Snow Day

Don't worry, I still want to be an English teacher because things like this make my inner nerd happy. Unfortunately, I found this on a website with no source/link- if anyone knows where to credit this image, please tell me!

Last weekend, I did about 15 hours of homework and 5 hours of grading. I had a bit of a surprise when I logged into my classes on Monday, Oct 17th and saw that I had a third graduate class- a second 8 weeks reading and vocabulary instruction course that I assumed was for next semester. No, not at all. When I clicked on it, lo and behold there was a "Welcome to the class!!" announcement, along with a first unit dated Oct 17th- Oct 30th. Mind you, I logged in the evening of Oct 17th, so that day was gone. By Oct 23rd, I needed to complete two (detailed) assignments with a lot of required reading. By Oct 30th, I needed to plan, implement, document, and reflect on two lessons. Did I mention I student teach three days a week, school was off Friday, and thus I had 4 days to do the pre-reading/assignment, consult with my mentor teacher, and plan and implement and document said lessons? Thankfully I shoehorned the first lesson into a larger lesson over a news article, and the second one flowed naturally from that. Even more propitiously, my mentor teacher was able to be flexible and give me time. So it all worked out, but it was a busy last weekend, one that had me up until 2 a.m. morning before last. I woke up at 6. On 4 hours of sleep, I taught two classes, assisted in another, used up one of my prep periods to observe another teacher, and frantically used my other prep period (Mondays are 45 minute periods) to get everything done for school.

Tuesday (yesterday) I graded for about 5 hours and did homework for about 3. I went to bed exhausted and stressed out, but I was finally getting a bit ahead. It was set to snow all night- 6 inches- so I had to wake up early and leave early to prepare for an hour commute. I was feeling... insane. I mentioned to Bobby "maybe they'll cancel school??" he replied "not likely, Colorado is used to dealing with snow". I was hopeful, but realistic. He was right- in Texas, we freak out and go into lock down "OMG where are the cans of food and bottled water??" mode over an inch or two of ice. But Colorado has their snow shit together.

This morning, however, was amazing. Everything was piled with snow, and right as I headed out of my neighborhood I got a call- school was, indeed, cancelled. I spent most of the day catching up at the kitchen table, but I will also admit that I spent a few hours reading in bed with the blinds thrown open, watching the snow fall.

I need today off more than I realized. I have hours and hours of lesson planning and homework to do tomorrow, but I'm ready for it. I feel a million times better. I never had a snow day as a kid, and this one came at the perfect time. I don't mean to whinge or sound ungrateful- I know that taking 3 graduate classes and student teaching and volunteering and being busy with things I care about are all first world problems. But right now they're my problems and I'm getting nervous about them. I worked full time and went to school full time all through undergraduate AND my first master's degree. I was never, ever this stressed out. I don't know what it is. But I do feel like last weekend, getting a head a bit, and today, getting a break, are making things better.

Or this might just be the beginning of a sneaky hate spiral.