Your Surroundings Matter

     Your surroundings matter, which is why it feels so good to have a freshly cleaned house. Not that I necessarily enjoy the cleaning, I usually don't, but having everything put away properly, and the clutter, decluttered, is a really good feeling. 

     The other morning I went into my friend Angelique's classroom, made some tea, made some tea for her and went to write her a note saying I already put honey in it (I usually just leave it in the microwave. But I noticed how clean her desk was, so the first thing I put in the note was "how is your desk so clean?" And she told me later on, that she was reading/heard something (I can't remember which) that your surroundings effect your mood. I know this but when it's said to you it's different. And with the way school is for the last couple of years, having anything to help elevate the mood is a good thing. 

     Anyway, the other day I was having a crazy day and this is how my desk looked before lunch. It was covered in papers, and was basically a chaos of grading. 

     Before I left for the day, I made sure to organize my surroundings. The papers were all graded and sorted by class so they can (eventually) get handed back. There is still a stack of papers that I need to go through, but things were a lot better. I try to leave things organized. There are days when that just does not work. 

     Like yesterday. I did make sure to sort the papers that needed grading by class, but there is a stack of papers that need grading on my desk. And you know what? I am OK with that. It is a little organized, but the reason I left so much undone was because I was helping kids. They were asking for help, it made me incredibly happy, and I was running from one to the other explaining everything that were confused on. And you know what? A kid that always says they hate math, don't understand math, and often put in little to no effort got a 100% on the quiz we took. And I didn't give a single answer. That is not how I help. I did re-explain everything I have been teaching for more than a week, one step at a time, but honestly, I do that every day. 
     So last Monday, right at the end of the day, I had that one annoying spot, which then stuck with me and irritated me for hours (and into the next day). But really, I had an excellent week. I am hoping I can keep having excellent weeks until the end of the year. That would be awesome.