Wake up
Get ready
Do Homework for grad school
Pack lunch
Go to work
Lunch break
End of work hours
Continue working
Go home
Attend virtual grad class
Dinner
Get ready for bed
Sleep
Repeat
Sure, this is my day to day most week days. Sometimes this is what most of my weekend looks like too. But it is up to me to shape the way each and every one of my days will turn out. It is up to me to decide whether I want to be stuck in a repetitive motion or if I want to seek new opportunities. Just like I decided this career and education path for myself, I also get to decide what I do everyday.
Being a high school teacher has so many rewarding opportunities. I have built classroom-driven relationships with my students that keep us both engaged during the school day. My goal is to keep them focused but little do they know they keep me just as focused. Sure sometimes there are behavior issues but hey, aren't we all allowed to have bad days? Yea sometimes my lessons are not as engaging and fun as either my students or I would like them to be, but are we just going to quit? No, each day is a new opportunity to try new skills, work on old ones and explore new ones.
One thing I will admit, it's true- teachers work during non-contract hours. This I will admit is an issue. There is not enough time in our school work day to be a 'good teacher'- one that is engaging and present in the classroom at all times. Assuming teachers are able to do this and get lesson planning, grading and preparing for hands on activities in the span of 9 hours is unrealistic when we are teaching/interacting with students 7-8 of those hours. Educators work outside of school hours because we want to be 'good teachers', because we feel a sense of responsibility to bring our best to our students.
It is this same feeling that drives teachers into a graduate school program. Yes, attending school and teaching at school is a challenge to multitask but we do it. Everything I learn in my master's classes I try to incorporate to my teaching practice. There have even been many instances when I will do an activity in my master's class and love it so much that I decide to implement it in my own class the very next day. This is why I do it. There is so much to learn from professors at TCSJ. Attending classes after a full day of work can be draining I will admit but again each day is an opportunity to seek new knowledge. Learning is a life-long commitment.
Wake up
Make myself look and feel confident and comfortable
Learn and practice new skills I've learned in grad school
Decide what meal to look forward to for the next 5ish hours
Drive to work on time and start teaching young minds the best I can that day
Fuel my brain and body
Finish teaching young minds for the day
Finish any tasks to stay on schedule and prepare myself for the next day/week
Be glad I have a job and a home to go to now
Enrich my mind with the help of TCSJ professors
Fuel my brain and body
Reset for the day with some winding down
Let my brain rest for as much as my schedule allows it
Wake up and be grateful I am alive to do it all over again