The 20%....

80% of my class is engaged.

Why am I so worried about the 20% that's not?

Is T really sick or is the short story that boring?

N is trying, but this is definitely a struggle.

Is 100% engagement even possible? Especially when you have 11th grade reading levels in the same class with 6th grade ones?

How do you "differentiate" a read aloud? (And yes, read alouds are mandatory - silent reading would result in even more snoozing....)

What made J check out 5 min after coming into class?

What time do they go to bed?

What are they eating for breakfast? Are they eating breakfast?

Is it just because it's a Tuesday and I woke up in a funky mood too?

If Tuesday's like this, what will happen on Thursday?

Am I allowed to have a lesson not blow their minds?

Why is teaching so much about perception and participation?

Why do I feel like eating chocolate right now?

Maybe it's ok to let some things go. Maybe not every second needs to be an ah-ha moment. As a professor at NYU once said, "Remember, it means everything to you, but it's only 55 minutes out of their entire day."

True dat.

But when your students only come once or twice a week and still fall asleep, doesn't that 55 minute nap become more than everything? A lost cause? An sleepy premonition about the future? A small, but devastatingly sad metaphor for public education?

The good(?) news: I have 9 1/2 more weeks till June to figure it out.