I’ve neglected keeping track of how many hours a week I work, because I know I’ve been beyond my 60 hour weekly limit I set for myself.
But not last week.
On Saturday, I slept in. I read the paper and watched two episodes of Alias. I went to the Scholastic Book Fair and picked up 20 books for my classroom. I went to Trader Joe’s and picked up Candy Cane Joe-Joes–all these trips in a blizzard, mind you. I visited my parents, and went to their church Christmas party. And then I came home and finished a book I’d been reading for a while.
Sunday, I went to church. Then I came home and watched Steven Sondheim’s birthday celebration that I’d been saving on my TiVo. I talked to my sister, practiced the piano, and by 6:30, I realized I needed to get some work done. But I also needed some motivation.
So I posted on Facebook: “if I grade my research papers holistically instead of marking every teeny mistake, how many will I finish by 10 tonight? Magic Christmas Fudge goes to whose guess is closest. And yes, I will ship. But I’m not making it until this weekend.”
And people placed their bets. Some low-balled me a little (my nephew said 9) and some had enormous faith in me (one friend said 25). But every time I felt like giving up, I’d look at what my friends thought I could do, and I’d grade one more.
By 10 PM, I had graded 18 research papers.
Now that’s the power of social media.
Julie Rowse 