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Jan. 26th, 2008 03:04 pm
A Teacher's day.
I thought I've give you all a picture of what a typical day for me is like.
I get up at 7am most days. It takes me about twenty minutes to breeze through shower/shave/dress, then I head to work. Most days I get there by 7:30, sometimes as late as 7:45. I get whatever last-minute stuff I have to have accomplished done, then wait for students, who inevitably come to get special assistance or just talk. My contract says I don't have to be there until 8am, but I can't do that.
Classes begin at 8:15am. My first class is Senior English, currently in a Speech/Debate unit that will last until March 21. If it's a good day, there are four of my 12 registered students there at 8:15. On most days, there's one, maybe two.
The first ten minutes of class are silent reading, then a quick "word of the day" mini-lesson, both of which are mandated by the Administration. Then a quick 5 minutes for students to write in their journals a response to the daily prompt (which I create) and share their responses.
Then I go into the day's lesson, which usually consists of about twenty-to-thirty minutes of Direct Instruction, followed by group or individual work, then debriefing of the work, then a closure to bring the lesson together.
Class ends at 9:45.
Second period, Ethnic Literature, begins at 9:50 and ends at 11:20. It's much the same as Senior English, except the students are less mature, and therefore the class makes me want to bang my head into a wall more often.
From 11:25 to 11:55, I work with my Advisory class, the Senior Girls. I try to motivate them to work on fundraising for their senior trip, explain to them that if they don't get moving pronto, the Senior Trip won't happen, and basically meet an immovable object: Their desire to goof off.
From 11:55 to 12:25, I have lunch and commiserate with either other teachers or the administration.
12:25 to 2:00 is my Prep period. This means I do all photocopying I need, as well as plan the next week's lessons, grade assignments, write recommendation letters for seniors, and clean my classroom--unless it's a day where I have to meet with the Admin to discuss Senior students' graduation prospects, or my teaching, or cover someone else's class, or run errands for the school. I rarely get everything done. Some days, I don't get /anything/ done, because I'm too busy sitting at my desk with my head in my hands, hoping my headache gets better.
From 2:05 to 3:35, I teach my last class, also Senior English. This class is slightly more mature and work-centered than first period, but still not perfect. I am then mandated to remain on campus until 3:50.
Theoretically, I could work after 3:50, but unless it's vitally important, I don't--because I don't get paid for it, and because I am completely exhausted by then.
See, unlike most office jobs, where you can goof off for a few minutes--or hours--with no one noticing, I am "on" all the time. I can't sit at my desk and read LJ, or post, or anything but teach.
I get up at 7am most days. It takes me about twenty minutes to breeze through shower/shave/dress, then I head to work. Most days I get there by 7:30, sometimes as late as 7:45. I get whatever last-minute stuff I have to have accomplished done, then wait for students, who inevitably come to get special assistance or just talk. My contract says I don't have to be there until 8am, but I can't do that.
Classes begin at 8:15am. My first class is Senior English, currently in a Speech/Debate unit that will last until March 21. If it's a good day, there are four of my 12 registered students there at 8:15. On most days, there's one, maybe two.
The first ten minutes of class are silent reading, then a quick "word of the day" mini-lesson, both of which are mandated by the Administration. Then a quick 5 minutes for students to write in their journals a response to the daily prompt (which I create) and share their responses.
Then I go into the day's lesson, which usually consists of about twenty-to-thirty minutes of Direct Instruction, followed by group or individual work, then debriefing of the work, then a closure to bring the lesson together.
Class ends at 9:45.
Second period, Ethnic Literature, begins at 9:50 and ends at 11:20. It's much the same as Senior English, except the students are less mature, and therefore the class makes me want to bang my head into a wall more often.
From 11:25 to 11:55, I work with my Advisory class, the Senior Girls. I try to motivate them to work on fundraising for their senior trip, explain to them that if they don't get moving pronto, the Senior Trip won't happen, and basically meet an immovable object: Their desire to goof off.
From 11:55 to 12:25, I have lunch and commiserate with either other teachers or the administration.
12:25 to 2:00 is my Prep period. This means I do all photocopying I need, as well as plan the next week's lessons, grade assignments, write recommendation letters for seniors, and clean my classroom--unless it's a day where I have to meet with the Admin to discuss Senior students' graduation prospects, or my teaching, or cover someone else's class, or run errands for the school. I rarely get everything done. Some days, I don't get /anything/ done, because I'm too busy sitting at my desk with my head in my hands, hoping my headache gets better.
From 2:05 to 3:35, I teach my last class, also Senior English. This class is slightly more mature and work-centered than first period, but still not perfect. I am then mandated to remain on campus until 3:50.
Theoretically, I could work after 3:50, but unless it's vitally important, I don't--because I don't get paid for it, and because I am completely exhausted by then.
See, unlike most office jobs, where you can goof off for a few minutes--or hours--with no one noticing, I am "on" all the time. I can't sit at my desk and read LJ, or post, or anything but teach.