Sunday, October 18, 2015
Blog Post 1: Hannah Keever Routman Chap. 12 You Only Have So Much Time
I think all teachers feel that we never have enough time during the day to teach everything needed, integrate technology somewhere in there, and still build meaningful relationships with our students. I chose this chapter hoping for an enlightened thought or approach about how to magically create more time during the day. I did not find that, but I did however find her view on time spent outside of work. I was surprised to read that she said, "We are not only role models for learning; we are role models for living." While we all feel overwhelmed and discouraged with the amount of work to be done each day, it is important to understand that we need time to have a life outside of work. When I was a student, the most meaningful conversations I had with my teachers were the ones where they talked about what they did on the weekend, or where their favorite restaurant was. We can not connect with our students talking about the STAR assessment data at lunch. We can however, build relationships with them when we tell them about our trip over the weekend. It is time to let go of what we can, and focus on "living an interesting life." The second thing that stuck out to me in this chapter was reflecting on the time I spend at school with my students. Am I utilizing every minute I can? The author states that we should constantly be teaching and assessing. We can not expect our students to grow if we are not having instructional time and then seeing where they are. Assessing does not have to be a formal assessment tool, but we do need to be aware of their progress in order to help them maximize their potential.
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Routman's point about having an interesting life puts a lot into perspective. How do we do our jobs well yet live our lives well also? As always we have to do what we value and be fully present in each moment. Maybe that is why independent reading leads to such great gains--we are there, pure and simple, for each student giving them attention and support as they need it. We are then able to assess and instruct them according to their needs instead of hit and miss with whole group instruction. It is such enjoyable time too, like time with friends. We truly need time like that and should reevaluate things that detract from it.
ReplyDeleteI could not agree more! So many days we are completely drained, go home and somehow come back in the morning just as drained as the afternoon before. I think it is so important that we have a life outside of work so that we can be at our best potential for our students each day. It is so hard leaving a "to-do" list on your desk, knowing it is waiting for us when we come in the door the next day. It is a continuous cycle it seems, but we have to let it go and think outside of school to have an "interesting life"!
ReplyDeleteGood points! I think you have discovered that there is no "single answer" to time. Miller steers us toward critical examination of our own schedules and what works (or doesn't) for our kids--and that might look different in every classroom! You are wisely using non-instructional time to build vital relationships. :-)
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