If you teach in the United States, today is a great day to discuss the value of being prepared. Why? Because tomorrow is election day and the lines to vote may be very long.
We know as teachers, that we have to be prepared. I know I had days when I wasn't as prepared as I wanted to be - maybe I had a late night because I was working a second job or maybe life issues prevented me from getting everything done. Those days were always the tougest in the classroom.
Now that I'm a motivational speaker also working with teachers for professional development, I know even more the value of being prepared. I had a few sessions when I wasn't as comfortable with my material as I should have beeen. Very stressful to say the least! Also, by not being prepared, we're not giving our audience/students our best. And we're certainly not doing ourselves any favors.
When we're fully prepared, the work seems effortless. When we have a file of backup activities that we can use in our classes when time prevents us from being fully prepared, our classes go much better. Being prepared is truly a key to our success.
Tomorrow's election offers us a chance to practice preparedness. With the passion that this election has stirred up, the lines promise to be quite long. Be prepared to wait - bring something to do in line, bring a lightweight chair if it's difficult to stand for a long time, wear comfortable shoes, bring a snack. Plan for the time in line to be long and be pleasantly surprised if it isn't because the best way to be prepared is to bring the right attitude.
These are lessons that students need to learn and by sharing how you will handle tomorrow's vote (your strategy, not your candidate), you give them a chance to not only see democracy in action but how thinking ahead makes any situation manageable and possibly even fun!
Happy Election Day!
