A Day In My Shoes!

The Adventures of a 6th Grade Teacher

Love it!  A day in the life Linky party over at Adventures of a 6th Grade Teacher!  So let me tell you all of the boring  interesting things that go on in my day!

5:30- Alarm goes off....Some days (few and far between), I actually get up at this time...Most...I hit snooze.  

5:45- Alarm goes off again...This time I get up.

5:45-6:15- Shower, Hair, Teeth, Makeup, Clothes - the whole bathroom routine...Most days I skip the makeup....and the hair is just brushing it out, I never blowdry it.  I think I probably look like a bum most days, but really, who am I trying to impress?  My first graders tell me I'm pretty, so I'm good.

6:15-6:30- Check email and Facebook and ProTeacher

6:30-6:45- Feed Dexter.  This entails live crickets and Kale...I'm not a fan of crickets.  They are gross...and sneaky.  Yes sneaky.  I sometimes find escaped crickets weeks later randomly around the house.  Well, I don't find them, usually one of the cats find them.

6:45-6:55- Make lunch/throw leftovers in a lunch bag.  Make a Soda with the SodaStream - coolest thing EVER.  Seriously.  It takes my soda obsession to a new level.

6:55- Grab shoes and head out the door.  Wait for the elevatore...this usually takes FOREVER.  And our building has 3 elevators.  But usually at least 1 isn't working.  Say "Hi" to Bob the doorman and laugh at his sarcastic/angry comments about the weather/how much he hates his life.  Walk the 3 blocks to the Train station.

7:15-7:49- Train ride to work.  It's awesome.  I love taking a train and not having to drive.  I get to read for a half an hour and just relax.  Well, until the last 5 minutes when we have to stop to wait for another train to pass (it goes down to 1 rail), and the train driver wanders back to tell me about his son and hunting adventures and how much awesome money he makes....Yup, EVERY day.  While everyone else is just sitting quietly....It's awkward.  VERY awkward.  I try to be polite...I smile and nod and laugh at his jokes...

7:49- Walk to the School.  It's a quick walk.  

7:55- Arrive at school.  Drop into the office and sign in.  Head to my room and drop my bags.  Grab any papers I need to copy.  Head over to the Spanish Teachers room and hang out and chat.  

8:05- Run to the copy room and wait in a line of 3-5 teachers all waiting to make their last minute copies.  PRAY that the copier won't run out of paper/ink/toner/the will to live and won't get jammed.

8:15-8:30 Pick up kiddos from the Gym and head back to the classroom.  They unpack and usually do some sort of word search/review worksheet.  I take attendance/talk to a million parents that want to tell me that "Susie is bully Johnny and yesterday she beat him up"....I hear this daily.  My kids pick on each other. They are seriously mean.  Not sure how to make that stop.  I assure the parents I'll keep an eye on their precious little one (and usually spot them hitting/kicking/saying mean things to whoever was supposed to be "bullying" them.)  This time is also for handing out name tags...they can't be in their desk or in their cubby or handed out by a student, our SOP (Stupid Standard Operating Procedure) is that we MUST hand out the nametags personally.  And if a student doesn't have their nametag they don't get to eat lunch...?

8:30-9:15- Science/Social Studies.  I LOVE having Sci/SS at the beginning of the day!  I had always had it at the end of the day and usually ended up skipping it and just continuing with reading/math.  By having it at the beginning we get Sci/SS every day.  At the beginning of the year I thought it was stupid and I hate it, but now I really enjoy it.

9:15-9:55- Specials.  Library, Spanish, PE, or Science Lab.  We don't have Science Lab right now, but I think we start it again for 3rd quarter.  This is my time to prep for the rest of the day.  I also check my email and go visit/gossip with my team leader.  She rocks my socks.  Every other Wednesday we have team meetings with Admin during that time.  Those are my LEAST favorite days.

9:55-10:05- Come back to the room and clean up from Sci/SS or do a read aloud.  

10:05- 10:15- Bathroom Break.  Probably my least favorite part of the day.  We've done BB's twice a day all year and they STILL can't get the routine/rules down.  Plus they are stinky.  

10:15-11:15- Reading.  I usually start with a phonics routine, then do the routine from the reading series.  Then we read the story from the reading series.  Monday, I read the story to them.  Tuesday, they read it to themselves.  Wednesday, we read it out loud round robin style (I know this is a big no-no, but it works for us, so =P).  Thursday, they read the story with a partner.  Friday, we take our test.

11:15-11:45- Lunch.  I usually grab my lunch and head back to my classroom and eat in front of my computer while chatting with the boy online, and checking ProTeacher.  Some days I'll go eat with my team leader or she'll come eat with me.  Those days are fun.

11:45-12:30- ENI Reading.  ENI is Evans Newton Incorporated.  It's a fancy company that came and aligned our curriculum and decided what we need more focus on.  It's basically just an extension of our reading routines. 

12:30-12:40 Bathroom Break #2

12:40-2:00- Math.  We start with a calendar routine, then do a lesson from Saxon.  Then we do our ENI block.  Pretty much the same routine as reading, just switched up for math.

2:00-2:15- DEAR time.  Technically we were told to stop doing this.  But I think it's important.  And I like taking that 15 minutes to pass out papers/prep their folders to go home.  So admin can just deal with the fact that my kids read for 15 minutes a day.

2:15-2:30- Packup/Dismissal.  My least favorite part of the day.  It is hectic and I can't get a good routine.  Our bus/van kiddos get picked up at about 2:20.  I take my parent pickup kiddos and head to the door at 2:30.  Parents are lined up in the hallways and grabbing kids from my line.  And then we stand out side and the kids run into the street when they see their car....super safe.  Seriously, as much as I love once the kids are gone, I HATE dismissal time.  

2:45-3:10- Drop any leftover kiddos off at the office.  Head to my room and prep for the next day.  Straighten up.  Whatever needs to be done.  Pack up my stuff to take home.

3:10- Head to the train.

3:22-4:11- Train ride home.  Again, I get to read for a half hour.  Un-interrupted.  I LOVE it.  Some days I'll call my mom and chat on my ride home.  But usually I read.

4:11-Walk home.  Check mail.  Visit the mail room with the Crazy mail lady.  She scares me.  

4:20-5:30- Get home, unpack school stuff, put on sweats, grade some papers (if I feel like it), watch DVR'd shows from the night before.  

5:30- The boy gets home.   I make dinner.  We watch TV and hang out.

Anywhere between 9:30 and 12:00 I'll head to bed.  The boy is usually up until 1 or 2am.  He's nuts!

So there it is.  Thats my day in a nutshell.  Nothing to special or unique or exciting.  Just a plain 'ol day.