teacher question
star1123
member
I really need to figure something out for the last half of the school year. I'm drowning! I know so many teachers are drowning with so many new changes - we are doing a total curriculum rewrite with the common core, new textbook, we have implemented ipads in the classroom for every student so that has changed teaching for me, new common assessments, etc. I am BURNED OUT!
Being burning out, I am falling in that rut of so much to do, and then I end up doing nothing. It doesn't help that I obviously now have a two year old, and while so many things are easier, I kind of have less time to get things accomplished. I have tried doing work at nights during the week, but then I'm working until 10pm nonstop - come home, clean, cook dinner, clean up dinner, put Aiden to bed do school work, pass out - rinse, repeat. I can't live like that. Then, I've tried doing all of my work on the weekend, and then I hate the world because I have given up my entire weekend for cleaning and school work.
So, just curious how you do it. What is your schedule for getting work done? How do you do it?
I am an English teacher, so have ridiculous amounts of grading to do.
I've tried blocking off a free period each day and dedicate it to one task. 2nd period - plan for my one class, 4th period - plan for my other class, 9th - grade papers. But then of course some meeting comes up, something happens and then nothing gets done.
Re: teacher question
I switched grade levels and to common core this year. Also pregnant with a 2 year old and my DH works nights. I finally just gave up on housework. Our house is seriously a disaster 90% of the time. DH helps out when he's home with making sure it's sanitary, although messy. You just have to find something that can give and let it go.
Edit: I've started grading as many papers as possible as soon as students hand them in. It's really helped, although much, much, much easier to do with first graders. I don't think I could have done it when I taught upper elem. If it's a short paper, I sit at the table in the middle of the room and grade papers while they finish them. If someone needs help, then I'm right there to help. I've never graded papers while "on the job" before and sometimes I feel bad doing it, but my class is overall well behaved and a little more independent than first graders I've had in the past, so it's worked out. The kids who are finished know they have other projects to work on until everyone else is done, so they don't need a ton of attention.
I'm sorry mama - being a teacher now seems harder than ever with all of the changes due to common core.
I teach Kindergarten, so not *too* much has changed for me (new math program and teacher evaluation system) but I have zero papers to grade and all of my activities have been prepped and created from years past. All I really have to do is photocopy, plan and I also sent activities home with parent volunteers to help me prep (ie cut out 20 hearts out of red construction paper for an upcoming Valentine's Day activity).
Is there any way you can share some school work with a co-worker? Give one less test or paper (or give it and not grade it - just use it for participation or homework?) English is a whole different ball game than Kindergarten. Sorry
My little man at 0-1-2
I think the thing is that I just don't want to sacrifice something at home. I don't want to do one less thing for my job. I know that sounds bad, and might even sound immature, but I just don't want to anymore. I am a very hard worker, type A personality, and am sick of letting my home life suffer because of work. I feel like I don't get paid enough to be working THIS many hours. I am starting to majorly resent my work, and it is affecting things at home. I need to find the middle ground.
Maybe doing one less of something will be the solution. I'm thinking of even staying just a bit late everyday - even 30-45 minutes each day, and doing work there. I think I just need to find a way to not do work at home. Or, if I do work, it is a rare thing, and on a need basis, and not an every night type of thing.
This whole year I have been averaging an hour a night of work, and maybe about three hours on the weekend. That's at least eight hours of time spent at home doing work. If this is what is going to be required of teachers, then I really do feel we should be getting paid a whole lot more.
I did this kind of work my first two years, and it was fine then. But I simply don't have the energy anymore
Lady, I'm in the exact same boat that you are. I'm a high school English teacher, too. We went from blocks to periods this year, so I doubled my number of students (and grading!). We also gave each student a netbook (huge learning curve there), and we are also realigning our curriculum to meet the common core. On top of that, we are also revolutionizing our grading policies, adding academic majors, and participating in something called educational rounds (think interns at a hospital popping in and observing... replace that with teachers popping in at random times to observe... ick). I'm also the student council adviser. On top of all of THAT, I am now a single mom of a two-year old. I struggle to keep it all together daily.
Basically, I set an hour and a half after school to work, and when that hour and a half is up, I leave it all behind and remind myself that it's just a job, my job for the day is over, and I start my other (much more important) job of being a mom. I think we HAVE to take breaks and refuse to let it consume us or else we won't make it! Deep breaths.
I have 6th graders, but do teach language and social studies, so I feel your pain on grading written papers (and common core, etc.). The biggest thing I think I've realized since having Noah is that I can't grade everything. Some things just get a stamp on top and I pass them back. Or I take it out of 5 points. If they wrote in complete sentences and answered the whole thing, they get 5 points. It makes grading so much faster.
Also, with large writing assignments, I've started conferencing with students. For example, say I give them 2 weeks to work on a research project. In that amount of time, I don't have any due dates except the final turn in date. Students work at their own pace and at a certain spot they have to meet with me to conference. On our last assignment, they checked in with me after they completed their outline. I was able to spend a couple of minutes with each student, check how their outline was going, offer suggestions, and then they moved on to writing a rough draft (which two peers needed to check) and then their final draft. When it came time for me to grade the final, *most* of the kinks were worked out between our conference and the peer editors, so it made the grade much easier.
Sorry I wrote a novel, but I completely understand what you're going through. Like Nicole said, it's just a job, and sometimes you just have to let things go because we can't do it all!
Good luck!
I'm with you! I am not in school right now, but I am imagining how it's going to be when I return in April. Honestly, I assigned a lot less when I became a mom. I spent more time on one thing, etc. That has helped. I also realized that I can't really grade in one free period. I only get like 3 essays done and it's depressing. So I use the period just to plan and make copies and do other clerical things like answer email.
About every 3 weeks, I let A stay with my mom until dinner and I stay at school late to grade. Don't know how that will work with two, but I'm guessing it could be done!
Anyway, I am with you. I feel your pain! Nothing like a stack of 120 five page essays to grade!
That is wonderful advice!
My little man at 0-1-2
Just popping in to offer an internet hug. I was teaching K at a super high stress school with no planning period and a million new programs being implemented every year and I cried uncle this past summer and took a year long leave of absence that will soon officially turn into a resignation. I couldn't hack it anymore and still have my sanity or my health. After having a late-term preemie the first time I also wasn't going to risk my current pregnancy by putting myself through the hell that was my former school again.
So, just hugs. Teaching is SO HARD these days. I'm not sure if or when I will ever go back.
Wow...I can't believe the union allows this! In my school, if they even try the "teachers evaluating teachers" thing, the union throws a sh!tfit.
Not evaluating... observing. The point is to supposedly learn from one another. There are no evaluations and their observations have no weight on our evals or contract renewals. Believe me, though, the teachers HATE it (both observing and being observed). It's so distracting when 3-4 random teachers (from all grade levels and subject areas) randomly walk into your classroom, and it's a major discussion killer in English class. The kids clam up and don't want to speak out about anything. Ugh. Not fun.
This is funny to me because we've talked about how we want to do this! We never get time to just go observe other teachers teaching or really a lot of time to collaborate with each other, especially across grade levels. I work in an open school though with no walls, so other classes, teachers, counselors, etc. are constantly walking through. An entire class might walk through your reading lesson to go to lunch or something. It can get loud, but I actually love it because the students are used to random people popping in. They know at any time an adult they might or might not know will be watching them, asking them questions, or getting on to them! We have started "early release" days once a month this year so that teachers can have some time to have professional development together and plan together for better verticle allignment.
Either way, I agree with OP that the profession is getting more and more trying. I spend way too much time raising other people's kids and not enough time on my own. I still think the best way is to just pick a few things from home and few things from work that you don't care if are done 100% correctly. For example, I totally copy and pasted the same generic comment on all my report cards last week. The parents won't be out there comparing them and will never know. Saved me an hour and I got to read a book with my own kid.