A Day in the Life

This post is my contribution to the #MTBoS Blogging Initiative! I'm writing about a day in the life of being a middle school math teacher. This happens to be about yesterday:

5:00- Alarm goes off, turn off quickly so I don't bug my husband too much.

5:15- Check my phone. There is a morning Twitter Chat #BFC530 (Breakfast Club 5:30) that I like to follow.

5:30- Get in the shower, get dressed, start hair/makeup

6:05- Help my husband get my daughter up, dressed. Pack lunch, pour my orange juice (pregnancy craving!)

6:25- Leave the house, drive hubby to the train

6:40- Natalie and I are on our way!

7:15- Arrive at daycare, drop off Natalie

7:30- Arrive at school. Park in one of the reserved "pregnancy parking spots" right outside of school. So nice for my school to be so thoughtful! Get to my classroom, start preparing for the day. Look at my calendar, check Twitter, check email. Look over my plans for today (changing fractions to decimals). Students will use dry erase boards to practice. Think about my questions, anticipate common misconceptions. Plan out my sequence of questioning to lead students through the basic skill of changing a fraction to a decimal to the point of making a connection between the value of a fraction/decimal. My goal for the lesson is for students to make sense of the relationship between fractions and decimals and their place on a number line. 

8:10- Students start arriving. Stand in the halls to greet kids.

8:15-9:04 Personal Plan period. Looking ahead at planning. Think about a "check of understanding" for tomorrow (quiz). Get called to office to help figure out sub coverage for later in the day. Back to my classroom, finish planning. Work on my blog post for Friday (participating in #D100BloggerPD, "What Inspires You?" Check out my contribution tomorrow!)

Stand in the hall for passing period

9:07-9:52- "Advanced Math" class with my 6th grade kiddos. They are doing great with changing fractions to decimals. Making the connection between the two and able to put on a tape diagram/double number line. Going over why 2/3 shows up as 0.666666667 on the calculator. (so many kids want to write that "7," so they need a lot of experiences decimals that round at the end on the calculator screen). While teaching this lesson and doing formative assessment while watching students work on individual dry erase boards, and giving feedback.

I'm also walking around and logging iPads back in with a new Apple ID password (the old one was compromised) and doing the new iOS update. (Love our tech, this upkeep is not often, but necessary).

((Today is a "low tech" day today, but another way I love to have students working and giving feedback is with Class Kick. Read more here!))

Stand in the hall for passing period

9:55-10:40 "Regular 6th Grade Math"- New group of kiddos. This class is co-taught with my friend, Angela, a special education teacher. We have several students with IEPs in our co-taught classes. I love the diversity and welcome the co-teaching model and relationship. It can be so fun to have another adult in the room! We can get to so many more kids to give individual feedback on their work on dry erase boards today.

Stand in the hall for passing period

10:43-11:28 Planning Period. Today we have a "vertical collaboration meeting" which is a planning meeting we have twice a month with all the math teachers and co-teachers in all grades (6-8). We have invited our principal to this meeting because we want to chat about some curriculum concerns. We have adopted CMP3 and love it! But it is a very dense curriculum and we have some planning needs. 

Stand in the hall for passing period

11:31-12:01- Lunch. Today, it's in my room while I check/reply to email. Check some math education blogs. Check Twitter and our school hashtag, #engageFMS.

Stand in the hall for passing period

12:06-12:51 Another Regular 6th Grade Math, co-taught. This is a big class with lots of needs. Challenging, but fun. Also, today is "Sticker Day" according to Days of the Year. I give all of my students 2 stickers today. Middle Schoolers love stickers! 

Stand in the hall for passing period

12:54-1:39 Another Regular 6th Grade Math, co-taught. Smaller class, still lots of needs, still fun!

Stand in the hall for passing period

1:42-2:27 Coaching period. Look for resources for teachers. Send emails to teachers. Look at #educoach chat. They are doing a book study on Better Conversations by Jim Knight. I might ask my principal if I can get a copy (it's a little pricey, or I would just buy it). I have sooo many books I want to read right now! Teach Like a Pirate and Learn Like a Pirate are both started, but need to finish. Also participating in a book study about Move You Bus and one about the book Culturally Responsive Teaching and the Brain.

2:30-3:17- Coaching period. I'm working with a 7th grade teacher in her 9th period class. She is so open to having me visit this period and talking with me. I'm excited to try some co-planning strategies. I also am going to try some video reflections with her, so I use my iPad to video a 5-min portion of her lesson. 

3:18- Race out of the building to get to our main office building for a meeting about our upcoming student led conference called "SIT."

3:30-4:30 Meet about upcoming conference and the logistics. 

4:35- Pick up Natalie at daycare.

5:10- Arrive at grocery story by our house. Natalie is not really in the mood to shop, but we need groceries. Try to bribe her with goldfish crackers. It is mildly working, but I know I have limited time to grab what we need.

5:20- Get a call from hubby. Train he normally takes and walks home from is not running. He needs to take a train to a nearby town. I will need to pick him up. AHHH! I have frozen stuff I need to take home.

5:35- Get in line at grocery store. Natalie is about to lose it. Temper tantrum while putting on coat. Carry screaming 19-month old with one hand while pushing cart with other to car. Put her in car (not easy!)

5:45- Arrive home, carry in groceries. Carry in kid. Put away frozen stuff. Race up to bathroom (pregnant, need to go!), change N's diaper. Put her back in car on way to pick up hubby.

6:20- Arrive at train station in different town. Pick up hubby. We are all starving. Natalie normally eats at 5:45! I was going to make tacos, but now it will be pretty late when we drive the 20 mins home. Decide to go to Chick-fil-a for dinner. 

6:50- Eat dinner. Enjoy this time with my little family. Natalie is pretty funny at dinner and my husband and I just get such a kick out of watching her. Tonight she is trying to put some Cheerios on a fork (and mildly successful!). Get milkshake (because, pregnant!) :)

7:45- Get home, get N ready for bed.

8:00- N's bedtime. She's not into it. Lay with her for a while then take her to crib. She goes to sleep. Check Twitter.

8:30- I'm tired too! Decide to go to bed now! If you are pregnant, you need this pillow. Whew, what a day! 

(Not a pic of me! Just showing the awesome "Snoogle" pillow!)