A Day in the Life

One of my readers (childish moment in which I admit that being able to say I have readers truly just made my day) has so kindly asked for me to share what a normal day is like in my classroom. While we don’t have “normal” days, because of the constant visits we have and interruptions throughout each day, I will try my best to describe what a day in the life is like in Miss Norman’s classroom. This will be a long one as many things need detailed explanations and other clarifications. Welcome to a day in the life:)

*I wake up at 6:30 (truthfully my alarms begin at 6:00 and I tend to hit snooze for a solid 45 minutes) and I am out the door at about 7:30*

8:00-8:45(Morning Meeting)-

Our technical start time each morning is 8:25, however our bus is currently engine-less and flat-tired. So the school truck (which seats three) is used to pick the students up. This means that it takes longer to get all of the students here. From 8:00 on, we’ve got students arriving and once they are here they wait in our welcome room doing the various activities we have set up for them. Once the bus has dropped off the last of the kids, we can start our day. We’ve been able to have our school-wide morning meetings at about 8:40. We talk about things that need to be addressed, let students share important things, and discuss any events that might happen throughout the day. After this, our day begins!

8:45-10:15 (Reading)-

Once meeting is over, I have my older students quickly log on to their computers so they can begin their online classes. In reading and math, levels 6 and above take distance courses (classes taught through the computer by other teachers in the district). My four students work in the library, right outside my door, so they are able to interact with their classes and not disrupt mine. I monitor them and check-in throughout their class time to make sure they are on task and not playing games online.

Meanwhile, my four younger students go into my classroom and get ready for reading. I have four students here as well; three of them are at level 3 for reading and one is at level four (when I have them do small-group work, I pull one of my level 3 kids to work with my level 4 student). Because it’s still early into the year, we are getting used to doing things routinely and they are adjusting to having a new teacher (their previous teacher spend 6 years in PIP). However, we have started working with vocabulary and “incredible stories” (fantasy, folktales, fables, etc.). We begin our days with some quick vocabulary exercises and then move into our stories.We discuss what we read the day before, re-read the story if we need to, and then begin a new story. Ideally, after we read one story as a class I could have them read stories in their level 3 and 4 books. However, they just aren’t ready to be working in small groups or independently yet. So we continue to do whole class work. After our story is finished, we talk about the elements or strategies that we are focusing on and then we write in our reading journals (yes Miss Norman has one too).

By the time they are finished with this, my online students are coming in and asking to go to “break”. My younger students finish up assignments and get ready to shift into math. And that’s the end of our reading time.

10:15-10:30 (Break)-

After reading, we have a whole-school break in the gym. The kids are able to have snack and get up and moving for a bit. It also gives Chris and I a small moment to breathe and take a potty break.

10:30-11:30 (Math)-

Once the kids have gotten rid of some energy, we head back to my room for math. At this time, I’ve got six students (one of my reading students leaves to work in Chris’ room during this time) in my classroom, and one in the library (he is finished with LPSD math and is taking a math course online through a local college). My students come in and quickly get to work on their “number of the day” work (I put a number on the board and then have simple math activities that they need to do with it; i.e. add 100, subtract 100, round, distinguish place values, and a few more). When they have finished their number of the day, they work on any other papers I have on their desks.

Each day is different with which group has more papers on their desk. For math, I have three students at level 3 and three students at level 5. In an hour I need to do explicit instruction, guided practice and independent practice with both groups. They are not working with the same topics either, so it has to be divided.

Depending on the day, one group will have re-view work from the previous lesson waiting on their desk. While they work on this, I am able to get started introducing the lesson to my other group. After I am able to get them started with guided and then independent work I can leave them. These students will finish independent work and then will have re-view work on their desks from the previous day’s lesson.

At this time, the group with the worksheets is finishing up, and I can introduce their lesson. We go through the same thing (explicit, guided, independent). By the time this has all been done, our hour is up. Homework is given and my kids prepare to shift into the afternoon (three of my students will spend the afternoon with Chris). I am finally able to let out a breathe (math is my shortest time of the day and I have so much to cover!) and grab my coffee cup for a refill.

11:30-12:15 (Lunch)-

We eat. Chris and I re-fill coffee. The kids play “bump” (it’s the basketball game that we in Jersey call knock-out). Without fail, they play this game at snack, lunch, and gym night. I’ve never seen one group of kids want to play one game on repeat at every available time in their day. They love it.

12:15-12:45 (Silent Reading)-

My afternoons are when I have just my older kids. In the morning I have a larger group of the students while Chris has a smaller group. We flip-flop in the afternoon and I’ve got the smaller group while she works with a larger group. The decision behind this schedule was incredibly technical and involved a lot of looking at levels and coordinating student needs. Anywho, my four students and I read in the library for half an hour (fun books- no notes, no lessons, just reading).

12:45-1:15 (PEP)-

We have time built into our days for students to work on their “personal education plans” (I think I got that right, I always mix up the words). It’s a time for them to work independently on assignments that need to be done or standards that need to be met. My four work on various things each day.

1:15-2:15 (Social Studies/Science)-

To keep my sanity, I have planned it out that students will go through their Social Studies standards during the first semester and their Science standards during second semester (to do both at once would be the straw to break this camel’s back). At this time my four students work on their various levels. My older students are incredibly independent learners. Of course I teach them the content, but they are in a routine of knowing what needs to get done. I have one student at level 5 learning about late U.S. history, two students at level 7 working on world history, and one student at level 8 working on U.S. government.

2:15-3:00 (Cultural Awareness and Employability)-

At this time of the day, we are able to work on learning about other cultures and their customs. As we get further into the year we will also work on employability skills. These past few weeks, my students have been researching a symbol that is prevalent in different cultures, and creating presentations to share them with the group.

*Throughout the day, I also have one student who is finishing up her finals standards in two subjects. She works independently on her work and I believe she will be graduating before the end of the semester.

3:00-3:30 (P.E./Prep period)-

Normally, this would be the end to mine and Chris’ instructional time. We are supposed to have a prep time in which we can try to start planning out the next day. However, we currently don’t have a P.E. aide which means that Miss Norman is the gym teacher (insert laughter and jokes about my lack of coordination here). Once P.E. is over, my kids gather their things and get ready for the bus ride home.

3:30-??? (Planning)-

After students have left, Chris and I have a brief re-cap of the day. We focus more on the students that we share throughout the day and talk about their behavior in each of our rooms. When the bus returns from dropping students off, we quickly try to make it to the post office if needed (it closes at 4:00 and most days the bus doesn’t return until 3:55- the other day we made it to the post office at 3:59!). We then spend the rest of our days working on plans and various other tasks that need to get done. I usually take a quick dinner break and then an exercise break (if I didn’t get this time, I think I would have lost all sanity by now). During my exercise time is also usually my emotional time (I often find myself crying in the middle of a run- it just happens and I can’t stop it) in which I thank God for getting me through another day and pray that I’ll have the strength and patience to get through the next.

My days are jam packed and this schedule is the ideal routine. Most days we have to shift things around and even stop mid-lesson to deal with other things. They taught us in college that teachers have to be flexible, but that takes on a whole new meaning in village schools! By the time I get to bed each night it’s around midnight and I am asleep before my head hits the pillow.