and I simply could not find anything that I thought my Mom would want AND need that fit my budget.  I finally settled on something with the help from my wife and we put it in a wonderful gift bag. 

As I visited my parents for the weekend my Mom and I decided to go for a walk in the beautiful weather.  When we left the driveway my Mom began to cry.  If you know my mom this is normal so I just waited for her to speak.  She said "What a wonderful gift to be able to go for a walk with my Son for my birthday."

Wow!  I felt incredibly loved and silly at the same time.  I spent all of this time and effort trying to figure out the perfect gift when the number one thing on her list was to go on a walk with me. 

This was a great reminder for me that the greatest gift you can ever give someone is your time.  Your time cannot be returned, regifted, or sold at a garage sale.  It is always what people want and need and it will always fit into your budget. 

Who do you need to give the gift of time to this week?

Save The Day!!

Like most of you, I live a busy life.  I don't get to relax as much as I would like.  Yet I still don't get everything accomplished.  This doesn't make sense. It should be an either-or.  Either I didn't get to accomplish everything but I got to relax.  Or, I didn't get to relax but it was worth it since I got everything accomplished.

John Maxwell, Stephen Covey, and Robert Kyiosaki all stress the importance of making lists and schedules.  A list is simply a visual reminder of the things that you need/want to accomplish.  It keeps you focused.

I always thought if I made a list I would never be able to accomplish everything and wouldn't have time to rest.  These time management gurus are also advocates of putting RELAX on the to do list.  This way you can relax and feel accomplished at the same time!  Brilliant!

I have learned that if I don't make a list and don't schedule my time wisely, I don't feel accomplished and I don't feel rested.  Bad combination.  This is especially true on weekends, random days off, and snow days. (You educators know what I'm talking about!)

If you fail to plan, you plan to fail.  What is scheduled gets done.
Don't waste time.  Make a schedule and/or list and SAVE THE DAY!

Challenge:  Make a list of things you need to do for this week and don't forget to put relax or some form of recreation.  Reward yourself when you complete everything!