Anita Branum- Blog Post 2- You Only Have So Much Time

    You only have so much time, no truer statement has ever been written, it seems that each school year has more and more demands and less and less time to get things done.  I always thought when my own children grew up and left home, I would have more free time to do the things I love but with the ever growing demands of school, I find that I have no more time now than when I was a busy mom.  Finding time to myself is just as difficult so I believe this is why the following quote by the author stood out to me, “Be an interesting person. It is so easy to let teaching consume you.”  The author goes on to say that we are role models for living.  This is so true, our students watch everything we do. When my own children were still living at home, I would often share stories of things we did as a family.  Parents would tell me how much their child loved hearing those stories.  They would often go home and share my stories with their family.  In an effort to “have a life”, teachers need to make sure their lesson plans are meaningful.  The author of this article reminds us to ask ourselves this question, how is this activity going to help my students become more independent readers, writers, and thinkers. We need to eliminate the activities, worksheets, and centers that are not meeting this criteria for our students.  It not only wastes their time but ours as well as we plan, execute, and evaluate all we have our students do.  By using a variety of materials, examining our schedules, and carefully planning out meaningful lessons, teachers and students alike will look forward to their day with renewed energy and enthusiasm.