Be Present

When I first started teaching, I spent nearly every second of my life in my classroom. If I went off to my own mental space, the class instantly got out of control and I was screwed. I spent the drive to and from school reflecting on how things were going. I daydreamed about projects and units when I was trying to pay attention to a movie or a book. Over time, that faded. It's not that I lost the passion for teaching so much as I realized that such a high level of intensity wasn't good for me or for the students. I needed to calm down. I needed to pay attention to life. I needed to pursue hobbies that had no functional purpose inside of a classroom. Now, I'm dealing with the opposite problem. Sometimes I have a hard time being present in the moment. See, it's easy for me to tune out while still maintaining the illusion of engagement. If the class is well-managed and the projects are engaging and the students don't seem to need a ton of help, I find myself tempted to meander mentally.  Add to this a few writing projects (currently working on Wendell the World's Worst Wizard) and sometimes being present isn't as fun as daydreaming about a creative work. Don't get me wrong. I'm not the kind of teacher who will sit behind a desk all day and check my Fantasy Football. I don't go to school and simply "phone it in." However, it's easy for me to miss what's really happening if my mind is multitasking. If I'm tired or excited about another project or thinking about my own kids at home, I fail to pay attention to whether or not the students are learning. So, my own personal mantra this school year is "be present." Be present when I greet the students so that they know that I mean it when I say, "I'm glad to see you today." Be present when I conference one-on-one with kids so that they know that my "undivided attention" really is undivided. Be present when I wander the room checking to see their progress.