Blair Wright's August Blog Post 1: Never Enough Time, But Maybe There Should Be...

In section 1 of Debbie Miller’s Is there Enough Time?, she really laid out how most teachers these days feel. We have reading, writing, math, science, social studies, spelling, handwriting, lunch, recess, restroom breaks, movement breaks…you name it, and we have to squeeze it into our day and even into our year. We are given not only standards to get taught, but also added obstacles along the way that need to be implemented or need our attention.   How will we squeeze another 30 minutes of independent time into our schedules? The answer is by making the time. 

Many teachers do the same thing in their classroom each and every year, such as the case of the Baltimore teachers dressing Paddy for the weather every day. We find a routine; we feel it is comfortable; it works, so we keep doing it each day and each year.  There isn’t anything wrong with a routine, or even dressing Paddy to teach weather, but is it the best use of time?  Could this time be used in other ways, such a reading? Miller made this exact point as she observed teachers in their classrooms.  In the article, she was making the point of what is really important in our day, which should be reading. Reading should be a hands-on, interactive process with students where we sit down with them and ask questions, find out what they are reading, and help them find themselves as readers. If you think of it that way, maybe 30 minutes isn’t too much time to help students become better readers.