My second year of teaching I had an especially difficult year. The Seniors that year were discouraging and maddening. I was inexperienced and high strung. It was a recipe for miserable. In my seventh hour class I had a student named Matt that drove me nuts. His favorite phrase to use on me was "chill out".
We can assume here that I didn't handle it well.
These days I am still not naturally a "chill" person. I want to be, and can usually pretend as such - but my first instinct is NEVER EVER EVER to chill out.
And for some reason I've decided that this phrase should be my mantra for the summer.
When we are falling behind some invisible and make believe schedule I've fabricated in my mind...
chill out.
When our plans are interrupted by the sight of our neighbors outside playing.
chill out.
When I didn't get to the million to-do things I had written down for naptime.
CHILL OUT.
It usually works.
It almost always works, and I'm pretty sure that the only reason it "works" is because someone, somewhere taught me how to do it. (Or forced me to do it.)
Today I am thankful that someone along the way taught me how to chill out.
And I can most definitely, without-a-doubt can tell you that it was not Matt.
We can assume here that I didn't handle it well.
These days I am still not naturally a "chill" person. I want to be, and can usually pretend as such - but my first instinct is NEVER EVER EVER to chill out.
And for some reason I've decided that this phrase should be my mantra for the summer.
When we are falling behind some invisible and make believe schedule I've fabricated in my mind...
chill out.
When our plans are interrupted by the sight of our neighbors outside playing.
chill out.
When I didn't get to the million to-do things I had written down for naptime.
CHILL OUT.
It usually works.
It almost always works, and I'm pretty sure that the only reason it "works" is because someone, somewhere taught me how to do it. (Or forced me to do it.)
Today I am thankful that someone along the way taught me how to chill out.
And I can most definitely, without-a-doubt can tell you that it was not Matt.
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