Today I feel teacher-tiredI'm not much of a front-of-the-room teacher. Mostly, I present a few ideas, lead some guided practice, and then students work and I hop around the room putting out fires. That's my preferred method. If students are writing, I'm conferencing. If students are taking a quiz, I'm very quietly walking around with a book in hand in case they need me. If students are reading independently, I'm reading independently. I like to be busy. The only time I'm really in the front of the room is when I am reading out loud. I like to read out loud and share the joy of a text with students. We're currently reading To Kill a Mockingbird, and today I was reading the ending, when Scout and Jem are walking home from the Halloween assembly. I read it four times to four different classes. I dramatized. It's a very long scene, much longer than I like to read out loud, but I know some students have fallen behind and they need this scene to be successful on tomorrow's assessment and when writing the final paper. I wanted them to hear it & spent time discussing when we shared thoughts in class to help clear up confusion. But, after 4 periods of reading out loud & discussing for 30+ minutes, I can say I'm wiped out tonight. I'm teacher-tired, my head hurts, and my throat is sore. Since students are writing tomorrow, I will go to bed early so I can bring my A-game to help prewrite, find text evidence, and form thesis statements. Tomorrow, I will be energized by eager writers and spending time in quiet guidance. Tonight, I will sleep well and hopefully not dream of Bob Ewell. Find more information about the slice of life blogging challenge by Two Writing Teachers at this link.
Kari Straube is working on her second slice of life challenge in 2017. She spends her days with freshmen in rural Iowa & loves helping them grow. Her English teacher husband encourages her book hoarding habits & people do not like helping them move. She can be contacted at [email protected]
1 Comment
I love your beginning - it shows just the context that might make you "teacher-tired!" Your students are fortunate to have someone who will read out loud to them to make sure they are caught up and prepared to tomorrow's assessment!
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The views on this blog are mine alone and do not reflect those of my employer or anyone else. AuthorKari teaches English I to 9th graders (!) and other electives in rural Iowa. Her husband is also an English teacher, and their friends have sworn to never help them move again because "even libraries don't have that many books." Archives
March 2017
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