Jenny Blanton Chapter 4 Teaching with a Sense of Urgency

One of the biggest challenges I believe the classroom teacher faces is having enough hours in the day to teach all of the things we feel our students need.  I really enjoyed this chapter on teaching with a sense of urgency.  I like how it pointed out that teachers shouldn't teach in an anxious way, but instead should teach very intentionally and make every moment in the classroom count.  Every thing we want to do is important to us, but because our time is limited we must prioritize and try to be efficient with the time and tools we do have.  Specifically it mentioned keeping our expectations high and being sure to have meaningful integration in our lessons.  I enjoyed the top 5 lists that she accumulated from other teachers.  Sometimes I am so overwhelmed I feel like I am not doing anything well in the classroom.  This list made me look back and reevaluate that I am doing some things well.  One of the big things is demonstrating that I am a reader to my students.  Right now I am reading aloud to them Where the Red Fern Grows.  We have talked a lot about how this was one of my favorite books from elementary school and how even though it is an old book it is so captivating! My students love it and I think they love that I love it.  I also like that she mentioned we are to move our students to be self-sustaining, independent readers and writers.  I think this is crucial as they move up from year to year.  She also mentioned evaluating students regularly.  This of course is difficult because of time restraints.  Our students should always be given opportunities to problem solve on their own in their reading.  I really enjoyed this chapter and it made me see that while I am limited on my time with my students, there are many ways I can make the most of that time that I have with them!