April/May- Alisha Bridges - You Only Have So Much Time

This is the chapter I needed to read. As a working mother, who always strives for perfection in professional endeavors, I find very little opportunity to carve out time for myself. I liked the advice to "be an interesting person" in addition to trying to be the best teacher you can be. Students do notice our whole selves, and we need to be an example to them that hard and rewarding work pays off in ways that make life enjoyable. Make that time and do the things you want to do for yourself was advice I plan to heed. Encouraging teachers to think more than do was a great example of how teachers can spend less hours at work, but achieve more. Keeping the work meaningful, ensuring that students can do independent work independently, and making use of all time you have in the classroom would also help this happen. When reading this, I couldn't help notice how this goes hand in hand with the message of teaching with urgency. The meaningful work happening before the bell rings was also a section that caught my attention. This is right on target with our school encouraging the Morning Meeting. It allows students to share and talk and converse and mentally prepare for their day just as we do when we come to work. Lessening mandatory assignments first thing in the morning could cut down on copies made and on grading to take home. I'd rather do those assignments that were going to give me insight into my students instructional needs later in the day, when they are fully awake, and when I can get them into small groups and actually observe their thinking as they complete the assignment rather than just what they marked on the paper to finish in the allotted time. Finding that balance between work and personal life and fitting it all in to the best of your ability is hard. I welcome any advice that can help me juggle these things more effectively, and I happened to find many great ideas in this chapter.