Just Another Week in the Life of an Elementary School Teacher

This is my niece and a good representation of the kind of week I just had.

You should have seen me last night as I pulled into my garage at 7:30. The phrase "you look like you've been hit by a truck" would probably have crossed your mind. Another week of grades and parent-teacher conferences is finally over for me. If you are, or have ever been a teacher, you would know exactly what I mean by that, and I could end my post here. But for those of you who haven't, let me enlighten you a little to our world. Now, I am not complaining, mind, because I am fully aware that in any job there are stressful and busy times when you just have to work long days. This was just one of those times for me.

On a normal workday, I leave for work at 7:15 a.m. and when I arrive at school, spend 30-45 minutes preparing for the school day. Then begins the 7 hours when students are at school during which I teach an average of 13 lessons and guide the practice from the things I've taught, all with only about a 20 minute break for lunch. After the students leave, I spend about 1 1/2 to 3 hours cleaning up for the day and preparing for the next day. I do get an a couple of hours of prep time when students are with a PE specialist which is spread throughout the week. Oh, joy.

Now, on Parent/Teacher conference week, on Monday and Tuesday, AFTER doing all of the above, I enter grades for each of my students, of which there are 24. Each student takes about 30 minutes to gather all the assessments together, decide on an appropriate grade in about 20 different areas, print out their report, and get their folder ready to show parents. I get to go home, then, just in time to watch the news and go to bed.

Then, on Wednesday and Thursday, AFTER doing all of my regular duties except get ready for the next day (no time), I haul my stuff to the lunchroom to meet with parents for 3-4 hours. Then I go back to my room, get ready for the next day, and drag myself home to go to bed for a few hours before the madness starts again.

What about Friday, you say? Well, my plan was to get everything organized and done for next week in a couple of hours so I could get home early. The kids go home at 1:30 on Fridays. But due to the many things I put off so that I could be ready for conferences, I ended up staying at work until almost 7, then dragging my exhausted frame home, forgoing exercising once again and eating some fast food that was all I had the energy to get for dinner, and collapsing on the couch for a couple of hours. Bedtime was 10:30. How's that for the glamorous single life?

So, no, I'm not complaining. But I am seriously glad the week is over and wondering what in the world I was thinking when I majored in elementary ed at BYU. Shouldn't the guidance counselor warn you about the specifics of the job you're getting into BEFORE you invest all your money and time into getting that degree?

But, then, I DO get to work with adorable, loving first graders all day....hmmmm......

Everybody Was Kung Fu Fighting!

We all know that hearing a song can bring back vivid memories - I was reminded of this again last night. I was having dinner at Paradise Bakery with a couple of friends (by the way, amazing food), and as one of them was telling us about her niece's wedding, I heard the opening musical phrase to "Kung Fu Fighting". Suddenly it was just like in the movies where the conversation soundtrack fades into the background and the music soundtrack volume goes up. My attention was divided for a few seconds between the story being told in the present and my memory of standing in a 4th grade classroom with 3 teacher friends, choreographing a clogging dance that we would perform in front of the whole school. My smile on the outside was small but my smile on the inside was huge. I love memories.

Just in case you need to be reminded of that song, I put a link to a video on YouTube. Sorry I have not yet figured out how to get it right in my post.

Kung Fu Fighting (minus the clogging)

Kisses in My Head

Yep - I get all my wisdom from nieces and nephews under the age of 10.

I was driving my 3 1/2 year old nephew to WalMart on Saturday and I began humming a tune. He asked what the song was, and I told him I made it up in my head. I asked if he ever made up songs in his head. He told me that he didn't have any songs in his head. Then, after a pause of a few seconds he said "MY head is full of kisses!"

I can attest to that, being the beneficiary of some of those kisses of his. I hope that my own head can be a little more full of kisses.