"I wanna go home NOW!! I don't like school!!"
Over and over, the kindergartener's shrieking protests echoed through the halls drowning out the administrator's cheeriest efforts to placate him. Everyone in earshot could sympathize. School is rough if you've never done it before.
I had to admire the kid; clearly at a disadvantage in the power dynamic, he was going to use the strongest weapon he had: his outside voice. And he was not giving up. How was he to know it was a losing proposition? It takes longer than a few hours to figure out school culture, with all its implicit rules and norms. After a while you learn what not to question, like when you're allowed to go home. Some things you just can't change.
But some things you can. We educators run the risk of acclimating too well to our school culture, accepting the things we do over and over as nonnegotiable norms rather than habits we choose. Question everything! Reevaluate! And make positive change, whatever that looks like for you. What small change will have a big impact on your daily routine?
For me, it's overtime. No more, I say. When 3:00 rolls around, my inner kindergartener shouts, "I wanna go home NOW!!"
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