Teacher Brain
Teacher Brain
Every year that I've been contracted to work as a teacher, I experience a phenomenon I call Teacher Brain. I see a back-to-school teacher catalog in June and promptly hide it. The July back-to-school commercials blare. I hit mute or turn away -- if I'm able. I avoid stimulating my teacher brain as long as possible if I want to take a true summer break. What's the problem, you ask. Teacher Brain is an "affliction" that once started, cannot be quenched until the Last Day of School. Nothing turns it off, once started. Nothing satisfies the Teacher Brain's ravenous appetite and unending energy. It causes me to eat, sleep, and dream about everything school-oriented.
I allow my Teacher Brain to kick in in early August, because Teacher Brain can be both bane and blessing. When you're trying to sleep on the Lazy River at your local waterpark, you don't want Teacher Brain to be active. Teacher brain will not cause you to nap. It says, "Waterparks. What a cool idea for a math unit! We could calculate the average speed of a person going down each waterslide. There could be a budget section, where I make up a swim store, souvenir shop, and hot dog stand. I can see it now - Your mom gave you $20 and a ticket to Noah's Ark. How will you spend your money? - And, then you could always go into some science things with wavelengths in the wave pool, roller coaster physics, the temperature of the pavement in the parking lot. . ."
Okay! Shut up, Teacher Brain! I want to enjoy my summer, not run back to my hotel and write lesson plans. And yet, the temptation to do such a thing can be quite overwhelming!
My Teacher Brain didn't sleep well this summer. I decided to take advantage of it this time. I'm channeling Teacher Brain into writing projects (as well as I can.) The danger I've had is that Teacher Brain isn't just limited to lesson plans. If it were, I wouldn't find it so difficult to sleep. Yes, I'm serious. Teacher Brain has taken over my dreams. I think about endless teaching issues, from home visits, parent letters, internet resources, curriculum, field trips, you name it!
So, I'm afraid Teacher Brain is all ready for the new school year, and it's belong hope for me. I've decided to go to my classroom and start working tomorrow. I will go in and try to unload some of the great ideas Teacher Brain is feeding me, so, hopefully, I can sleep better. Unfortunately, I know that Teacher Brain feeds off that kind of thing. Unloading ideas only allows and encourages it to create more. But, what can I do? I will go crazy if I don't act on some of these great teaching ideas bouncing around in my head. It's getting crowded in there!
The good thing about Teacher Brain is that it is just what I need to get my energy going at the beginning of the school year. It becomes a bit manic as I try to field all the ideas that pop into my head and attempt to sleep every night. But, it's also what motivates me to get up very early in the morning to rearrange all the desks in my classroom, dust off the teacher's manuals, and spend hours planning every minute of the school year.
Every year that I've been contracted to work as a teacher, I experience a phenomenon I call Teacher Brain. I see a back-to-school teacher catalog in June and promptly hide it. The July back-to-school commercials blare. I hit mute or turn away -- if I'm able. I avoid stimulating my teacher brain as long as possible if I want to take a true summer break. What's the problem, you ask. Teacher Brain is an "affliction" that once started, cannot be quenched until the Last Day of School. Nothing turns it off, once started. Nothing satisfies the Teacher Brain's ravenous appetite and unending energy. It causes me to eat, sleep, and dream about everything school-oriented.
I allow my Teacher Brain to kick in in early August, because Teacher Brain can be both bane and blessing. When you're trying to sleep on the Lazy River at your local waterpark, you don't want Teacher Brain to be active. Teacher brain will not cause you to nap. It says, "Waterparks. What a cool idea for a math unit! We could calculate the average speed of a person going down each waterslide. There could be a budget section, where I make up a swim store, souvenir shop, and hot dog stand. I can see it now - Your mom gave you $20 and a ticket to Noah's Ark. How will you spend your money? - And, then you could always go into some science things with wavelengths in the wave pool, roller coaster physics, the temperature of the pavement in the parking lot. . ."
Okay! Shut up, Teacher Brain! I want to enjoy my summer, not run back to my hotel and write lesson plans. And yet, the temptation to do such a thing can be quite overwhelming!
My Teacher Brain didn't sleep well this summer. I decided to take advantage of it this time. I'm channeling Teacher Brain into writing projects (as well as I can.) The danger I've had is that Teacher Brain isn't just limited to lesson plans. If it were, I wouldn't find it so difficult to sleep. Yes, I'm serious. Teacher Brain has taken over my dreams. I think about endless teaching issues, from home visits, parent letters, internet resources, curriculum, field trips, you name it!
So, I'm afraid Teacher Brain is all ready for the new school year, and it's belong hope for me. I've decided to go to my classroom and start working tomorrow. I will go in and try to unload some of the great ideas Teacher Brain is feeding me, so, hopefully, I can sleep better. Unfortunately, I know that Teacher Brain feeds off that kind of thing. Unloading ideas only allows and encourages it to create more. But, what can I do? I will go crazy if I don't act on some of these great teaching ideas bouncing around in my head. It's getting crowded in there!
The good thing about Teacher Brain is that it is just what I need to get my energy going at the beginning of the school year. It becomes a bit manic as I try to field all the ideas that pop into my head and attempt to sleep every night. But, it's also what motivates me to get up very early in the morning to rearrange all the desks in my classroom, dust off the teacher's manuals, and spend hours planning every minute of the school year.
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