I don’t know if it’s because of the time change or because we had parent conferences at the beginning of the week, which altered our schedule or a combination of these and other events, but I feel like I haven’t gotten much accomplished this week. (Check my recent blog posts for confirmation. Oh wait, I haven’t written since Sunday. I rest my case.)
Last night I was planning a lesson on elaboration for a fifth grade class. I had my teaching point, the basic sequence of the lesson, and the mentor text I wanted to use. But I hadn’t written my model. I knew what I was going to write about, but it was after 10:30 and I was just too tired. Knowing I had time to write it in the morning, I headed for bed.
But I couldn’t get the lesson out of my head. Sentences from my unwritten model were swirling around in my head. At 2:00 I told myself to just follow my breath back to sleep. At 2:30 I got up for some water. At 3:00 I gave up and got up to write the model. Then I wrote a possible sequence for future lessons. Then I figured that I was on a roll and might as well write a Slice of Life.
So what’s the lesson? Next time, instead of losing at least four hours of sleep, I’ll make myself a cup of tea and power through another half-hour or so of work. I’ll have a much better chance of getting a good night’s sleep!
Thank you to Stacey, Betsy, Beth, Kathleen, Deb, Kelsey, Melanie, and Lanny for creating this community and providing this space for teachers and others to share their stories every day in March and each Tuesday throughout the year. Be sure to visit Two Writing Teachers to read more Slice of Life posts.
Reading to the Core 
We have all had nights like that! I hope you get some rest tonight!
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I feel your pain, Catherine. This week has been tough squared! My sleep is also all out of whack. I’m amazed with how productive you were in the wee hours. I write a lot then, but rarely dive into my school work–which is insanely out of control at the moment. Hope your day flies by and that you have a good night’s sleep tonight.
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I hear the full brain as you push through your speculation. It’s interesting how some weeks hit us hard. It’s so hard to push on when your tired and so hard to sleep with something on your mind. Hope you catch up tonight.
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My brain is the same way … I need to clear all my to-do lists or I am up in the middle of the night! At least you were productive. Early to bed tonight for sure!
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Your piece captures perfectly the times when we just can’t sleep but must attend to the activity happening in our brains. Hope the lesson goes (went) well and you can get some rest!
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Sometimes the brain has “a mind of its own.” (I forget who sliced about that recently). I think we’ve all been there…thinking about the lesson, can’t sleep, get up and work through it. My best thoughts seem to come when I’m trying to sleep!
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When I saw your post in my inbox, I thought, “Oh, there she is!” I was worried when you didn’t write for a few days. We’ve all had those sleepless nights. Your conclusion is spot on, just power through.
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Loss of sleep due to work problems is the worst! Yes, a cup of tea is a good remedy for powering through and getting the job done. You are certainly not alone
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I just realized something… PTCs are typically in November and March, right after we fall back and spring forward, respectively. I’m starting to think that’s just a terrible idea.
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