Summer School

Day Two of Summer School:

Although I have the largest summer school class in the school (14 students enrolled), this has been my most positive experience yet. I'm finally organized, prepared, and armed for anything summer-school-related. Last year, when I foolishly expected given curriculum and/or general expectations on what I was to teach, I found myself scrambling for something to fill what seemed like an eternal four hours of school. Now, my students are saying, "We go home now?" as if we'd only been in class for an hour.

For those of you on a similar conflict, here is my schedule:
8:00- Attendance and Sonday System (phonics review program)
8:30- Computer
8:55- Journal writing with Mix-Pair-Share
9:30- Centers (while I pull them for reading fluency testing)
9:55- Reading of decodable book, copied so they can take home
10:30- Make Your Own (a time where we make our own flashcards)
10:50- Math (On a stroke of pure genius, I have purchased a set of playing cards for each student from the dollar store. Each day, I teach them a new review game they can play with the cards. Then, they can take it home and practice the games... So far, so good!)
11:30- Lunch
11:50- Review
12:00- Dismissal

P.S. I am picking up my dog at 2:30 today! News to come on that front, I suspect!

What day is it?

So, twenty five third graders will be showing up at my door in less than two days, and I am sitting in my classroom on a Saturday (or, more honestly, making frequent trips from the classroom to the teacher's lounge). For those of you numb to the pains of the teacher, this is not a rare occurence. I am not the only teacher here this Saturday: there are two sixth grade teachers, three second grade teachers, two first grade teachers, two fourth grade teachers, and possibly more locked inside their classrooms, plus our principal and vice principal. Also, if I were to compare the Saturdays I spent at school last year to the Saturdays I didn't spend at school, the former would greatly outweigh the latter. The sad thing is that if you were to ask me how I spent these Saturdays, the answer would be unsatisfactory: preparing. How can you spend THAT much time doing prep work? I would tell you it's because of my rather limited experience, but veteran teachers do the same.

Here's to your Saturday. May it be void of all work. Live it up so teachers can have something to experience vicariously.