A Week in the Life of an Elementary School Teacher, Day 5

6:00 a.m.
Today is unusually because I roll out of bed and get dressed in my . . . PAJAMAS! This is one of the most unusual perks of being a teacher - Pajama Day! There aren't too many professionals who get to go to work in their pajamas. If you think casual Fridays are awesome, you haven't experienced pajama Day!

8:00 a.m.
I prep my room as normal.

8:20 a.m.
I attend a meeting for one of my students. It lasts until time for my class to arrive.

8:50 a.m.
My class does an abridged amount of morning work. After morning announcements, I introduce a computer lesson based on a bio poem my students wrote last week in their Literacy Centers.

9:15 a.m.
We go to the Computer Lab to type and format our bio poems. I help all 20 students  present as they work on their individual computers. For the next 30 minutes, I walk back and forth, back and forth, around the room from computer to computer. Second graders aren't fluent on a computer keyboard, so we will have to finish next Friday in Computer Lab.

9:45 a.m.
We come back to the room to practice our reader's theater, but I have to take a few moments to talk with a student who needs some special attention.

10:30 a.m.
A PreK class visits our classroom to hear some of my students perform our reader's theater. We have been working on reading with expression, so it helps to have an audience. I hope by the end of the year my students will not only be reading the play but also creating costumes, props, and cue cards!

11:30 a.m.
My second grade team leaves our campus to go out for lunch. It's a little ray of sunshine in our week to be with each other away from the school, if only for a few moments. Although today, Pajama Day makes it more interesting than usual.

12:20 p.m.
It was a very fast lunch!

After a bathroom break, we have D.E.A.R. (Drop Everything And Read) time and finish Literacy Centers while I test students in reading. I have to do this every 5 days to track if my struggling readers are making progress. This follows up 4 days of working with me in small groups during Literacy Centers.

All of this takes place while a few of my students attend Enrichment, the gifted and talented class.

I also have to deal with another behavior issue during this time.  Classroom management is probably the hardest thing for a new teacher to learn. It is difficult to manage 21 different little personalities. And if a teacher has any students with learning issues or behavior issues, it takes a lot of special attention to balance everyone. I have 14 boys and 7 girls in my class this year, so you can imagine the kind of things that go on each day in my room. We have lots of toots, burps, and sillies!


1:45 p.m.
We take our weekly Phonics test, Unit 4 Reading test, and weekly Math test. The Math test is another that I have to do every 5 days to track the progress of my struggling learners.

2:45 p.m.
We celebrate the end of our Literacy Centers for the week with some GoNoodle videos. It's fun to dance with the kids!

3:00 p.m.
My kids end their week with music. I spend my planning period administering tests to a student who missed them earlier.

3:30 p.m.
Dismissal on Friday is always a little noisier than usual! The students are excited for the weekend.

4:00 p.m.
My last tutoring session of the week

5:30 p.m.
I have lots to do to prepare for next week, but my husband is making fajitas. I'll have to return over the weekend to complete my work.

6:00 p.m.
My evening is filled with fajitas, Wheel of Fortune, Candy Crush, a movie, and some T.V.

As tired as I am, I can't sleep. At least I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow!