You wake up every morning feeling groggy. You try to turn away from the blaring alarm clock only to turn right into the blaring sun. There won’t be any "five more minutes." So, you get up and get dressed and go to school and feel like krap until lunchtime.

I, however, love mornings. Well, actually, I don’t. But there are some mornings when I can enjoy the fact that I’m awake. Even if I’d rather be asleep. Okay, so mornings aren’t the best but there are a few things that are easy to enjoy about them if you do it right.



For one thing, I start my day off with a cup of coffee. After downing this, I enjoy the quick burst of caffeine and energy. And I admit I’m addicted to it. Remember, kids, it’s only a problem if you don’t admit it.

Then I yank out my CD player and go to school with music blasting in my ears. Sure, I’ll be half deaf by the time I’m 30, but by then I won’t have to hear my kids screaming so it works out both ways.

For some reason this combination of coffee and music gets my blood pumping so that it puts a smile on my face. There are things that could bring me back down, but I ignore those things. Like my girlfriend. Just kidding.



In all seriousness though, I had an idea this morning while drinking my instant coffee with a great amount of sugar in it. I took my dog out so it could do its thing. I blared my music. And the idea hit me.



Personally, I work better and concentrate better when I enjoy the environment that I’m in. What if the school let us listen to music? Suppose we turned it down so no one but us could hear it. And suppose we could also hear the instructions being given. Would that not be an all right scenario?



Did anyone ever stop to think that if students enjoyed coming to school, they would do better? Maybe test scores would go up. And as soon as volume goes too far up, they have to get turned off. Simple. It really is. I could talk to you like a third grader, but I’m sure you get it.

And then there’s the problem of theft. Just make sure people know that the school isn’t responsible for any lost or stolen goods. And if you leave your CD player somewhere, you deserve to have it stolen.

And if the school served coffee?! That would be the best. I’d come to school on my excused periods if the school served coffee. Seriously. I love coffee. And I admit it so it’s okay. I love it so much, I’ll write an article dedicated the heavenly goodness that is coffee. It’s a miracle in a mug.



Where was I? Oh, yeah.

HHS should serve coffee. They should have music playing all the time. Just not elevator music. That would drive any man insane. But we should have a variety of kids walking around in the morning with smiles on their faces because of a caffeine high and blaring music (which would be turned down as soon as they came in the school).

It’s not hard. If kids enjoy the environment they work in, they will work better and harder. It’s proven. I don’t actually know if it’s proven, but I know I’d work better and harder. Some of my classes will let me wear my headphones. And I do well in these classes.

But you don’t have to take advice from me. I’m only an established writer with a national award under his belt and a few other small awards to boot (Modest? Me?). But, in all seriousness, kids will work better in an environment they enjoy. Try to do it on a trial basis and see what happens. You might be surprised.