My Daily 5K

I do a lot of walking in a day. Walk to my classroom.  Walk to art. Walk to Spanish.  Walk around my room.  Walk to the printer. Walk back and forth in my room.  Walk across the hall.  Walk next door.  Walk to music.  Walk to the bathroom and stop off at the copier.  Walk to the teacher's lounge.  Walk to the office. I'm in constant motion pretty much all day long.

I need to wear a pedometer for a few days and see just how much walking I actually do in a given day.  I really realize just how much I walk when I take a moment from my day to actually sit down.  I especially like sitting in one of the student's desks.  It gives me a different perspective when I sit where they sit.  The students think it's funny when I sit at their desks.  

Today, mid-afternoon, I plopped down in a student's chair while she was sharpening her pencil.  The students were working on laptops, putting the finishing touches on their animal research reports.  I sifted through her carefully organized papers and saw that she was working on her table of contents.  I casually asked the student next to me how things were going and then starting typing away.  

Shortly, the little girl returned from the pencil sharpener and stood very close to me.  She didn't seemed pleased.

"Hi [insert student name]!"

"You are sitting in my chair," she declared.  As if she owns it.  

"Oh!  Yes, I am!  I'm just helping you type and taking a little break from walking around the room," I explained.   "I'm feeling a little tired."

"Well, now I don't have anywhere to sit and I need to finish my report," she said. She's a dedicated student and I can see the anxiousness beginning to appear in her face.  She simply must sit down and finish her report.  There is no time for me to be silly.

"I have an idea.  Why don't you do my job and I'll finish up your job.  We can swap!  What do you think?" I suggest.

[scratches eyebrow.  Bites lip]

"Well...." she began, pondering my swap. "What exactly is it I would have to do?"

"Mainly just walk around the room, check each student's report for spelling and content, answer any questions that come up about technology, keep students on task, and be helpful and nice,"  I counter.  "It' easy AND it's fun!"

My little sales pitch seemed to work and she looked at me hesitantly and said, "Hmmmm. OK."   But I could tell her little heart wasn't into it.  She just wanted to sit back down and finish up her table of contents in her beautifully done animal report.  She wanted me out of her chair.

"Or...." I said to her as I started to get up from her chair.  "We could just trade jobs tomorrow."

She smiled and let out an audible sigh of relief. 

"OK!  Let's do it tomorrow instead," she confirmed.  

And so, I picked up my fifteenth lap around my classroom and stopped occasionally to chat with a student and check on their progress.  I dare say, besides getting in my walk for the day, I even managed a few squats.

  

... and because my blog has to do with walking, the song below has playing in my head.   "500 Miles" by The Proclaimers