May 6, 2011

How many days until summer again?

Is anyone else just plain EXHAUSTED these days?  We have another month of school left, and I just may not make it!  My kids aren't really misbehaving or anything, but I'm just exhausted by a lot of the little things lately.  My current sources of exhaustion...

Is anyone else thinking seriously of changing their name because theirs is SO TIRED OUT from being called out one billion times a day?!?  "Miss Teacher!  Miss Teacher!  Miss Teacher!"  Seriously, kids, before you shout out my name, please for the love of god try to solve the problem yourself.  Because 9 times out of 10, when you shout out, "Miss Teacher!  I didn't get a handout!" it's right there at your desk.  EXHAUSTING.

Also, why is it that the copier is ALWAYS out of staples whenever I am running a million packets of things?  I was copying my literacy handout packets yesterday (Thursday = copy day...hooray...) plus a reading guide, a response journal, and an interact guide for our new social studies unit.  We are starting a Westward Expansion Interact that is completely outside of the social studies series, and I am having the students do a lot of cool simulations and responses.  But I like everything neatly stapled together...and there were no staples in the copier.  Cut to me stapeling about 100 different things together...EXHAUSTING.

Are the routines in anyone else's room UNRAVELING a bit?  Our Daily 3 (read more about it here) literacy block structure used to run like a well-oiled machine.  It's not BAD now or even falling apart...but some things need to be improved.  For example, when I take the "status of the class" before a rotation (call everyone's name so they can tell me what they're choosing for the rotation, and record it on my checklist), I am so sick of kids WHISPERING their choice.  I CANNOT HEAR YOU!  Seriously, I know these kids can speak up!  Come. on.  EXHAUSTING.

I am fully of the belief though that when it comes to management, I set the tone in the room.  More often than not when we have an off day it is because I am off, and I try to own that.  So today and yesterday I put a "hold" on guided reading and just focused on reteaching/practicing the Daily 3 routine.  We made a new chart of things to work on, reviewed it, and talked about things that went well/things to improve after every rotation.

Our regular Daily 3 anchor charts...


Things we really need to work on fixing in Daily 3...

This helps SO MUCH, not only in Daily 3 but in any area where the kids are struggling with routines.  It is the most important thing I learned from my first year teaching.  Things are never too bad to be fixed in the classroom--pausing learning and taking time to reteach is so beneficial in the long run.  It may be what gets us to June!

Since I am feeling just a bit burned out lately, I decided to do something fun and organize another cabinet.  :)  Okay, it was fun for me.  Soothing really.  Don't make fun.

My beautifully organized science and social studies cabinet!  Don't worry, I totally showed this off to multiple other teachers.  I am always grateful when people feign excitement over this type of thing for my benefit. ;)

Teachers, what is exhausting YOU these past few weeks??  

5 comments:

  1. You are just such an organizational goddess! And I am on the flip side from you... summer! AAahhhhhh! run away, run away! hide while i still can! lol

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  2. I am not a teacher but I had to laugh when I read about being tired of your name being said...I used to always work summer camps and that would drive me crazy by the end...even worse...they really did call me teacher and I just wanted to be like "I AM NOT A TEACHER" haha! its safe to say that those camps kept me from ever truly wanting to be a teacher so I am truly amazed at your work :)

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  3. Oh I'm with ya!! (We have 23 1/2 kid days but who's counting?!)

    I feel like some of my students have completely forgotten every routine and every expectation that have been in place since September 7! It's frustrating and soooo tiring!

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  4. Oh the things that the kids do to exhaust me - mostly the grade twos, with whom I've been rehearsing a dramatized production of the poem "Adventures of Isabel," are acting up like crazy. Fighting, attitude that I never knew could come from 7-year-olds, one girl attempting to change her clothes (into her costume) in the middle of the room and screaming when the boys looked at her, fits of anger involving children ripping up paper... I was so excited when we finished our literacy block each day.

    This is Elmo, btw. I'll email you soon, I promise! I've been reading your blog whenever you post on it though.

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  5. Yes, yes, and yes. I am slowly going insane. I know the worst is yet to come because we're just getting into the swing of testing. After spring break, the kids came back crazier than ever.

    Ugh...but we'll make it! 19 days on my end...it doesn't sound as bad when I put it that way...

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