Alice's tea cup.

During my first week of student-teaching, I had a hard time adjusting to the change in my schedule. Having an excess of free time for three weeks only to be thrown into the busiest week ever left me feeling exhausted and anxious about getting my work done.

On Wednesday of last week, I was finished with student-teaching at 3.30 in the afternoon, but decided to stay in the neighborhood so that I could attend Curriculum Night at 6 p.m. – I thought it would be a great chance to see what kinds of questions and concerns parents have and to hear from my cooperating teachers what plans were in store for the year.

Finding myself with two and a half hours to kill, I smacked my forehead for not having any of my homework with me. What a waste. Instead, I wandered down the Upper West Side in search of a Starbucks but the two that I passed were both full. I ended up stepping into Alice’s Tea Cup, a cute little place filled with whimsy and a large selection of tea and pastries. I sat down, ordered the delicious specialty tea called “Alice’s Tea,” decided to get a red velvet cupcake at the last second, and then whipped out my book and finished the last 100 pages of it. 

 It was delightful.

And it was a nice reminder that not only is it always possible to take some time for yourself, it’s also necessary! I hope to remember this each week as this year gets crazier and crazier.