Chloe Turner: Routman Blog 7: You Only Have So Much Time

When was the last time you took a step back from teaching and evaluated your work and the amount of time you spend working? Regie Routman starts her twelfth chapter in, Reading Essentials, with the idea that teachers are working TOO hard. It seems teachers find it difficult to find a balance between life and work.

A portion of teachers, myself included, seem to lack excitement in life. Regie writes that many teachers, she has come across, turn down plans because they have something they deem "more important. "A lot of times it seems to always fall back on school focused material. "Staying till six or seen each evening doesn't necessarily make us more effective teachers," (202). Routman provides tips and asks teachers to rethink how they spend their time.

Routman recommends spending time thinking. Teachers should be thinking about the "what" and "how" they want their students to learn. I must say, as a first year teacher, I am constantly consumed with thoughts about school. I can overwhelm myself with thoughts and planning. The material is new for me I don't have the experience to plan well. Routman spends a lot of time writing strategies for teachers who have had more experience. I am always trying to develop goals for my students and myself. I try to make every minute count and use all of our time wisely, but its hard. It is really hard. One thing that Routman recommends, that I find useful, is time yourself. While timing yourself, pay attention to student learning and the pros and cons of the lesson then think and reflect on the success of your time management.

Another tool Routman mentions is the mystery word. "Kids love solving words, and doing so heightens their awareness of and interest in learning new words," (208). I really like the idea of putting a few letters on the board and having my students solve the "mystery word." Its like a quick game of Wheel of Fortune. The game heightens awareness. This could be the perfect bell work. Routman writes about making this time "sensible and pleasurable." Mystery word would be a great tool to utilize for a sensible and pleasurable activity.

It is a reoccurring pattern in Routman's book, never waste student/ teacher time doing mundane activities. Look at your schedule carefully, make the room easy to access materials, reduce any "busy work" activities, and reevaluate your schedule. Routman says to spend time bettering yourself and doing the things you enjoy. I agree. I burned myself out the first semester of teaching. I stayed at school until the building closed. I have found that I enjoy this semester so much more because of the time I take for myself. I leave school early two days a week. I use that time to tutor a student outside of the school and read a book for pleasure. Don't stop planning and modifying plans, but take time for yourself. It makes us better teachers if we have a life outside of school!