I went to bed well before my bedtime last night, slept solidly, woke up when Dave got out of bed at 6 a.m., then fell asleep again until 7. So now I'm feeling a bit of urgency, shall we say, to get up and get moving because otherwise I am going to be seriously late to work! I'm not sure why I was so tired.
I did have a busy day yesterday. The eighth-graders are launching their interviewing project, which means I'm doing my annual dog-and-pony show -- drawing on my past as a journalist -- about how to conduct a good interview. I spoke to two classes yesterday and I'll be facing two more today. I'll be so glad when this is over. I always feel a sense of dread when I have to get up in front of a group of students, which makes me all the more impressed that teachers do it every day.
I also had a meeting of the mission review committee. But still, it's not like I was doing anything requiring that much extra exertion.
So, who knows? Sometimes I think the conditions are just right and we catch up on our rest, even when we haven't noticed that we're behind. And now, off to work!
(Photo: A Chinese restaurant in Kensington.)
I'm quite taken with the frosted door and windows and their dragon symbol in the Kensington photo. Who knows what you might find behind the dragon door.
ReplyDeleteAlphie
Mission Statement:
ReplyDeleteSpace: the final frontier. These are the voyages of The American School. Its five-year mission: to explore strange new worlds. To seek out new life and new civilisations. To lecture eighth graders about interviewing techniques. To find abandoned fruit in the rest room.To get a pay cheque at the end of every month.To boldly go where no man has gone before!
They have a bona fide New York Times journalist instructing them on interview techniques! I used to get unreasonablely nervous in front of my kids’ classes too, when they asked me to talk about editing and revising your work. I never understood why.
ReplyDeleteI never understood why I was nervous in such a familiar and low stakes setting that is. Maybe I didn’t want to embarrass my kids. I would love to sit in on your interviewing talk. My main guide is my own curiosity about a person or subject. I suspect there are better and richer approaches.
ReplyDeleteI was one of those teachers who, over the course of a day, stood up in front of 100+ kids. No problem. They were my students; I knew them and they knew me.
ReplyDeleteIt was when I had to lead a class I didn't know that was scary. Every time.
You're a brave guy.
By the way, you're not missing much here in Florida. Today I woke up to 46 degrees in Venice.
I think it uses more energy any time an introverted person has to interact with people in a different way. Just a theory anyway. I myself woke up at 2:30 this morning & stayed awake for an hour, then slept until 7:15, which is when I like to leave for work. Yikes!
ReplyDeleteI had a late night at a friends house planning a trip and then I woke up at 3:00 worrying about airline tickets and reservations all being right. I hate that when it happens. Maybe I'll sleep well like you did tonight.
ReplyDeleteSometimes we ignore signs of stress and fatigue until they knock us between the eyes.
ReplyDeleteSleep is holy. And it is necessary and our bodies sometimes override our own sense of what we think we need to make sure we have what we truly need.
ReplyDeleteI've never really minded speaking in front of a group. Don't know why. I think I become someone else when that happens- a far more gregarious me than the usual one. I let her take over and all is usually well.
I went to bed at 10, my usual time, had an hour or so of wakefulness about 5 then went back to sleep til nearly 9. so I missed the garden club meeting that started at 9.
ReplyDeleteI feel lucky if I sleep four hours without waking. Six would be amazing, and a whole night practically unimaginable. I love that you talk to the students about interviewing. It's very cool that they have someone with your background there to guide them.
ReplyDeleteI can imagine a rainy day in Kensington warmed by a visit to that Oriental Food restaurant followed by a visit next door at Jeff de Bruges for chocolates!
ReplyDeleteAs the only art teacher for our Kindergarten through 5th grade school, I saw almost 500 students every week. I never felt at all nervous standing up in front of them - loved it in fact. But I hate speaking to a room full of adults! Maybe your subconscious was working through speaking in front of those 8th graders as you slept and that really tired you out!
ReplyDeleteI wouldn't be overly keen on speaking in front of a horde of students, either! What we CAN do and what we LIKE doing are often two very different things.
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