Not a Single Email

One of the challenging things about being in education – specifically special education, where there’s so much paperwork that needs to be done – is that it is difficult to get your work done AT work.

I’ve talked about this often.

I would sit down to draft up an IEP and then hear a teacher calling for support on the walkie talkies.

I’d open up my laptop to update progress reports and then two students would walk into my office.

It was exhausting to do the cognitive shift so often throughout the day. But I think that’s why I’d come home so physically AND mentally drained. I was bouncing between two different jobs all day long. The one job of being there and available for student support. And the other, behind-the-scenes job of ensuring all their paperwork was in order and that we were compliant and meeting deadlines.

Now that I’m working from home, I can complete tasks quickly. I am, obviously, not being pulled into spontaneous hallway meetings or being consumed by the day-to-day happenings.

I didn’t even REALIZE that I could be this efficient before. It used to be that I would sit down to respond to an e-mail. And then something would immediately pull me away. And I’d have to send that simple, one paragraph e-mail a couple hours later.

Anyway, all this to say that I am very much an in-person person. I like being on the ground, getting my hands dirty, working with kids. But, at this time in my life, with a little toddler in tow, it’s been nice to have a list of to-dos to get through without getting diverted by other things.

Mondays are school days. Which means, yes, I need to be available. But they’re also days we don’t have Bella with us. Fortunately, we don’t have any routine meetings on Monday. So I try to get shit done during the times Ishu is asleep. Knowing that I may have to rely on Daniel Tiger if the e-mails pile up or if something is SUPER pressing.

Well, yesterday, I didn’t get a single work e-mail.

It was weird. So weird that I thought maybe it had to have been a district holiday or something. But nope.

It’s likely that everyone who is in person and on campus has been swept away in the day-to-day happenings. And I am sitting over here. In Chicago. Very far from it all.

Part of me yearns to be on campus, available to support teachers physically and immediately. And part of me is so appreciative to be over here. Behind a computer screen. Doing what I can to support while also being available for my little guy.

I definitely owe the universe a shout-out for making yesterday nice and easy. Without Bella, it’s a lot more challenging to do the things I need to do. And, well, the universe had my back yesterday.

Not a single e-mail.

(If you’re tuning into this blog, Universe, I’d appreciate it if we could have ALL Mondays be like this moving forward. Please and thank you).

Now, it’s time for a SUPER productive day. Bella will be here, of course. And then, when she leaves for school, Ankur will be here. He worked an on-call shift last night so he’s off the rest of today.

Meaning this mama is going to be glued to her office chair. And is only getting up for coffee refills. And bathrooms breaks. (Another perk. I can pee when I want to. Granted, I may have a one-year old on my lap. But still. Flexible pee schedule!).

Happy Tuesday! It’s time for coffee!