by Sabrina Redlingshafer

Tell me if you’ve found yourself in a similar situation.

Seven minutes into your period 7 class, your teacher turns off the lights, flicks on the projector and fires up a…wait for it: Powerpoint presentation!

You best pull out your note taking materials and you better be paying attention god forbid your teacher calls on you.

Then it hits you. Your previous night of (not so much) sleep is coming back to bite you. You try to continue paying attention to the SMART Board, but struggle. How bright is that brightness? Those dimmed lights in the classroom aren’t helping.

Your eyes suddenly droop. Your necks starts to strain. Then you can’t help but to half-eyed stare into to the now-fog/haze of the projector.

You make the heavily avoided eye contact with your teacher, the exact eyes you’ve been avoiding.

“Aaaaand shoot. Am I going to be caught? Does he/she hate me now? Will I be receiving an SBR? Am I even a good student? Should I just pack up my bags and clean out my locker now? How am I going to tell my parents?”

But all this thinking just lulls you into a daydream. Then your eyes suddenly give up and lose the fight. Game over. You’re out.

Eyes open, you’re back again. “Oh my gosh how long was that?” Looks at clock: 19 seconds. 23 minutes left in class. No. No No. No. NO.

So here’s my formal apology to any teacher I’ve ever looked and/or will look in the eyes while dozing off in their class.

I’m really very sorry, teachers. It’s not that your class is boring or does not stimulate my brain. On a good day with a substantial previous night’s sleep, it does. But the going gets tough for a student in a five day, eight hour school-day with extra curricular activities piled in.

I’m sorry that I am now pondering frivolous thoughts. I’m sorry that I am counting down the minutes until I can get up from my desk. Lastly, I’m sorry that I made eye contact with you when I was dozing off.

Please find it in your heart to forgive me, for I know you were once a student too.