Monday, January 11, 2016

MTBoS Blogging Initiative - A Day in the Life

So...I think this might be boring but I wanted to give it a try anyway. Let's see.

5:30 am - Alarm goes off, wake up husband, try to go back to sleep

5:40 am - Realize that I have been trying to compose an email reply in my head instead of going back to sleep

5:50ish am - Wake up and get on the exercise bike while checking the weather, email, Twitter, Facebook, on my phone.

6:05-6:35 am - Shower

6:35 - 6:50 - Get dressed while reminding my 2 "big kids" to dress warmly and get their basketball practice gear. They leave with their dad (also a teacher AND high school basketball coach).

6:50 - 7:00 - Put in a load of clothes to wash, gather lunch (that I actually made the night before which is highly unusual!). Dress my 4-year-old. Undress my 4-year-old. (He goes to a friend's house who keeps him during the day...usually in PJs...but thought he wanted to change into his clothes. Then he changed his mind when I got on his shirt because it didn't feel good. UGH! When I told him, "I don't have time for this!" he told me he was sorry and my heart melted so he got to wear what he wanted!!)

7:00-7:28 - Leave my house, drop off my "little kid," sign into work at 7:28 am

7:28 - 7:50 - Procure a cup of coffee, put lunch in fridge, visit with teacher friends (one of which makes me cry because she has done something SUPER sweet!)

7:55 - 9:30 - 1st Block - Algebra (I see them every day year round)

7:55 - 8:05 - Announcements, pledge, call roll, take up homework, send a boy in the hall for wiping pop tart crumbs into my floor when I tell him to clean it up (I have ant issues in my room so it was a BIG DEAL...lol) and then telling me he didn't. [Disclaimer: This was a "last straw" issue where any time I get onto him for something he tells me he didn't do it and blames it on someone else. He is just kidding around but I sometimes "fall for it" and then it takes me a minute to sort things out and it gets on my nerves. I wasn't mad when I talked to him. I just asked him to stop. He took it really well and did much better when he came in my room...didn't pout AND participated in class...GO ME!]

8:05 - 8:35 - Watched Eric Thomas's TGIM Season 2 Episode 5 and then did an activity where I had them write down anything from their past (hurts or successes) that they needed to let go of and get over. We then ripped them up and threw them in the trash (we didn't share them in class because I told them we wouldn't). I am trying to do "motivational Mondays" every Monday with my 1st block class and we have pretty much just watched one of his videos every week. Of course it is one of my favorite things to do...I often springboard off the video and get "on my soapbox" but the students seem to remember many of the principles he speaks about which is rewarding.

8:35 - 9:30 - Graded homework (on effort) while they started an awesome LINKS worksheet on systems of equations which makes them solve the same system by graphing, substitution, and elimination then answer questions about the best method. I would LOVE to give credit to whoever created the worksheet but I have no idea. After giving back homework I answered any questions they had for the remainder of the time.

9:30 - 9:40 - Technically this is our "break" time but I had 4 students and a teacher come to my room for various reasons. The teacher, Sonya New, is my bestest algebra planning buddy and she came to look at some resources I told her I had if she wanted them. The 3 students came for help on an assignment. I texted their teachers.

9:40 - 11:10 (2nd block - off/math intervention) - Had at least one student in my room the entire time working on their systems of equations worksheet. In between helping students I answered emails and graded some work for my online algebra II with trig class.

11:15 - 1:15 (3rd block) - Pre-AP Algebra - I see them every other day year round. This was pretty much a repeat of 1st block except we didn't take the time to write down the things from the past we needed to let go of and throw them away. This was only the 3rd TGIM they have gotten to watch all year. I have half the time with these students to cover the same amount of work and sadly that means the character ed/motivational videos get "cut out" most weeks.

1:20 - 2:50 (4th block - off/math intervention) Today this became my off period because I had students in my room for the entire 2nd Block. The first thing I did was Day 5 of my 30 Day Happy Teacher Challenge which was to take a short walk and think about things in your life that make you the happiest. I had a walking buddy and we talked about how our own children and our relationship to God made us happiest. AND...that keeping God first and seeking Him for your joy and fulfillment instead of circumstances (work, home, etc...) keeps things in perspective. It was GREAT! Then I entered some grades, made another cup of coffee, checked on my online class and Twitter, and started writing this post (which feels long and boring when I think about others trying to read it - LOL)

It is now 3:04 pm and I am still writing. I need to look over what I am doing tomorrow and then rush out the door to go pick up my daughter because I just got a text reminding me that she has softball practice at 5:00 and I have alot of driving to do in order to pick up my 4 year old and get her home and back to practice. Wish me luck!! If you made it this far thank you for reading my "day in the life." I think I may have put too many details along the way. HAHA!




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