March/April Blog-You Only Have So Much Time

The title of this chapter drew me to it immediately!  I am always saying that there is so much to teach but that I only have so much time.  I loved the part about living an interesting life.  It helps teachers understand that it is ok to leave work at a reasonable hour. It explains that there should be no guilt about that!  I also like how they talked about thinking.  Currently, the majority of my planning occurs in my thoughts.  I think about what I want to do for a long time before I create a lesson.  The 'Trust Your Own Experiences to Help You Plan Well' section was encouraging.  I feel like I do this pretty well.  I always reflect on how a lesson went and change it based off of what would have worked better.  I do feel like I struggle with the 'Keep Work Meaningful' section.  There are many lessons that call for written work, however, sometimes I forget to only do what will be meaningful and get rid of the other 'stuff.'  I have observed many teachers 'Use Transitional Periods as Teaching Times.'  As a music teacher, I don't have as many of these.  However, I have seen Mrs. Simmons and Mrs. Barwick do this very thing many times!  It is encouraging to be able to read a text and immediately thing of colleagues who embody what the text is trying to get across.  I have learned a lot about transitional times from these teachers, just from simple observation!  The 'Mystery Word' section was also interesting!  This can be easily incorporated with the word wall!  I have recently re-discovered the benefits of making time for personal reading.  I felt so busy that I hadn't taken any time to do any pleasure reading.  As soon as I picked my book up, I felt so relaxed...it's amazing what a little reading can do for someone!