Rethinking the Daily Routine and Paperwork: April 2018

Every now and then you have to rethink the daily routine to make sure you are doing the teaching job well. That daily routine will change throughout the year dependent on the most important needs and priorities. As I think about the final weeks of the school year, weeks that require a bit different teaching due to tests, special projects, and celebrations, I'm recognizing that the daily routine needs to include the following:

• Place the schedule on the white board
• Make sure that children sign in and prep for the day as directed on the white board
• The pledge and mindful moment as led from the office
• Transitions begin - make time to prep for each new transition and to clean-up from the last transition
• Include one, two, or three recesses dependent on the day's efforts and depth
• Include quiet reading time and time to work with individual students who have 
• End the day with a clean-up, pack-up and dismissal

The end-of-the-year requires a bit more paperwork as well including the following:

• ordering supplies
• report cards
• portfolio completion
• transition forms
• evidence report for evaluation
• end-of-year checklist

Attention to detail is always important, but at the end of the year it's more important as we prepare for the transition. It's also a time of year where patience is often challenged by challenged staffing and unexpected expectations and changes due to multiple reasons, so I have to remind myself of that too. Onward.