I don't have any students today. It is the end of the grading period for most of my referring schools, so that means I don't have any students. This is great because it gives me time to coordinate their grades, analyze the behavior data we keep on each student, and write up progress reports for each student. So....it's 10:30am and I'm writing on my blog.
I have this affliction called procrastination. It works for me, really it does. At 2:30 I will work like a mad woman and get all of the grades finalized, the behavior data evaluated, and progress reports written (once I start writing about a student, after I've looked at all of their data/information, I become possessed with what I need to write). It will be excellent. I also have to plan workload and assignments for the next quarter, plus revise some of the target behaviors to keep data on for some of the kids. I may or may not get it all done today...but I'll have it done by Monday. I've gotten into the habit of working on a lot of different things while I watch TV -so the planning for sure will be done this weekend on Sunday while clearing out my DVR queue.
Now, the BIGGEST thing I'm procrastinating about is reading research/literature for my RtI study I am planning (hoping) on conducting for the completion of my specialist degree. I thought I'd hear back from IRB this week, but I haven't. SO, that's made me not want to start. However, I know myself pretty well, so I'm ok with this bout of procrastination because once I get approved, I will be completely obsessed and will devote copious chunks of time to not only reading research, but starting to write up the chapters for my study. The end result must be in "publishable" form which means 4-6 "chapters" of information -between 30-75 pages of writing. Once I get on a roll writing, I don't stop for a while (as you can probably guess by reading this blog from time to time). I hope to be completely finished by the end of March. That should be enough time to compensate for the snail pace of paperwork, approval, etc so I can be finished with the degree and graduate in May. I'll have to have my disposition (where I defend my study) in April, probably the middle of April, so March is a very good timeline. If I don't have it done by then, I'll have to push back graduation until summer session (and who wants to graduate in the summer anyway??). Between the study approval (which I am waiting for right now) and March, I will be eating, breathing, walking, sleeping, working, dreaming administrators' roles in the implementation of RtI in small, rural school districts (for more about RtI, read my first handful of posts). Fun times, huh? I certainly can't think of a better way to spend the winter months. (....that was sarcasm for any of you linear thinkers I blasted in my what a girl wants post...haha).
I've effectively used up 15 minutes and counting right now doing this instead of my "real" work. I don't feel bad or feel like I'm wasting "company time" because I'm confident I will get the work done. I've never NOT gotten stuff done. I'm not adverse to taking work home with me because I feel that's a fair trade off. I chuckle to myself when some people feel they are overworked are adamant about not taking work home with them to get their projects/work done...when these same people spend more time visiting with coworkers than actually locking themselves up in their cube/office and getting stuff done. It's a trade-off. If you spend work time doing stuff that isn't "work", you've got to bite the bullet and get it done on "your own time". Personally, I feel that as long as an employee meets their deadlines and does quality work that is thoughtful and reflective, I don't care when they do it -home or during work hours...but along with that, they have to be curteous to others and not waste their time too -or deny attention to customers (or students, in the case of my industry).
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