Life in the pressure cooker

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Elementary level teachers notice it. If the moon is full, if there it is a windy day, students seem more than a bit wired.  Are kids hypersensitive?I got to thinking about this idea because my students have seemed just a bit more unfocused than usual. There is no full moon and it hasn't been remarkable windy, so what gives?Actually I feel like the explanation is fairly basic. It is no secret that educators are feeling pressure: pressure to raise test scores, pressure to overcome lack of materials needed for teaching, ever dwindling classroom assistance, pressure to be all to some very needy students.We rush to stay on task ourselves and get annoyed with students who balk at transitions. We rush, rush, rush to get from place to place, from lunch to recess, from the bathroom to our classroom. Is it any wonder that our kids act out, that their behaviors telegraph their resistance?Knowing, or thinking that I know, the root cause for students' misbehavior is one thing. But until we all can get off the hamster wheel, students will balk and we will deal.