October...The New Monday
The month of October in teaching is a notorious time in which students become restless and teachers’ morale drops abysmally. What it the cause of this? Is it Halloween? Is it a full moon? Is it the change of the seasons? Or is it all of the above? No matter what the cause is and no matter if you have heard this term before (or not), October Slump is a real thing. October Slump makes teachers wonder if they have chosen the right profession and in dire cases if they will come in tomorrow. October Slump makes administrators look around as their school appears to be in utter chaos. Is there a cure? The short answer is NO. The encouraging answer is that although there is not a “cure”, everyone should just hold on. Veteran teachers know this, but in my work with new teachers and even second year teachers, it is hard to see the light at the end of the tunnel. By hold on I mean to focus on the present. Focus on the students who come to school to learn and who need...