Students at AHS struggle to get out of bed in the morning, but what about the teachers? Everyone has a different morning routine, and between driving distance or time needed to get ready, everybody does it their own way.

Terri Cook-Thielen, an English and Creative Writing teacher, starts her morning around 5:50-6 a.m. She has a simple routine, “I get up and shower, get dressed and put my contacts in, then I go to the kitchen and feed my dog, Annie.” After that, Thielen makes her breakfast and decides what she wants to make for her lunch that day. She pours her coffee, finishes getting ready, and leaves around seven, as she has a 20-25 minute drive. 

Well-known history teacher Trace Peterson has quite the morning routine. “I get up at 4:45, and turn on the coffee pot.” Following this, he makes a “coconut water lime salt drink, that’s like a hydrater for the day.” Petersen starts his morning early as he has a lot to do before he leaves for work. After this, he watches the news and drinks his coffee with some sort of breakfast. “At six I take a walk for about 40 minutes, and follow this up with some sort of workout with my wife.” When he’s all wrapped up, his wife makes him a protein shake while he showers and gets ready for his day, and he leaves for work.

English teacher Randall Simpson wakes up at a more reasonable time for teenagers. He said, “I wake up at 6:30, and I never ever hit the snooze button.” Simpson said if he does this, he won’t get up. “I start my coffee so it can brew, then I put my iron away as I always iron my clothes the night before. Then I put everything away in my bag that I’ll need for the day, and go downstairs to shower.” Then Simpson brushes his teeth and finishes up his morning routine. “I get dressed in a very specific order: Shirt, socks, then pants. Then I go to work, and I get here around 7:30-35.”

Some teachers have very precise mornings, and others just go with the flow. Teenagers are the same, besides adding in the classic “Five more minutes.” A morning routine can really make or break your day. According to Lifehacker.com, if you “Start the day with good habits or rituals, [it] will cascade into a more productive day.” Consider creating one, and see how it affects the day ahead.