{photo a day}: daily routine + a post

9. Daily routine
{my teaching schedule}
January 9, 2012

Yes, I write one of these out every day.

It’s how I organize and try to get everything in. In all honestly, I never get everything done that I want to in a day, but it’s always better to have too much instead of too little. I usually just end up pushing things onto the next day, and then the next and the next, until Friday, when I hardly have to plan at all. Then I’m playing catch-up and it’s just the way it’s gotta be.

Mondays are pretty brutal. Mainly because my kids have no special (i.e. art, music, gym) and I have to be on my game all day long. But when I think about it, I’d rather have Monday be my hard day, than any other. At least it’s all smooth sailing from here (most of the time)!

It was a good day today, despite it being a Monday.

I read one of my very favorite books to the kids this morning, Blueberries for Sal. Do you know it? If not, it’s a must read to all children. So fun and sweet. It’s by Robert McCloskey, who also wrote the famous Make Way for Ducklings. Now that’s a classic.

I’m waiting for the sky to actually drop some flakes before I read another one of my favorites: SNOW by Uri Shulevitz (such a great story).

And if you don’t know about Elephant and Piggie— YOU SHOULD. My kids are crazy about them and I think they’re hilarious too. We are HUGE Mo Willems fans in 1st grade. All his books are awesome. And so great for teaching expression and reader’s theatre (which is basically where the kids act out the story like a play). Every single student in my class (counting last year’s too!) simply cannot get enough of these characters. And any time I need to give a gift to a child, one of these books will be it.

{If you’re a teacher, check here for a fun teaching guide.}

Lastly, we had children’s book illustrator, Sarah Brannen, come to talk to our class today about what the process is like to illustrate children’s books. She even has written one story of her own.  It was great for the kids to see and hear the process, and I enjoyed it too.

So there’s a little peak into my day and a pretty typical one at that. Nothing fancy, but we have fun.

If you can see my schedule, is it the way you remember it? One thing that might interest you is that I don’t do worksheets, but I do do a LOT of real reading. I read aloud and my kids are reading to themselves and to each other constantly throughout the day. I wasn’t taught this way when I was younger, but it’s what I believe to be the best way to teach my students now– and they seem to be thriving.

If there is one thing I want my students to get out of first grade, it’s a love of books and a passion for reading.

And I think I’m on my way to doing just that.