by Claire
With the new school year starting here yesterday, I am inspired to write about time management. Like communication, I think this is another great life skill.
We all know the person who is chronically late. As I age I deal with this person better but I am raising the kids to be five minutes. From a young age I was puzzled by people who could not get anywhere remotely close to “on time.” I’m not talking about 15-30 minutes late (although even that on a chronic basis is frustrating) but the people who are a minimum of one hour late every single time they need to be somewhere! At that point it is just plain rude–assuming others are waiting on them. I have a sister that I actually invite to events at a different time. She knows I do this now so it has little value but in the beginning, it totally worked! I also have friends that tell me a later time so that I will not be on their doorstep exactly on time! Funny stuff.
People often marvel at what I get done in the same 24 hours in a day that everyone else has given my family size and career. I do remember just thinking about time when I was little and then I went to an all-girls’ Catholic high school that used the “modular system.” I’m not sure how common the “mod” system is around the country. A mod system operates on a two week cycle with “M” week being the first week in the cycle and “A” week being the second week in the cycle. Each day is broken down into 17 different time periods called “mods.” Most mods are 19 minutes long, with the lunch mods (mods 8 through 12) being 26 minutes to allow more time to eat. Do you like that it isn’t 20 minutes or 25 miutes…but 19 and 26? There is also a 3-minute pass between each mod to allow students time to move from one class to the next. There are no bells ringing to tell you when it is time to move to the next class. You are aware of the time and you move at the designated time. The class meetings are made up MWF classes and TTh classes (just like college). The MWF classes last 2 mods and the TTh classes are 3 mods long. There are several “open labs” or “open mods” during the day that the student can seeks help from teachers with “open lab” hours. There are no tests taken in the classroom but instead in a “testing center.” The test is in the testing center for only a certain number of days and the “Learning Activity Packet” on the subject that will be tested on must first be completed before a “testing pass” is given. Once the window of time expires, you are out of luck. Talk about learning at a young age to manage your time well! Yep–as I reread what I wrote here, I think it is pretty safe to say the modular system made me an insane a master time manager! I still think in 20 minute increments!
I have an innate sense of the passage of time. My sis and I joke that I think “OMG! We only have 15 minutes to get there!” and she thinks “I have fifteen wwwwhhhhoooolllleeee minutes to get there…let me do one more thing.” And no, my sis did not go to the same high school although I am not convinced they could have reformed her! Of course each style has its pros and cons and there are many days that I wish I could be like my sis and vice versa. Upon further thinking, maybe I should contact my high school and tell them to offer a mandatory money management course!
I also wish I could cook like my sis. That’s another post for another day! I hope you all had a great one today!
