Everybody’s morning routine is a little different depending on if you're a teacher or a student. Some wake up at the crack of dawn and some wake up with only five minutes to spare to get to work or school. Some people like to eat breakfast in the morning, and some prefer to have more time to get ready. The choices that you make while getting ready in the morning can determine how the rest of your day can go. Your amount of sleep can determine your mood for the day. Some days it can be hard to get up and get ready for the day, and other times it can be much easier to get ready. Living out of town also affects your morning routine in many different ways.
Weekday morning routines are just that - routine - and you probably do the same thing every single morning. Everyone has their own way of how they get ready. Some people can take a while to get ready, and it’s common that the girls take longer, and the boys don’t take as long. On weekdays we all tend to get up earlier because we either have school or work bright and early in the morning. On the weekends we tend to sleep in more, but when we get up, we still have to get ready for the rest of the day.
People who live out of town might have to wake up early, just to make it somewhere on time. Senior Logan Hubbard said, “I usually have to wake up at 6:20 or 6:30 so I can leave by 7:20 or 7:25 to get to school on time.” Seniors Wade Brown and Tucker Leibfried both live in the town of Cassville, about 25 minutes away from our school. They both have to get up at 6:45 to make it to school on time. In the mornings before school, both the boys have to shower, brush their teeth, and do other daily routines before they head to school.
“I am sometimes still late,” Tucker says. “I would like to leave by 7:25 at the latest, but I’m usually not ready by that time.” Hubbard, Leibfried, and Brown are all open-enrollment students in our district, which partially explains their earlier morning routines.
Ag teacher Mrs. Brunton says, “I like to leave my house by 6:45 so I arrive early, because I work better in the morning, and I can get my day planned out.” She has a 15 mile drive. Some people who live in town aren’t even awake yet by the time Tucker and Wade leave their houses. I live right across the street from the school, so I don’t have to leave my house until 7:50.
Maggie Brown, a sophomore at Potosi Schools stated, “I get up at 5:30 a.m. so I can take a shower and get dressed, and grab a ride to school with my brother. We typically have a 20-minute drive to school each day.” Maggie added, “I like to go to school early, so I have time to prepare for the day and talk to friends.”
Tyson Buss, who is a freshman at Potosi Schools stated, “I get up at 6:45 a.m. to shower and get dressed. I live closer to the school, so that gives me more time to sleep in.”
Mrs. Lansing, who is a special education aide, stated that her morning routine starts at 5:45 am because she has a 45-minute drive to the school each day. She has to go to bed around 10:00 pm so that gives her motivation to wake up early and be to work on time. “I like to get around 6 to 7 hours of sleep each night so I am ready to start my workday.”
Middle school special education teacher Mr. Jahnke’s morning routine looks a little different than Mrs. Lansing’s. He gets up around 6:00 a.m. because he takes care of his daughter when she wakes up, and some days he needs to drop her off at daycare before he can come to work. He has a 25-minute drive to work each day. “I average about 6 to 7 hours of sleep depending on what kind of night my daughter is having.” People have different routines because some people have kids to get ready while others don’t.
One of our teachers, Mrs. Brunton has two kids she has to get ready for school, along with getting ready herself. In order to get herself ready before her kids, she has to get up at 5:00 am. Some people who live in town said they don’t have to get up until 7:30 or even later.
Jessica Noonan said, “Since I live next to the school, I don’t need to get up as early as other people because I don’t have to drive to school.” Other people might get to sleep in more just because they live closer to where they need to go.
Owen Vogelsberg, who lives just downtown, says, “I usually leave my house around 7:40 when Perry rolls in to get me.” Owen has about a 2 mile drive.
If you have to take your siblings to school or get them ready for school, that might take up your time for getting yourself ready. Emily Bierman said, “I do have siblings, but they are older than me, so I never had to get them ready for school.” Some kids who are the oldest sibling might have to get their siblings ready for school. Lilly Post said, “I don’t have to get my siblings ready for school, but I do have to take them to school because they can’t drive.” In my opinion, having people to talk to while you go to school would be better than driving by yourself because it is kind of boring with no one in the car with you.
Tucker Leibfried and Wade Brown both said they came to this school because it is a place they feel safe, and they grew up at this school. They also both like the staff and all of the students. “I had the option to choose which school I wanted to go to, Cassville or Potosi, and I chose Potosi because it’s where most of my close friends go, and also because we are co-oped with Cassville for almost every sport, so I can still see my friends from Cassville,” Wade stated. Each of them is willing to start their day a little earlier than others to be able to attend Potosi Schools.
“I’m happy where I’m at, even though gas can get expensive, especially right now while it is on the rise.” Mrs. Brunton states that she is happy here because it is closer to her house than her last job, so she has more time to spend with her kids.
Your morning routine can also be determined by what you are doing on the day and how you need to get ready for that day. For example, if you are on vacation, then you wouldn’t do the same morning routine that you normally would. Some things might stay the same, like eating and brushing your teeth. Emily Bierman said, “Every morning I always have to take my medicine right away when I get up,” no matter what else she has to do that day.
Everyone has a different morning routine that works for them, but no matter what time you wake up, you will have to be in class by 7:55 at Potosi High School.