Keeping My Head Above Water

Things have been getting pretty hectic at school. The year is in full swing and we are rocking and rolling through our lessons, while at the same time trying to keep everyone happy and healthy. The paperwork is piling up, the meetings are non-stop, and my to-do list seems to write itself while I'm away from my desk. I'm entering that teacher-mode of living where there aren't enough hours in a day to do all that needs to be done. Priorities rise and unimportant things get pushed aside - until you realize it was something someone else really needed you to do. It's a constant shuffle between what to do now and what to do later.

On top of all of that, this is the time of year when I usually start to get sick. I know it's a combination of the "go go go" lifestyle and the fact that I'm stuck in a room with twenty four kids who cough and sneeze all over each other all day. Every year I'm careful to eat right and use lots of Germ-X in the classroom, but this year my obsession with staying healthy has reached a whole new level! I really don't want to take any drugs at all if I don't have to, so I drink about three big glasses of orange juice a day, I don't touch my kids except to hug them at the end of the day and even then I wash my hands as soon as they're all gone, and I try to slow down and get as much sleep as I possibly can. Sometimes I think the constant threat of getting sick is what might end up making me sick. For example, I woke up with a scratchy throat this morning and wondered, "Is it really scratchy, or am I over-analyzing this?" Luckily when I got up and got moving I felt fine. I guess that's just what happens when the air starts to change.

Here's to hoping we all stay germ-free and healthy this winter! I don't want to use any sick days unless they're the ones I use in April and May to stay home with my li'l pooper!