Teacher? What is that exactly?

Originally Written on March 8, 2012

In an effort to give you some insight into the daily life of a teacher, I have taken it upon myself to draft an average daily timeline, that maps out ALL the things teachers do in a day. To my teaching comrades, if you’d like to add something, please feel free to leave a comment; collaboration is crucial to a successful learning environment!

8:15 – Arrive at school. Check email, finalize the day’s lesson plans & make sure my resources (i.e. computers) are in good working order. (Note: If my “resources” are experiencing difficulties, then I must have a back-up plan in place so students don’t lose valuable academic time. What does that mean for a technology teacher? Let me know when you have that answer).

8:35 – Attend a meeting (on what you ask? Well…lots of wonderful things – Student behavior, school behavior system, team powwow, etc.).

9:15 – Morning duty (Adults have to be strategically placed throughout school hallways and doors to ensure kids are walking safely to class and not hitting, running, sliding, sledding, or rolling their way down the halls).

9:30 – School officially begins. Class #1, 50 minutes of third grade content. Today I am teaching students how to use a website that gives information about all the cultures of the world. As I introduce today’s objective I stop and wait for one of my “friends” who is ripping a piece of paper into tiny little pieces. “I need for you to put that away.” Ok…back on track. I introduce the lesson, we have a discussion about our assignment and students get their laptops. “Mrs. Winchester, how do I log in again?” I am stunned speechless (that never happens to me), We have 80 days left of school and you can’t remember how to log in? “Mrs. Winchester, he hit me.” “Why did he hit you?” “I don’t know…” Thanks to my dad’s long reign as a police officer, I pull out my detective tool kit to deal with the hitting issue at hand. Who would have ever thought (not me) that I'd be honing policing skills as an elementary teacher? Another hat for the resume! 

10:30 – I transition from 3^rd grade and take my planning break. During this time I am stopped by 5 different people in my building asking various computer-related questions. “Why can’t I hear any sound on my computer? Amiee, is my computer broken?” “Well..” I counter, “Have you tried turning up your volume?” The heavens open up, and crisis averted. Finally, I make it back to my office and begin grading papers for my upcoming 5^th grade class. Since I teach four 5^th grade classes, I have 130 papers to look at….Yes, I start to see a new alphabetical order, my brain starts to hurt.

11:30 – Here I go…Onto 5^th grade. Today we are finishing up our posters on the environment. “Mrs. Winchester, I like your shirt,” one student says, as I walk to the front of the classroom. I smile, thank her for the kind compliment and let her know that her shoes are much cooler. I think to myself, this is why I teach, because kids can be so cool. I joke around with my “friend” who struggles to stay focused. We talk about Kobe Bryant and how Mrs. Winchester is cooler than the Lakers (this is fact). I take command of my class, and we begin. I stop, kids are talking. I stop, kids are twirling in their seats. I stop, one kid is calling another names. There is a trend, I am constantly stopping my lesson and for what? I channel the PD I have had on behavioral research and realize I need to give more positive reinforcement. Because, after all, punishment = pain. I say, “Billy I appreciate you taking this seriously and listening to my directions.” Billy feels validated, the rest of the class doesn’t care. So I try my approach, “Class, if we can’t get it together, we can’t be successful at our work, and we’ll use paper and pencils instead.” There we go, back on track. Now, let’s learn…

12:30 – I say goodbye to my quirky fifth graders and transition over to 2^nd grade. Oh No! The Internet isn’t working. My entire lesson, all Internet based, is a bust. I pull plan B out of my pocket, we explore the fabulous world of Google Earth. The kids are eating this up, yet I am stressed. What if my principal walks in and wants to see the objectives? How do I explain to her that I had this awesome lesson on community service workers, but because the Internet was down, I couldn’t teach it today? How do I explain to her that my Plan B, while completely deviated from the original plan is still enriching and engaging? All she will see is no objective written on the board.

1:30 – Onward…I travel to the cute and sometimes slimy Kindergartners. I am bombarded by two of my tiny “friends” who need their shoes tied. Another wants to give me a detailed description of what she had for lunch. I love this age, the kids are so goofy and insightful, but I could do without the runny noses and slimy fingers. Today we are learning about shapes. When I ask a question all their hands shoot up. Some can barely contain their excitement for knowing the answer and call it out. One of my “friends” is rolling around on the carpet, while making dog noises. While I’m amused, I’m also exhausted. I have spent the last 3 hours teaching, not to mention transitioning, improvising, acting, moderating, commanding. I am tired. My brain isn’t functioning correctly. The “ums” are infiltrating my speech. I spend my time helping students find letters on the keyboard and reminding them that their too loud, because their trying to scream over the maxed out volume in their headphones. Finally, it’s over…

2:30 – I have a break. The last hour of the day, I will bask in the quiet of my desk. I will turn off the lights, check my email and be completely dead to the world. Of course I now need to do more grading or work on a project I promised a teacher I’d finish today. I need to eat my lunch and hydrate, in hopes of getting rid of this massive headache. The end of the day doesn’t seem to come quick enough. I wanted to go to the gym after work, but I have nothing left. I am physically and mentally drained. I just want to go home and stare at a wall. 

3:30 – The day isn’t over…yet. I still have carpool duty. Time to get all the kids into the right car and home in time for some outside activity. Almost….there…

4:10 – The end of the day has arrived. Contrary to popular belief, teachers still have their own responsibilities outside of the 27 they deal with each day. So…I gather my things and start to think of the dinner I will cook, the cleaning that I’ve neglected and the husband and dog at home I need to invest time and energy into also. Where will it come from, I ask. I file away today’s happenings and clean the slate to get ready for it all to happen again tomorrow.