That is a question I think every teacher asks every
day. In our environment the things that
challenge out time are many times things out of our control. With a young student population of 4 and 5
year olds at any given moment we may be dealing with someone who got sick, someone
who didn’t quite make it to the bathroom, another student with inconsistent
attendance or a student who speaks very little because they do not speak or
understand English. Time is like gold!
So, we are constantly evaluating our time and how we can
make each moment count. For my students,
they can look at books of their choosing during transition times. We have a reading center and as the year goes
on it is great to sit down with a student one on one and read books
together. As the chapter said, we can
learn a lot about our students, their abilities and their interests when we are
able to take the time to do so.
The story about the soldier guarding the bench was a great
illustration and definitely food for thought.
What benches am I guarding? And
why do I not want to let go of them? Is
the reason for me or is it for me or the student?
I loved the bench-guarding image. :-) I don't know about you, but for me, I have found that most of the benches I guard are selfish--they serve me!! Time is--and always will be--a challenge in education, but being able to look at those benches we guard with your critical question--"Is the reason for me or is it for me or the student?"--helps us maximize the time we do have.
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