A key point to bear in mind...you're better off not giving the small things more time than they deserve (Marcus Aurelius)

Photo by Filip Szalbot on Unsplash

Marcus is like a postman, he always delivers.

We all get caught up in the day to day. Being a teacher means there is always something to mark, always some prep to do, always demands on our time, always new emails.

At the time, those things may seem really important.

I spent a lot of time during a lesson yesterday discussing some fundamentals, like knowing when something is right or wrong, with one of my senior classes. My point being - a teacher can assist in this by getting students to think about their responses to situations, weighing up the pros and cons, considering the consequences and the implications for themselves and others.

My example was me on Friday night - I'd had a few drinks at my daughter's wedding and was asked to drive a van home. My superego was egging me on - I felt fine and okay to drive but I thought about all the things that could go wrong.

• It was a rental van, and not in my name
• I was in America (more lawyers than you can shake a stick at)
• I'd had a few drinks 
• I was at a mile above sea level in Denver (that means an increased alcohol affect)

I took the keys, but we got an Uber home. I returned the next day to get the van.

That was the important stuff - and worth giving more time to. But all the marking, planning, demands and emails?

Small stuff in comparison.