Patricia Graham- Blog Post 7- Routman Ch. 12

I had to smile when I read Routman’s Chapter 12: You Only Have So Much Time.  Each year I feel the demands continue to increase though nothing is ever taken off the list.  We feel burdened by the tasks that we have to accomplish each day/ week while still trying to maintain a life outside of school.  My first few years of teaching I feel that I totally focused on my job and often neglected myself in the process.  While I can continually improve my teaching, I have come to learn the importance of having a balanced and interesting life.  It is important that I trust my instincts about my students, keep the work simple and meaningful, and find ways to use the time spent with my students effectively.

Routman mentioned the importance of keeping a lively pace, using transitional periods as teaching times, and using morning work sensible and pleasurable.  In the past my students completed Morning Work- Math and Reading.  Last summer I reflected heavily on the effectiveness of the morning work and decided instead to have the students do a variety of activities throughout the week.  This has helped to break up the schedule and in turn students are more motivated to complete the work.  I too believe in making resources easily accessible to all students to reduce interuptions and use the time block effectively.  I continually look at my schedule and the lesson plans to make sure that I am maximizing my time and allowing the students quality time to practice their skills. 

Ending the chapter, Routman stressed the importance of evaluating how we use our time and doing “whatever we can to ensure that our students love learning.”  Learning is a lifelong process and as elementary teachers it is so important that we instill this love for learning at a very early age.