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.

It’s been four days of teacher in-service, and I’m already exhausted.  My body hasn’t adjusted just yet to the schedule I used to keep last year.  The schedule of waking up early, running out the door with a half empty stomach, standing on my feet all day running around from here to there, coming home only to find more work waiting for me, and finally crashing into my bed at a time that is not nearly early enough for me to be refreshed the next morning.

I was thinking back to my first few days working in Michigan, and how stressed out I was.  The first time I went into my classroom it was a dumping grounds for other teachers’ misplaced and unwanted things.  I was moving boxes from here to there and trying to get all my things in order.  Meanwhile the air conditioning was having mood swings and turning on and off as it pleased.  I was a mess at the end of each day, and found myself not only physically and mentally exhausted, but emotionally defeated.

In hind sight, however, I realize I had one thing going for me that made all of that commotion a little bit easier:  I had my own classroom!

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I saw it on the counter the other day… a registration packet from school for my younger brother-in-law.  It’s almost that time again.; time to go… Back to school!

Today I’m going to be visiting the new school where I’ll be teaching this fall.  I need to pick up my textbooks.  There’re only two!  This is a major relief after the number of books I lugged around last year.  I’m only teaching Algebra 1 & Geometry as opposed to last year when I was teaching a whole hodge podge of classes– 4th grade Science, Math, Social Studies, Islamic Studies, Computers; 6th grade Computers; 10th grade Algebra 2; 9th grade Biology.

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I always liked Lord of the Rings for one of its extremely valuable underlying themes– even the tiniest of people can make a difference in the world.

In this past year of teaching, I’ve found this to be very true.   The little kiddies of the elementary school not only can make a difference in the world, but they can teach you a multitude of things.

For example, at the start of the year I did not have memorized a du’aa for reciting in the morning and a du’aa for reciting just after prayer and prior to making dhikr.  But now after teaching, I can proudly say that I do know these two new du’aas.  And who were my teachers?  Why the hobbits in my life– the elementary school kids!

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It’s the end of the school year and I’m in shock.

There were moments I felt like I had been teaching for decades and the school year would never come to an end.  But now I feel like I’ve hardly spent anytime with my students and now the end is approaching at lightning speed.

Where did the time go and how did I spend it?  I’m really worried that I didn’t teach my students properly, that I’ve jipped them of a proper education.  What if my Algebra students go on to the next class and still can’t factor properly?  What if my Biology students don’t remember how the heart pumps blood because I didn’t teach it clearly enough?  What if my 4th graders can’t remember how to convert between mixed numbers and mixed fractions?

I’m worried I didn’t do a good job with them and that I haven’t left enough of an impact on them.  Sure they tell me I’m their favorite teacher now, but what about next year?  Will they forget Sr. Ayesha and start to adore whichever teacher is chewing their ears off 5 days a week then?  I know it’s a stupid concern to have, but I don’t want my students to forget me and the things I’ve taught them.

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