Caroline Smith - Blog Post #3: "You Only Have So Much Time"

TIME is a fascinating thing to me, especially as a teacher. Most days I bounce back and forth between complaining that I need more time and wishing time would fly by (especially when the kids are in rare form). Most days I am not leaving the school until about 5:00 but I have gradually been working on leaving earlier and earlier. It is so important for teachers (and everyone) to take time for themselves – to spend time with their family and friends, figure out and do things that make them happy, and just enjoy life. It seems like time is slipping by with all of the demands that are put on educators: testing, curriculum development and trainings for various things. While I know that these things are important, it sometimes becomes hard to find a happy balance of personal and professional lives and responsibilities.

While taking time for ourselves is important, Routman also discusses how important time is in the classroom as well. The teacher guides and manuals that we have should be used as a resource to help guide our instruction but it doesn’t have to completely control it. I can personally say that I do use my teaching guides and implement parts of them, but I use my own judgement and common sense to determine what works best for my students. Routman states that we all invest more energy when a task is pleasurable which is important to remember because my students will not be joyful in their learning if I am not setting a joyful example.