I hear from students that they will change their habits when they get into the “real world” but school isn’t as important. I always try to have a discussion with them that they are better off establishing good habits now when it is easier. All of that reminds me of a story! When I was a student teacher and working at a school that was a half hour away I learned the value of good habits. My cooperating teacher was a lady named Barb Smith and we taught at a school in Castle Rock which is south of Denver. She was a second career teacher like I was and we had a lot in common. She had a habit of getting to school at 6:30 and school didn’t start until 8. It made sense for me to be there at 7:30 and prepare for the day. She also left right at the end of the day and I remember beating the busses out of the parking lot. I had been working for a week and she seemed annoyed but I couldn’t figure out why. On the Friday of the first week, she told me at lunch. She said that she got here at 6;30 and left at 3;30 to avoid the Denver traffic. It made perfect sense but I was not a morning person. She was very blunt and said that if the student teaching was to work that I would have to follow her schedule. She gave me the weekend to think it over.
Monday morning came and I was in the parking lot at 6:15 and haven’t been late to school for over thirty years. Yesterday, I couldn’t sleep so I got to school at 5:30. I no longer live thirty minutes from the school so it would be easy to sleep later. I live about six blocks from school and I am here at 6:30 every morning. I learned two lessons that day. First, it is important to listen to folks that have more experience and have more wisdom. Those are not necessarily dependent on age and sometimes the best lessons have come from new teachers with wisdom. Second, I learned the value of good habits. I still may be the best procrastinator I know but I really do have good work habits and I think they have served me well in my job. There are times when I probably do too much but I would rather land on that side of the ledger than not do enough. As I look at the end, I find I have to start moving away from some things and that may be one of the toughest parts of this year.