I go through phases where the clock is an obsession of mine. It’s all I can think of. I check it all day long.

These phases usually coincide with how my girls are doing. If one is struggling, the clock becomes my obsession. I sit at school wondering what they are doing at that moment in time.

How are they doing?

Are they happy?

Are they calm?

Are they listening?

Is my phone going ring soon because something is wrong?

No matter how crazy it is in my own classroom, I still obsess. I still check. I still worry.

I count down the minutes until 2:15 pm. At that time I breathe a sigh of relief. They did it. They made it through the day. No calls, no emails.

Sometimes, like right now, the clock is my worst enemy.