Most people think teachers are done at 2:30 and go straight home......wrong. Most teachers do not have that luxury, and it's nothing for teachers to be there later than most realize. Depending on how much work you have to do, you could be the last one out of the building. There are so many days where I feel like I've accomplished nothing on my To-Do List, or like I should've spent more time on something. But the reality is, teachers only have so much time to get everything done.
This chapter reminds teachers that it's SO important to take care of yourself, and have a life outside of school. As much as I've always wanted to be a teacher, and as much as I love my job, this could not be more true. Just for my own mental health and sanity, I need to have a life outside of school, and time to relax away from school. As the article stated, "We are not only role models for learning, we are role models for living." How true this is! I want my students to see that I'm passionate about my job and what I do, but I also want them to see that I enjoy my time away from school by spending time with family & friends, going on trips, and relaxing watching my favorite movies.
The school day seems so long with plenty of time to get things done, but the day actually flies by. Because oft his, it's so important for teachers to make the day as meaningful and engaging for students as possible and make the most of every instructional opportunity. As a math & science teacher, I try to do this as much as I can. For example, when we are switching classes, or having our bathroom break between lunch & recess, I will quiz the students with multiplication problems. Sometimes I'll even let the students quiz ME, which they absolutely love doing. They'll give me multiplication problems to solve, and I think they enjoy this because they're trying to stump the teacher and because they can see that I studied my facts, just like I'm asking them to do. And I can tell they want to be able to recite those multiplication facts back to me too.
An idea I found interesting in the chapter, was to eliminate "morning work" at the beginning of the day when students are first coming in. The author suggested that instead, students have some relaxing free time, where they can read around the room, write notes or letters, or even talk quietly to a friend. This is such a great idea and something amazing to picture happening in a classroom, but I believe a teacher would need to use his/her personal judgement of their class to determine if their students could handle this. It is a great idea though!
It can never be said that teachers do not have enough time in a day to get work done. Even when we have an allotted amount of time to get work done, we still manage to have things leftover. But it is so important for teachers to have a life outside of school, so they can stay energized when they are at school.
I am so glad that you see the importance of having a life outside of school. So many new teachers devote every waking moment to their school tasks that after a year or two, they are burned out. Are you going to try to give up the "Morning Work" at least for a while? I agree you have to gauge your class and if they can handle it. I believe any class can handle it, you just have to give them explicit instructions, model their options, and establish your expectations. ALL of them will pick "talk with a friend" if it is "free talk," so I would expect them to talk about what they read about on their reading log the night before and give them some conversation starters at first so they know "how" to have a book talk. The "writing letters" idea sounds great, too. I would create an area with pens, pencils, stationary, etc. that they could use and also offer a Padlet option to allow them to post to your "Book Talk" virtual bulletin board to discuss what they are reading about in their books. Let me know if you want to give this a try. I can help you set everything up. I am excited just thinking about it. I believe they would love it and get so much out of these experiences.
ReplyDeleteHi Emily,
ReplyDeleteAfter reading this chapter I felt convicted that there are many parts of the day that could be tweaked and restructured in order to maximize time for what is most meaningful to our students. Many times we feel we do not have enough time - I don't think we ever do, but I know that we can do a better job of utilizing the time we have. I appreciate how you are thinking about existing structures in your day that you could restructure in order to maximize the time you have to engage students in meaningful reading and writing. Thank you! Sincerely, Dawn