Tying Up Loose Ends

I don't like an unfinished to-do list on my desk.  It is important for me to tie up loose ends. I like to be able to look at a list of tasks and have them checked off.It is difficult for me to start a lesson with students and then run out of time. Conversations that end too quickly because of a bell ringing or another class coming feel incomplete. It just seems like I don't get back to those things.

Guess what?  There are times in teaching that things just have to be left undone. Teachable moments have to end sooner than planned, a phone call may be interrupted, a child that needs your attention may not get it.  I am used to that, but there are times in the evening when I remember the question that didn't get answered, the story that went untold, the tear that didn't get consoled.

I like to tie up loose ends, but it often doesn't happen during a teaching day. Because of that I try to take care loose ends at the end of the day when I arrive home. I can straighten up a closet, do my banking, organize a drawer, write up a grocery list.  Then I can start fresh the next day even if the ends begin to unravel again.

This is the messy joy of a teaching life.  It is a  life divided up into hour segments controlled by a bell. It is a life that can be stopped by a lock down, interrupted by a roof leaking, slowed down by the death of a student. It is also a life full of generosity, respect, laughs, and learning. I am ready now to start a new day.