The harsh reality of the school year has arrived and I am roughly three weeks in. It has occurred to me that are definite signs that this has happened; here are the five that I have identified.

1. Hoarding and collecting office supplies, wherever you go.

It's the time of year when you need everything and if there's no shame in your game, you'll do whatever it takes to get the supplies you need for your class. Sure, you spend a lot of your own money, but you also scope out situations where there is free stuff, and this includes your home. I saw a meme once that said teaching is the only profession where you steal from home and bring the items to work. True.

2. In bed by 8:30 p.m..

If I can make it through the afternoon without taking a nap, which is a daily goal for me, I need to be in bed by 8:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m. at the latest. It takes me forever to wind my mind down and get to the point where I can even get to the sleeping part in the first place. It's a process. And when I am back in school, the process must start at 8:30 p.m. I begin my t.v. regime with The Middle and go right into The Golden Girls. It relaxes me and is my routine.

3. 5:00 a.m. comes too quickly..

Of course followed by my bedtime routine is the rude awakening I get at 5:00 a.m. I must walk my dog, shower, and get situated to get on the road by 6:00 a.m. which puts me at school at 6:30 a.m. Although I don't have to be to work until 6:55 a.m. I find that I get the most work finished between that time of 6:30 a.m. - 7:00 a.m. It's quiet and there is no one around to get me off track; kids or adults.

4. The school year goes hand in hand with cold coffee.

I order it hot of course at 5:45 a.m. or so. But I drink the same cup, in the to-go-cup basically all day. I could of course, heat it in the microwave, but I find there is never time to do this. So I drink it cold, I have thought about ordering it cold and cutting out the middle man, but I haven't made this jump yet. There have been a few times when I have forgotten to throw out my coffee one day and accidentally sipped on it the next day, but because I am so used to cold coffee, I didn't realize it until I sipped my actual coffee for the day and it was still warm.

5. Bladder control.

During the summer and school vacations I take for granted the ability to go the bathroom anytime I feel like and to consume as much liquid as I want. This is not the case during school. I find myself holding it until, "a better time, when the kids are all working independently," or during a passing time between classes. The problem with passing time is that a teacher in the halls with kids is like a salmon swimming up stream....no matter which way you go, it's the wrong way.

I love being back in school. I love having routines, not unlike my kids (my students). Three months of staying up late, sleeping in, and bladder freedom is enough for me.