I found a
great site with lots of information about all sorts of topics. One of the interesting things that I found there were articles based on surveys of "kids" about the things that impact their lives. The survey results are then analyzed and that information is taken and put into short, easy to read pieces about the subject at hand.
This particular article is all about "Being Busy." I think that "busy-ness" can be something that all of us have to think about and figure out how to manage in our lives. It really is true that, as young people get older and older, their schedules become more and more full with all sorts of competing demands on their time and their energies. That is a real and serious fact of our lives.
I listened this last week as students talked about the upcoming weekend -- scheduled full with events and travel and committments of all kinds -- and, of course, trying to figure out how they would "fit in" the demands of school work along side of all of that. It is a challenge, and one that does not get easier as our lives get more full and the demands of school and family and community increase. Finding ways to plan effectively and schedule carefully and selectively are all important. Keeping a neat and orderly plan book and/or a personal calendar can help. Still, there are only so many hours in the day, and only so much energy available to each one of us. Deciding what can fit into a busy life, and what cannot possibly be included is not only an important skill, sometimes it is a critical one.
Many students are bringing water bottles, and that is a great idea. Keeping hydrated in this heat is really important. We have a drinking fountain outside the classroom and students are free to go get water as they feel the need, but it is really difficult to get enough water if they aren't drinking pretty regularly. 
