Kim Riddle - Routman Chapter 12 - You only have so much time

This is my favorite read from the whole class....seriously, I wanted to high five the author for every point that follows.
*It begins with the affirmation that teaching is tough and "Your time is valuable.  Spend it in the most meaningful, productive ways possible."
*Live an interesting life rings loud and clear to me.  Having a life outside of school work is the only way to keep pace and persist.  I adore teaching and getting geeky with the learning but my down time allows me to recharge my battery.  (Although my husband would say my teacher brain never turns off because I am always on the prowl for teachable moments.)
* Trust your own experiences - Teacher's guides and program manuals are resources.  Be selective and choose what works for your students.
* Keep work meaningful and simple - no need to make it convoluted and pointless.  Our students need to be able to use the information they gleam from reading and researching.  If they don't see a point, they won't succeed.
*Make every minute count.-  AMEN!  It is so frustrating to have wasted time.  The day, week, month, and year zoom by so quickly, we don't need to make it worse by pointless down time or busy work.
*Keep a lively pace -"I find that when the lesson is relevant, interesting, and moves along at a good clip, I rarely have to stop and discipline a student." Can I get a hallelujah!!!  I include the elimination of interruptions with this portion too.  Don't try to stop the learning train...we just keep chugging along.  :)
* Build in time to reflect - Truthfully, I stink at keeping up with my reflections.  Sure, I have never taught the same year twice because I am constantly reinventing my game, but physically documenting my thoughts and reflections just has not happened.
Great chapter!  Time well spent!