About Me

My photo
I am a retired English teacher and department head, the mother of three grand mother of four, and have been married to the same man for 52 years. I subscribe to Dr. PM Forni's concept of Civility. I was born in South Philadelphia and grew up in the 'burbs. I love soft pretzels and cheesesteaks, the Phillies, the Eagles, and San Diego. I love being Mom, Aunt Kathy, Nona Kathy, and Teacher. I spend a lot of time in my gardens in the spring and summer, and in the winter I plan what I'm going to plant. I also am an avid reader and photographer.

Translator!

Monday, October 25, 2010

My Days Are Full; They Just Start Later

When I read many of your blogs  (Cheryl, Bilbo, Karen) I feel the veritable slug.  I'm not one to get up early.  I wake when I wake -- no alarm clock, just my own circadian rhythms.  I think this is a reaction to my having to be up by 5:30 every morning, dressed and raring to go and in my classroom by 6:50 (or at least inside the school) and ready to teach my first class at 7:25.  The good part of this is that when I finally was awake, the school day was almost over.  I could teach with exuberance, keep hourly/daily rolls, control the masses, collect homework, check it and return it, listen for individual problems, perform 'other duties as assigned' according to my contract, be aware of potential meltdowns of both students and members of my department, and not truly be awake.  Of course, this also meant that when that dismissal bell rang at 2:10, I'd want to clear off my desk and lay down on it.

So I missed Cheryl this morning.  She had an appointment close by and wanted to get together.  Evidently, I was still nicely nestled.

16 comments:

Linda said...

Isn't it wonderful to live without alarm clocks? That's close to the top for good things about retirement.

Bilbo said...

Not everyone is a natural early riser. I inherited it from my father, who used to have to be in his photo studio by about 6AM every day to have time to work uninterrupted before all the ad agencies opened and the phones rang and visitors descended. Although I'm up at 4:00 on work days, I've started turning off the alarm on weekends, or at least setting it for as late as possible. The only problem is that when I get up at 7:00 or later, I feel like I've missed the best part of the day...

Unknown said...

You had to start teaching at 7:25 am? That is waaaay early! I think it's great that you can sleep until whatever time your body is ready to get up, it sounds to me like you've earned this right. It's nice that your school day was over by a little after 2 but when you are exhausted by then, it's kind of a bummer. It's nice that you get the sleep you need now. I think when a person is able to get the sleep they need they're then able to be productive the rest of the day because they have the energy they need. Do you find that?

I tend to wake up pretty early, 6 or 7 am but I stay nestled, warm & cozy in bed and I read for a couple of hours, sometimes falling asleep & sleeping for another hour or so!

Whatever works, right?
Have a great day!
~ Amy

Linda Reeder said...

It's dark and rainy here, and we stayed snug in bed much longer that usual this morning, too. We only set the alarm when we need to get up for something, like Friday morning breakfast, and then 7AM feels very early, especially as the days grow shorter.

Purple Flowers said...

I sleep when I need to, and rise when I want to. For me, alarm clocks are only for special occasions. Don't feel bad about your body clock. You could always shock readers (including me)and program your post for 04:00am to make us think you were up and on your blog. ;)

Kimberly said...

Sounds like you deserve mornings without alarm clocks! Enjoy them!

Jay said...

If I had my way, my days wouldn't start til afternoon because I wouldn't have gone to bed until after 3 am.

happyone said...

I just wake up early - no alarm clock. I think we all have a body clock that is good for each of us.
Sorry you couldn't make lunch with us. Next time......

Lena said...

I can not wait until I can go to bed and not worry about the alarm clock being set!! It is something to look forward to.

Maybe next time you all can meet for dinner!

George said...

I completely understand your point of view. After 30+ years of teaching I'm glad to let most of my mornings start later.

Gilly said...

That is VERY early to start teaching!!! US schools sure get the kids up early!!

But I do wake up fairly early - when the central heating starts up it 'clicks' very loudly - which is the sign to get up and let the dog out!!

Betsy Banks Adams said...

Hi Kathy, I say AMEN to you.... I spent WAY too many years having to get up early --and I am not a morning person.... SO--we stay up later (after 11 pm) and sleep later... LOVE IT.

Hugs,
Betsy

Sweet Virginia Breeze said...

I haven't set the alarm clock since I retired. I usually wake up when the sun comes up which means early in the summer and later in the winter.

Cheryl said...

I'm just an early riser by nature. I only set my alarm on Saturdays when I have to get up at 5:45. Staying in bed for more than 15 minutes after waking up is depressing to me, if you can believe that. Nesting? Not me.

Next time I'll give you more notice about a get-together. And we'll plan for after noon :)

Mage said...

RYN: I used to like Sebastiani.....but yes, the Green Goddess has just reappeared in a new bottle with even better taste. Yesterday's salad was really good.

Rick Rockhill said...

you deserve to sleep in a bit. I have two days when I am up at 4 am to drive into LA, but the other days of the week I work from home and let the coffee maker wake me up when the coffee is brewed...much more civilized...