(I started but did not finish this post in October. I decided to finish it tonight. It fits well enough tonight and on many other days.)

It’s the end of Indigenous People’s Day, Columbus Day, or whatever you want to call it. I need to get ready for tomorrow. I can’t do it. I spent the week-end dealing with a sick elderly cat and grading numerous papers. I should do all sorts of practical things with my data. But I’ve burnt out.

I will have to go to bed and get up early, preparing for battle before at the break of day. Teachers can’t go in cold. Some do, I guess, but the results of that performance often look ugly. Kids know when you are trying. Kids know when you care. I need a plan for tomorrow.

I hope sleep will help. This level of burn-out belongs in February, not October. Part of the problem is that I know I have to grind through all sorts of numbers to produce new data for the administration. I expect this to suck up my evenings for all of the rest of the week and who knows how far beyond that time. I don’t expect to have lesson preparation time, only data-crunching time.

Eduhonesty: All this data makes me want to bundle up, turn on Dr. Who and call in crazy. I don’t call in sick and I’m not going to start now. At this rate, I may eventually be able to call in crazy, though. Forget illness, bereavement, jury duty, personal time, or professional development. What I need is crazy time. I need time to make props for my lessons, to cut out tiny pieces of pizza, to dye marshmallows and to put together a model of an atom, but I’ll take time to go hide under the covers and sleep.