It’s when they come to me. The moments of doubt, of regret, enthusiasm or clarity. It’s when my mind races to what I should’ve done, should’ve said; when I should’ve kept quiet or when I should’ve spoken up. The thoughts are relentless and I’ve learned over the years that there is no going back to sleep for me.
My phone becomes my savior in these hours. It might just be a marriage saver as well. I no longer get out of bed, or fetch a notebook and flashlight. I just start typing notes into my phone. The ideas, solutions, emails, actions, lists, things to do, to remember.
By the time I get out of bed three hours later, I have usually refined my notes and, by default, my thinking to something calmer, something more professional, something more effective, something more suitable for the classroom or for a particular student.
3am ideas take me from frustration to joy. They take the dull and turn it into excitement. Over the course of the wee hours of the morning, I become a better teacher. I stop and think. I pause. I reflect. I change. I grow. I start over. I build. I create. And through it all, I am learning. Learning how to be a better educator. Learning how to reach more students. Learning how to deliver content in a more engaging, meaningful way. This is teaching at 3am.
Teaching at 3am 