I Dare You!

Hi all!

Jen from Teaching Teens in the 21st, here! Have you gone back to school yet? If you're like me, you've been back for a few weeks, and you may already be feeling the pressure to have your room, lessons, everything perfectly prepared and ready each day. I'm here to tell you, as a Type A personality with anxiety, what I'm about to tell you will FREAK you out at first, but stick with me. Here's my dare for you...

Tomorrow, as you start getting ready to leave work, leave your teacher bag behind. Yep, I said it.

Take your keys, take your purse, take your lunch bag, but leave everything else at school. All of it, don't try to sneak your teacher planner into your bag. I see you. That's cheating. :) Get in your car and go. Roll the windows done and crank some music like it's Friday!

Go home. Spend time with your family, your dog, cat, gerbil, television, whatever. Make dinner. Load the dishwasher. Heck, even play Candy Crush for awhile. Then look at the clock and realize it's not 10pm like it is when you come home and work on school stuff.

This week I vowed not to bring anything home with me, and it has been life changing. I've made dinner, done laundry, caught up on tv, snuggled with my puppy, cleaned up so our house looks less like a frat house, and relaxed! I actually drove to school with a smile on my face today, which was new because I'm usually overtired and exhausted on the way to work!

Are you thinking, "I never bring my teacher bag home, this doesn't even apply to me!" Then congratulations, because you are already awesome and enjoying your life the way you should.

Please don't let yourself get burned out in the first month of school, enjoy the sunshine before the days get too short, and live it up. Work will be there in the morning, and you will find a way to get it done. Enjoy the holiday weekend, and tell me on our Middle School Mob facebook page me if you took my dare! :)