Last night I had my first real school dream. I had another one a few weeks ago, but that wasn't as much a true back-to-school-dream as last night's. Those preschool dreams always shed light on your school worries and needed focus.
In this dream I was out on the playground for an extended time. It started out to be recess, but by the end I thought I was watching the students in the after school program. When the "recess," was over I returned to my classroom to find it filled with students. "It's time to go home," I stated.
"Oh no, they responded," it's still the school day.
"I was just out watching the after school program," I replied, "Now let's go or you'll miss your busses. Come on now, time to go." They looked at me quizzically, and finally collected their things and started down the hall. That's when I looked up at the clock and realized they were right. It was still the school day. Then I went running down the hall after them.
Crazy dream, but a dream with a message and that message is don't forget to trust the students. If they argue with you, it's likely their arguments will hold a lot of truth. Another message inherent in that dream, is typically I had a hard time getting students to leave the room last year at the end of the day or at recess. They liked hanging around to talk to teachers and students, and to play and experiment with the classroom items. I don't mind when students stay back a bit, but it's a real problem if they miss their rides/busses or want to hang back when I have a meeting and there's no supervision. Hence I'll have to make those transition expectations clear.
Though I don't meet with students for another week, the school year starts this week with many professional meetings, events, and set-up so I'm sure this won't be the first school dream I have. School dreams are a part of most teachers' lives, and like all dreams, there's always an element of truth and direction in those dreams, so take a moment to think about what your school dreams mean.
