Diana Reid Blog 5 Routman (2003), Ch. 12: You Only Have So Much Time

Routman suggest that one should spend their time wisely.  She also recommends thinking about instructional goals and customizing instruction for students.  Experience is helpful as well for knowing what will or won’t work.  Using activities that are applicable to the students’ learning and is student driven are more effective.  Recently, I have been using class made books to help my students practice reading Nursery Rhyme and to know how to handle a book properly.  Routman advises using teacher made books for guided reading, which is exactly what these books are for.

Creating opportunities for our students to become independent requires the teacher to implement activities that are simple and need little teacher directives.  Transitional periods should be teachable moments.  While waiting for our pictures to be taken with Santa, I will bring a basket of books for my students to read.  This is a wonderful opportunity for students to participate in IR. 

I am so grateful to Routman for giving me permission to read the comics again.  Any minute I have free, I feel obligated to read work related information.  From page 217, “Make Time for Personal and Professional Reading,” I have started to look at my personal reading differently.  For the past three years I have been working towards my plus thirty, never giving attention to my personal interest.   Recently my husband mentioned how The Wall Street Journal has a subscription deal, six months for ninety-nine dollars.  Articles in this newspaper are very well written.  With how much reading I do for work, I usually save The Wall Street Journal for vacations or holidays.  Well, guess what is sitting on the counter waiting for me to read?  Yes, the Wall Street Journal!  After finishing my write up for chapter twelve, I can read the article that my husband just shared with me.  Wow, this is how reading can be in my classroom!  Now I do not have to feel guilty for reading information that does not relate to education specifically. 

Towards the end of the chapter, the author also recommended mentoring.  This gives educators opportunities to learn and teach each other skills that may require an in-service.  Working together with other educators in planning to help with creativity is very helpful in saving time.