When you make teachers work until the Friday before Christmas, things start getting ruthless.

Ready for my 32 fourth and fifth graders on Monday! Year 6 was definitely my easiest set-up yet. Not too many changes!

Why is "I could NEVER do that!" considered an appropriate response to "I'm a teacher"?

Me on my next date… Other person: “I'm a banker/lawyer/work at Facebook.” Me: “I could NEVER do that!”

And just like that, year five is over!

 A few (super sappy, kind of braggy…sorry, it’s been a long day!) reflections: 

 1) This letter I received and the idea of giving “myself” to them daily really made an impression on me. Good reminder that academics are important, but the lasting impact we teachers have on our students is based on a lot more than if we cover the content and raise their test scores. Who we are to our core and how we treat students day in and day out is what they (and their families) remember. 

 2) This was personally a VERY hard year for me, but professionally amazing. Tonight, I am extra proud that despite whatever else was in my life, I approached each school day with positivity.

 3) I also spent this week attending middle school graduations of my first ever class of fourth graders. I can’t believe time has flown so quickly (I started this tumblr before I was even a student teacher!), but I also am thankful for the lasting connections to kids. After five years, I’m starting to see the long-term impact we teachers can make. I can’t wait for the high school graduations in four years!

Overall, I am feeling so fortunate for my career. I love these kids and can’t wait for year six (and many more).

It's amazing the difference a few hours makes! Today we spent almost the whole day cleaning the room and getting things ready to go home. Two days left...

"What I did over my summer break": 🐱

Open House ready! (4th/5th grade combo class, Title I public school, ❤️)

Let me get on my soap box about Teacher Appreciation Day for a moment.

First, the fact that there even *is* Teacher Appreciation Day should say something about how we treat our teachers. True “Appreciation” would mean viewing teaching as a professional career and compensating teachers appropriately, not with Starbucks gift cards. There’s a reason there’s no “Doctor Appreciation Day,” even though I’m sure we all appreciate what doctors do.

In practice, Teacher Appreciation Day mostly makes me envious of my friends who work in wealthy public or private schools. Facebook and Instagram are filled with posts of their lavish lunches, gift baskets, massage chairs and latte carts.

Meanwhile, at my Title I public school… My principal wanted us to send the above letter home today. There are so many things that get my blood boiling about it.

I’m sorry, but hand sanitizer and printer paper are not an Appreciation gift. I might need toilet paper and dish soap, but I’m not going to request them for my birthday.

And it's a little tacky to co-opt a “Day” to try to get supplies, right?

But honestly, I don’t even blame the principal for the letter. More than anything, it makes me sad that we teachers are not provided with the BASIC supplies we need to do our jobs. That the only way we can get soap and paper is to guilt them out of our families who are already struggling to provide for themselves.

My school ran out of paper in February. My students need tissues. Why aren’t all the politicians and corporate sponsors who advertise their support and “Appreciation” of teachers doing anything about this?

Loving my new shirt! (https://www.booster.com/this-teacher-believes)

Teacher Workload: My Experience

I’m sitting in bed mentally preparing to go back to work tomorrow, after nearly three weeks off for holiday break.  For the first time in my entire career, I did almost no work over break.  I made a couple copies and checked Instagram, but that big pile of work I took home...nope, none of that got done.  But I'm not worried. Tomorrow will be a great day.

I’m a fifth year teacher.  I’ve taught in the same school, in the same classroom, for the entire time.  I’ve taught 4th grade for all five years and am teaching 5th for the first time this year (I have a combo).  I feel like I finally have enough experience to reflect on a popular topic in the world of education: teacher workload.

It’s hard to talk about workload in general terms, because it is going to be different for different teachers.  It does depend on subject and school and experience.  But even with that caveat, I’m going to do a little generalizing...

1. Student Teachers: Prepare To Work A Lot

I believe student teaching is an amazing experience to prepare for having your own classroom (see my post here).  But in order for it to be meaningful, you need to be ready to put in the hours.  Spend as much time as possible in your classroom.  I know, I know.  You have class and assignments and credentialing requirements and maybe a job and a family.  But the more you experience now, the more prepared you will be for being on your own.  Be meaningful with your time...don’t spend time stressing over assignments and tests.   If you put your heart into it, you will pass and get your credential.  Almost everyone does, and complaining about silly requirements won’t do your spirit any favors.  Stay positive, but be prepared for student teaching to be your life.

2. First (and Second) Year Teachers: Prepare To Work Even More

So many people pressure first year teachers to have a “healthy” work-life balance.  They chastise early teachers for staying late and coming in early.  I’m going to advise the complete opposite.

Having your own classroom is hard and stressful.  But it is less stressful if you give yourself the time to truly prepare for each day.  My first couple years, I basically lived in my classroom.  I stayed ‘til 9 on Friday nights.  But when I was with the kids, I felt confident and prepared.  My room was organized and my lessons were well-planned. That allowed me to develop the skills as I teacher I still use.  Moreover, I started amassing a set of high-quality lessons and projects I could use in the future.

Nobody tells Law School or Med School students and interns that they should work less or take it easy.  We understand that they are working hard and sacrificing things in their personal lives to develop the knowledge and skills they will use throughout their career.  I think we need to apply the same view to early teachers.

Everything I’ve written so far aligns with the idea that teaching is a lot of work and that work-life balance is a struggle.  But I have good news...

3. It Gets (A Lot) Better

During my third year, I worked a lot.  I came early and stayed later, but had more flexibility with my time.  I had to work some late nights, but could choose which nights.  If I had plans one afternoon or was going away one weekend, I made it work without much stress.

Then, this crazy thing happened my fourth year.  I slowly stopped working so many hours.  I had a lot of lessons already in my back pocket.  I was more efficient with my time.  I knew what my kids needed to know and what lessons would come next.  My classroom was well-organized.  I was teaching better than I ever had, but I was also working far less.

This year is even easier.  I’m teaching a combo and taking on a whole new grade, but I spend so much less time at work.  I still spend occasional late nights at work, but more frequently, I leave whenever I want.  One of my favorite things about teaching now is my flexibility with being able to do the work I need to do when I want to do it.  

Teaching has become sustainable.  I have time for friends and family (granted, I do not have kids yet!  That is a whole different topic!).  I work out frequently and sometimes (gasp!) go home at 3pm just to sit on my couch and watch TV.  I spent an entire vacation not working and am still totally confident about going back to work.

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Everyone has their own experiences and things to balance.  But based on my experience, my advice for people going into teaching in regards to work/life balance and workload is...

Put in those hours early!  Invest that time in your early years, and don’t feel guilty for making teaching your “life”.  That investment WILL pay off (in less time than you think)!

Some highlights from my 4/5 grade class' writing on the election.

Sometimes I really feel like I'm doing this progressive teaching thing right with my fourth and fifth graders. ✔️

Alternatives to Alternative Seating

If you are in the “education” world, you’ve probably heard about alternative or “flexible” seating.  Recently, teachers are moving to get rid of desks and fill classrooms up with alternative seating options.  A quick google search will bring up lots of articles and images.

I’ve had a number of people ask me my opinion on flexible seating.  Since I’m a touchy-feely, let’s-all-sit-in-a-circle-and-talk-about-our-feelings kind of teacher who also loves posting on instagram, hotbed of flexible seating activity (shameless plug, here’s my instagram!), most people expect that I’ve taken the plunge.  In fact, five years ago I student taught at an awesome progressive public school that was doing flexible seating before it was even called that.

But I have no plans to ditch my desks.

In fact, here’s my classroom on the first day of school.  Notice the 30 desks.

(NOTE: This is NOT an anti-flexible seating posts.  I respect and admire many teachers who have made that choice.)

My advice to teachers is....

A class with desks can still be progressive and child-centered.  You can achieve the “benefits” of alternative seating without dumping desks...

You can still offer kids “alternative” seating.

In my classroom, I have pillows, stools, benches, rocking chairs, etc.  I have a couch from IKEA that the kids love.  I have those wiggle chair cushions. 

You can still offer kids choice.

I strongly believe that kids need choice within their classroom!  That’s one of the central beliefs of flexible seating, but you can accomplish this with desks.  Throughout the day, my students get to choose where they work.  During some parts of our day, such as reading, we have a formal routine for this choice.

At other times, I put kids in groups and tell them to find a place to work.  You’ll frequently see kids sprawled across the classroom.

I even lead my students through a routine where they basically get to choose their desk and we make sure everyone in the classroom has a spot that works for them.

Students do not need to spend all day at their desks.

My students spend maybe a half hour a day at their own desk?  No matter what type of furniture a classroom has, I believe that students should be up and moving all day.  In a “typical” day, my students probably work with 3 or 4 different groups, spend time in class meeting on the rug, find a place to read independently, and complete partner work.  Any teacher should reflect on their practice and think of ways to engage students in different kinds of grouping.  This is not dependent on what type of furniture you buy.

Desks can be “flexible” work spaces.

As I see it, desks are these incredibly expensive, super-sturdy work tables.  I put my desks in groups, and kids frequently work at a desk that is not “theirs.”  In my Title I school, we have no budget for furniture and are only provided with desks, so I want to take advantage of these kid-proof surfaces.  Sometimes I question all the money being spent on flexible seating (Donor’s Choose is filled with requests!) rather than on other student-centered projects.

Desks have many benefits.

With 30 students and a classroom full of stuff, I appreciate that every student has a built-in storage cubby.  I like that these tables can hold their books and supplies.  I appreciate that my kids have a “home base” to come to when they enter the classroom in the morning.  I’ve noticed that some of my students really like having a spot of their own, especially since some kids do not have that at home.  Could you achieve these things in a flexible seating classroom?  Sure.  But sometimes, you don’t need to reinvent the wheel.

Like I said, this is not an anti-alternative seating post.  I just wanted to add (and perhaps, push back a little) to the dialogue about “student-centered” classroom setup, from a student-centered and progressive point of view!

First Graders Scare Me

Walking down to lunch...