Walking around the school during Ramadan you can see a clear difference in everybody’s faces and attitudes.  If you think it’s joy and excitement, unfortunately I have to tell you to think again.  People are dazed, confused and of course, tired!!

Not only are the students losing focus during instructional time, losing motivation to do homework, and slacking off more and more, the teachers too are starting to lose their “umph”… and it’s only the 3rd day of fasting!

I used to think it was hard to stay awake in school during Ramadan, so during lunch breaks, instead of going to the cafeteria, I would go to the library to put my head down.  Little did I know that it’s even harder as a teacher.  Because as a teacher, not only do you have to keep yourself awake and going, you have to somehow motivate your students too.

I’ve already heard countless complaints of “too much homework” considering it’s Ramadan.  I know, and my students know, that they don’t use all their time after school for extra ibadaat (unfortunately), so a few extra math problems won’t really get in their way.  But dude, I don’t want to do the work, even if it is just grading “a few” math problems!  I’d rather not teach or grade or instruct or motivate.  I just want to sit at my desk and pass out… again, it’s only the 3rd day of fasting!

Maybe insha’Allah with time our bodies will adjust to the new schedule, and life will go on and pick up speed again.  Isn’t that how it always is?  At the end of Ramadan your body is so fine tuned to your new habits, and it feels like the month came and went by too fast.

May Allah make each moment of the next month sweet, fulfilling, and blessed for us all, ameen.