SLEEP

Because Melissa was out of town for a couple of days at a conference for work, I decided a couple of nights ago just to go to bed early one evening. 

Early is 9:30 for me. My alarm goes off at 5:00, but often I wake up before then.

That next morning I woke up feeling great. I've learned this before but need a reminder now and then: a nap after school is nowhere near as useful as just going to bed an hour earlier and getting a full night of sleep. 

Then, because I was feeling really good for a couple of days, this morning I asked my first period class about their sleep habits.

And ... yikes! 

I take absolutely everything students tell me with a grain of salt, but I did believe them when the majority reported falling asleep nightly after midnight. Some said they are awake regularly past 2 or 3 AM. 

(I didn't ask what they were doing at those hours of the night. I didn't want to know.)

All throughout the day, in every class, it is common for me to have 3 to 6 students who can't keep their heads off their desk. It's a serious problem day after day.

When I mentioned that I feel like I should do a bit better at home monitoring my own 8th grade daughter's sleeping habits, my students were aghast: Parents? Overseeing their kids' activities? Oh, no - that's going too far! 

The consensus: That's none of my parents' business.