Why this reluctant early bird needs the quiet
Tell us about your morning routine.
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My morning routine has changed considerably in the last few months, ever since we moved Mom out of assisted living and back into the house. I’ve always been more of the early bird between my sister and me, so I’ve reluctantly taken on some of the early morning duties regarding my mom: getting up to start putting lunch together, giving her her morning pain meds, and gradually gathering my bags and books for the day.
But that caregiver role has a very specific boundary. Usually, getting Mom changed is the absolute last thing I do in “caregiver mode” before I finally switch gears, hop in the shower, and step into pre-teacher mode.
From there, I need to get to the school as close to 7:00 AM as possible. Our students start the day at 7:30, but I’ve never been that teacher who can just walk in with the bell, unlocking the door and turning on the lights while the kids are already trailing right behind me.
I need those 10 or 15 minutes of classroom quiet. In that window, I’m alone, and it doesn’t quite feel like a school yet—which is good, because I don’t really feel like a teacher at that exact moment either. It’s funny, because the students are ultimately what make it feel like a classroom. Sometimes kids are already waiting by the door when I walk up, which quietly annoys me. I need those few minutes just to be human: to get the coffee going, fire up the computer, and turn on the extra lamps that Sparky and I use to make the room feel a bit more like a home. On those mornings when they’re lined up early, I’ll even politely ask them to step back outside for five or ten minutes while I finish getting ready. Then I’ll unlock the door, say good morning, and let the day begin.
Far back as I can remember, I’ve always had this weird social anxiety thing. I don’t like walking in late. I don’t like walking in the middle of an event. And I certainly don’t like being that last-minute person who walks through the door just as everyone turns around to look. I always feel like I’m sitting inside a fishbowl when I do that.
I guess somewhere along the way—probably once I got to college and was really able to start developing my own routines—I decided I wanted to get places early. Not super early, but I like being among the first people there. I like the feeling of the room filling up around me, rather than walking into a space that’s already crowded. I think there’s something psychological about watching the crowd grow as you’re already settled, as opposed to diving headfirst into an established room of people. In a way, this kind of ties into my “reluctant early bird” persona. I just like getting a head start on the rest of the world.
First throwback is, I can remember, I’ve always had this weird social anxiety thing. I don’t like walking in late. I don’t like walking in in the middle of an event. And I don’t like being that last-minute person who walks in and the whole rest of the room turns around to look as I see you coming in late. I always feel like I’m sitting inside a fishbowl when I do that.
I guess somewhere along the way, probably once I got to college, and I was really able to start developing my own routines, I decided I wanted to get the places early. Not super early, but I like being among the first people there. I like the feeling that people are coming to see me rather than me walking into a room full of crowded people. I also think there’s something psychological about seeing the crowd get bigger as you’re there as opposed to jumping into a crowd of dozens or a few or even a few people. I think in a way this kind of ties into my “reluctant early bird” persona. I just like getting a Headstart on the rest of the world 
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The article “Beating the Bell: Why this reluctant early bird needs the quiet” first appeared on Rebuilding Rob.
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