You Only Have So Much Time
If I only got a nickel for each time I've said or heard this statement!!! Routman seems to 'get it' about the need for teachers to be well rounded people. I've always struggled to 'get everything done' while I'm at school because I like to have interests outside of teaching when I leave the building. She says that, "Staying till six or seven each evening doesn't necessarily make us more effective teachers" and "Our students will not become better readers because we create fabulous projects and centers, give them lots of paperwork, and grade lots of papers" (pg 202) I needed to hear this!
The funny thing is, prior to this chapter, I thought Routman was pretty practical, but I didn't identify with her much on a personal level. Then she said this; I spend a lot of time planning for teaching and learning, but it is mostly thinking. That's me! I don't stay up until midnight grading, but I will wake up in the night thinking about how to get a student to stay on task, or what to do about a difficult teaching concept. I also think, "How can I help them know and understand it?" (pg. 203)
She talks about the lack of time we have, and how to use it teaching and accessing, but then on page 209 she talks about starting the day in a relaxed way. She mentions talking with a friend, writing a letter to a friend, reading anywhere in the room. This is a huge shift in what we have always done in the morning. It is hard to access attendance and breakfast/lunch count when students are all over the classroom. I may be an "over thinker" when I think about writing a friend a letter- but to me that creates a divide between students. One student may get ten letters, another may get zero. Then the note passing can carry on all day! I think any one of these options may be doable on certain days; reading to a friend, looking for a book in the classroom library, reading chart poems, singing and chanting big books...but to be honest, it just mostly sounds like a hot mess!! So while the teacher is taking attendance and lunch count, students are singing and chanting, walking around, working in partners, and then announcements come on, Pledge of Allegiance, etc. Sounds very stressful to me! I would love to see this modeled.
I liked how she analyzed the schedules of a couple teachers. She really tries to get teachers to get the most out of their time.
If only a time turner were real!! Teaching is a way of life that consumes us at all times. Thinking about teaching is an important part of preparing, too! As for your concerns about starting the day in a relaxed way being a "hot mess," it all depends on management. I wonder if she is encouraging us to set the stage for an enjoyable day of learning by beginning with enjoyable, meaningful literacy experiences. As a teacher, I was always looking for meaningful literacy activities to start the day, and that's why I left morning work behind in third grade and started each day in kindergarten with independent/partner reading!
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