My goodness!! Time...I never have enough!!! I currently feel like I'm running myself ragged trying to keep up with all there is to do! I feel like I'm not getting done with what I need to every day, and then I spend too much time after hours trying to figure out how to make the following day even just a smidgen better...the endless cycle!!!!!!
I thought this article made great points about how moments of our time are "wasted" during the day. While we always claim, "There's no time!", what if we prioritize everything that we do? Could we possibly find more time than we think?!? Perhaps.
Good points made here about what a teacher does during independent reading. When I was still teaching reading, I NEVER conferenced with students during independent reading time. Though we infrequently had independent reading time, I considered it a chance to catch my breath and not an opportunity for conferencing.
I didn't do reading conferences with students for many years, either, Heather. But when I started doing them, I realized what a HUGE difference it made. I finally knew and understood my students as readers and was able to direct and guide them better.
ReplyDeleteYou are definitely not the only one who feels overwhelmed. I feel like I always try to do too much with my kids each day, but I feel that way because of all the pressure put on teachers to get it all done and make the test scores! Just like anything else, once you take the time to make it work and practice, things will fall into place and you will get more confident in yourself.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your honesty! Yes, time is limited, and yes, prioritizing helps. If we prioritize instructional time during IR, I bet we can find time later to catch our breath! That's an important priority too. :-)
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