March Blog Post Ashley Smith- You Only Have So Much Time

From the moment I opened this chapter of the book I was taken in. It made me think of the time I was told that I was working harder then my students! That thought has stayed with me since. All I do is think about my students. I think about how smart they are, how they interact with me as  well as their peers, I even think of them while I am out shopping. Rarely do I buy things for my own children because I am always thinking of what my students needs are.
While reading the chapter something the author said stuck with me, " We are not only role models for learning; we are role models for living." The authors gives excellent tips for being those types of roles models. We have to remember that we do teach our students how to live. We talk to them about our personal experiences and they make connections to us. In order to show them how we are role models for learning, some of the key things we can do in the classroom  to maximize instructional time includes; spending most of out time thinking, trusting out experiences, keeping work simple and meaningful, using all time to teach and assess, and keeping a lively pace. All these ideas will help us as teachers to dispose of downtime and unwanted behavior issues.