Summer is over, and early morning commutes and bell schedules are back. But it’s not only the students who are feeling the pressure of adjusting to the new routine. Teachers at North Allegheny go through the same struggles this time of year.
“The biggest struggle is getting used to usually only getting six hours of sleep a night,” NASH special education teacher Mr. Gressly said. “Since I get up at 3 a.m., I must be in bed before 9pm to get just six hours.”
Waking up at 3 a.m. would be difficult for any person, but for a teacher, who needs to be engaged all day with students, preparing and delivering lessons as well as grading, it’s especially challenging.
“I realize I am blessed to have this job and have learned to just get it done,” Gressly added.
Special Education teacher Mr. Connors doesn’t wake up quite as early as Gressly, but he echoed the math teacher’s sentiments.
“My least favorite thing about coming back to school is getting up this early,” Connors said. “I’m not a fan of these early mornings.”
Although the NASH bell schedule was pushed back by five minutes this year (1st period now begins at 7:28 a.m.), it’s nevertheless an early start to a busy day of classes.
But early wake-up alarms are not on every teacher’s mind. For NASH English teacher Ms. Peters, the back-to-school routine presents a unique challenge.
“It’s wearing shoes,” she said. “I like to go barefoot in the summer!”
Additionally, family responsibilities do not go away for teachers once school resumes in late August. Meals still need to be made, laundry need to be cleaned, and more. This has to be a difficult time of year for all the teachers because they are adults with responsibilities.
Mrs. Omasits, also an English teacher at NASH, is dealing with her own particular challenge as the 2025-2026 school year begins.
“It’s making lunches,” she said. “I hate making my family’s lunch, and I have to make three lunches every day for them.”
Every school year is a new adjustment, but this year feels especially new for NASH students and teachers, as the district transitioned from Blackboard to Canvas for its online learning management system. The shift means that the faculty has to learn new software while getting their new classes off to a good start.
“I struggle when it comes to all the extra non-teaching things we have to do each year,” Grater said. “I love to teach, and I love my students, but the other stuff that gets added to the job each year makes it hard.”
In the end, the teachers are going through it, too. So the next time you think about how annoying it is to be a student at the start of a new school year, consider that you’re not alone.
