Carol Talanges - Post 7 - Routman ch. 12

                 Chapter 12: You Only Have So Much Time was easy to relate to at this point in the year. We are all working too hard and to be honest are almost burnt out. I have accepted now that I will never and I mean never have enough time to get everything done in the classroom. I loved Routmans statement that “more keeps getting added”. I feel that once I create a good schedule and grove in the classroom that something else must be added on and that is when I honestly feel most stressed as an educator. I have learned that I must always assess if the work that my students are doing is truly meaningful to them and applicable to direct learning. If my students find value in what they are doing and see that it is connected to their learning then they do work hard for me and do their very best.

                Routman discusses the time spent “thinking” about the needs of our students. I do not know if I have ever realized how often I do actively plan and strategies outside of the school day about what is best for my students. I also loved the section focusing on keeping work simple. Sometimes I think I get caught up in creative extensive projects, when really the same amount of student engagement could happen in a much simpler version of the activity.

                After reading this chapter I have looked at my schedule and last week’s plans and reflected on how I can use my time more constructively. I thought about what I could integrate and what I found to be the most important. I know for me the most important thing to keep improving on is my ongoing evaluation and keeping it documented better.