I'm feeling opinionated this morning. That's not an unusual feeling for me when it comes to teaching though. Those of you who visit often know that all too well. Here's my thought for the day.
One of my consistent practices is that I'm out the door the second the bell rings. I drop whatever I'm doing and away I go. I rarely see evidence that other teachers think this is important, so I'd like to share why I do.
* I don't believe in leaving children unattended. (It's kind of illegal.)
* Things happen when children are in line. (And they're not usually good.)
* I can hopefully prevent potential problems. (It's called proximity.)
* I can begin to prepare them for inside behaviors. (Some classes sure need this more than others.)
* I can use learning time more wisely. (I get my kids inside fairly quickly, because they're never waiting on me. A few years ago, a brand new teacher spent a day in my classroom. At the end of the day, she shared some numbers with me regarding how many minutes I had saved by the efficient way I got my kids inside from recess. It was something like 20 minutes. She acted like she hadn't ever seen this before, while it just seemed normal to me.)
That about sums it up. Thanks for listening to my opinionated post today and all the other days included. :)
Hi Tammy! Great points. I'm all about not wasting any precious time with my kids--although we don't have bells. 😉 Our mornings start in the gym for pledges, birthdays, etc. but then we get right to it.
ReplyDeleteCrystal
Crystal, You don't have bells? We have them at the end of every recess.
DeleteWhen school starts, or recess is over, the rule at our school is for children to freeze. Then yard duty blows a whistle and the children walk to a designated number to line up. That is where their classroom teacher meets them. I always come out early so I can compliment children who walk and redirect children who run to the line. Then I walk the kids to our classroom door and do what you do. I tell them my expectations for them when they enter the classroom. We come in and get right to work. On a side note- our whole school starts the day by giving a handshake or a hug to each child as they come in to the classroom in the morning. It's a great way to start the day.
ReplyDeletejbales, your school has really thought through your recess bell systems. I like that a lot!
DeleteI love your opinionated posts :)
ReplyDeleteAh thanks Barb! :)
DeleteGreat post! I couldn't agree with you more!
ReplyDeleteThank you Sheree. It's nice to know I'm not the only one who is opinionated. :)
DeleteWe just read about this kind of teacher...proactive! Fits you and I love your opinions! :)
ReplyDeleteLori
Conversations in Literacy
Lori, I'm proactive and opinionated. I'll take both! :)
DeleteI'm all about making every minute count, too! I agree with all your reasons.
ReplyDeleteConnie, sometimes I wonder why this doesn't seem obvious to everyone. :)
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