5:45 First of many alarms go off (I'm terrified of oversleeping)...start thinking about getting out of bed.
6:00ish Actually get out of bed and start the getting ready process.
Our dining space. I eat the exact same cereal for breakfast every day! :)
Roommate calendar - a necessity with three people living under the same roof! I am so thankful for my sweet roommates!
7:00ish Leave the house on my bike (about 12 minutes to arrive at school). Lately I have also been getting on the bus to get to school. The commute length is about the same but the bus is much warmer. :)
My view on the way to work (if I am biking or walking).
7:20ish Work in my classroom and get as much as done before I hear the sound of students in the hall.
8:00 Students arrive and have time to play outside (teachers - don't we all love the idea of students running around before school starts?! Gets some of their energy out!)
8:15 Morning announcements come on and we start each day with a Scripture verse and updates from our head of school. Then my students write in their journals and share with the class. Here are a few of my favorite journal entries:
I love Bible because I love God and I love the stories.
I love number sentences.
I love globes because globes teach me about the earth.
I love how Miss Smith teaches. :)
8:35 Morning Prayer - I wish every single one of you could be a fly on the wall for this! It is the sweetest thing to hear their prayer requests (and praises)! Nothing is too small -- as reminded by the old hymn, we "take it to the Lord in prayer." They often pray for their parents, siblings and grandparents, for everyone to have a good day, for anyone who is out sick, for everyone to do well on a test, for loose teeth to come out, for cats, dogs and all manner of other animals. Here are some of my favorites:
"pray for Miss Smith's voice to come back on" (gotta love laryngitis)
"pray for all snuffly noses" (this is how one of my students says "stuffy")
"praise that my dad caught a frog outside our house"
"praise that everyone in my family is healthy"
8:40 Begin Calendar. We start by reading the daily Morning Message on the board. My students are crazy for "Wacky Wednesday." They love to find my mistakes and fix them! Then we talk about days of the week, months of the year, weather and how many days we've been in school.
8:50 Math lesson. So far this year we've done numbers 1-10, number bonds, addition, subtraction, shapes, 3-D shapes, ordinal numbers, and numbers 11-20.
8:50 Math lesson. So far this year we've done numbers 1-10, number bonds, addition, subtraction, shapes, 3-D shapes, ordinal numbers, and numbers 11-20.
9:45 Snack - by this point in the morning, we all need a little break!
9:55 Reading lessons. We've been doing all short vowels and CVC words, and we're starting to work on digraphs. Of course we're also reading together and discussing story elements, making predictions, main idea, and other comprehension skills.
11:15 Specials (art, P.E. music, library, Hungarian) A note about Hungarian: the students go to different teachers for this. The native Hungarian speakers have their own class, and students who are learning Hungarian as a second language have a separate class. Some of my ELL (English language learners) do not take Hungarian at all and they receive ELL instruction doing this time.
12:00 Lunch and Recess
1:00 Science/Social Studies/Bible - In Bible we have been learning about creation, Adam and Eve, Noah's ark, and Abraham and Sarah. For each unit, the students are responsible for memorizing a Bible verse and reciting it.
For Social Studies and Science we alternate units throughout the year. In Social studies we've done transportation, and maps/globes/cardinal directions. In science we've done an introductory science unit and now we're learning about problem solving and how engineers use materials to solve problems.
2:15 Afternoon recess
2:35 Science/Social Studies/Bible continued
For Social Studies and Science we alternate units throughout the year. In Social studies we've done transportation, and maps/globes/cardinal directions. In science we've done an introductory science unit and now we're learning about problem solving and how engineers use materials to solve problems.
2:15 Afternoon recess
2:35 Science/Social Studies/Bible continued
3:35 Dismissal
Each day after school I usually have something going on:
Monday I have "Survival Hungarian" class at school with the other newbie teachers, Tuesdays I have Bible study, and on Wednesdays we have our after school meetings (alternating elementary team, all staff, PLCs, etc.)
On Thursdays and Fridays, I am free after school. I usually try to make Thursday the day I stay later
so that I don't have to stay as late on Friday. This is where I usually am on Thursday and Friday afternoons, at my computer desk, working on lesson plans, grades, emails and a million other things! The to-do list is always growing and never-ending! (My dad took pictures of me in my classroom when he visited...such a dad thing to do!) :)
You'll notice the cards and pictures all around my cabinets, this is what it's like to have girls in my class again! Also this group of students is especially artistic and creative! They LOVE to color and draw in their free time and they're always creating little things, for me and for each other. It's really sweet!
Funny/weird/interesting things about my life here:
Each day after school I usually have something going on:
Monday I have "Survival Hungarian" class at school with the other newbie teachers, Tuesdays I have Bible study, and on Wednesdays we have our after school meetings (alternating elementary team, all staff, PLCs, etc.)
On Thursdays and Fridays, I am free after school. I usually try to make Thursday the day I stay later
so that I don't have to stay as late on Friday. This is where I usually am on Thursday and Friday afternoons, at my computer desk, working on lesson plans, grades, emails and a million other things! The to-do list is always growing and never-ending! (My dad took pictures of me in my classroom when he visited...such a dad thing to do!) :)
You'll notice the cards and pictures all around my cabinets, this is what it's like to have girls in my class again! Also this group of students is especially artistic and creative! They LOVE to color and draw in their free time and they're always creating little things, for me and for each other. It's really sweet!
Funny/weird/interesting things about my life here:
- I have a whole folder on my iPhone labeled "Hungary" - it has Google translate, a currency conversion app, a metric conversion app, DuoLingo (language learning app), the BKK app (for the public transit in the city) and my DreamDays app (countdown app!)
- I can't listen to Pandora in this country which is a shame because I have spent years curating my favorite stations!
- We don't have a tv. I have watched exactly 2 movies on Netflix since I moved here: Life is Beautiful and Mamma Mia. I have been watching Brooklyn 99 on the weekends only as a special treat!
- I have a Hungarian phone number that is 11 digits long and starts with a plus sign.
- I turned my phone on silent on the airplane when I left and I have never turned the ringer back on because no one calls me here! And if I have a phone call with someone from the states, it's scheduled!
- The most commonly used way to get in touch with people in my little community is the Facebook messenger app, because every single person has it (and not everyone has iMessage or other texting apps)
- I don't miss driving or having a car at all but I miss singing in my car!
- Teachers: I am using the Class Dojo app with my class this year for the first time and I am really loving it!
Enjoyed these details so much. After the country code we have nine digit phone numbers! Another odd thing - eggs are sold in a box of six or ten!
ReplyDeleteOur eggs are too, I should have included that! I could do a separate post on the grocery store, lol!
DeleteYou are busy. I had to take a nap after just reading your schedule.
ReplyDeleteLOL, Daddy! I can just see you napping in your chair -- I mean, resting your eyes. See you in 30 days! :) :) :)
DeleteWe used Class Dojo last year at my other school. What I loved about it was the students had access to the website as well as the parents. This helped to keep the students accountable when they were starting to slip. Didn't as well for middle school, but the elementary kids LOVED it! Hope you are doing well!!!
ReplyDeleteThat's cool! I have wondered what it would be like if my students were older! I am pretty sure mine just look at the pictures on their parents' devices. I hope your school year is going well! :)
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