Blog Post 1: Olivia Boykin’s Miller Ch. 1

I loved that Debbie Miller wrote what she thought about schools' daily activities and didn’t worry about offending anyone with her opinions.  Many of her thoughts mirror my own regarding activities that take up so much time that could be utilized more effectively in other ways.  I especially appreciated the story of “the guarded bench” because it made me realize I am guarding certain procedures and lessons that need to be changed. 

I, myself, waste so much time, in and out of the classroom, that could be better used elsewhere.  Bathroom breaks and waiting on students to “be ready” in the classroom are probably the biggest time sucks for me this year.  I’d like to change this but the way in which to do that escapes me.  I have stooped to micro-managing the order in which certain students go to the bathroom because there are some who “dilly-dally” and waste precious time.  Those are the ones who now go in first so they’ll get out first.  I guess my next step is to start using a stopwatch.  I feel this is ridiculous so I’m open to suggestions.  I’m also open to suggestions on how to better manage our time in class.  Classroom management has never been a problem for me.  Even when I did my student teaching I was told I was a “natural” when it came to management.  I commanded respect without having to raise my voice or do anything other than raise my eyebrows and maybe state the words, “I have a concern.”  Over the years I’ve taken more names, issued more silent lunches and partial recesses, and recently I’m giving out “tickets” to any students I see who happen to be focused and following directions.  I’m rewarding students left and right for doing what is expected!!!  The students who cause most of the problems don’t seem to mind not getting rewards, their behavior isn’t changing, and our lost class time is still being taken.  I find myself taking deep breaths more and more now and I don’t like it. 

I did stop guarding the KLEW chart (what you think you Know, what you Learned, Evidence of your learning, what you still Want to know) “bench” after talking to one of my fellow teachers and then reading this chapter.  I realize my current students don’t “get” the concept so I had them type on a Padlet some of the parts of our traditional KLEW charts.  In this way I find out what I need to discover, the students get to use technology and practice typing, the students think it’s “fun,” and those students who struggle a great deal are able to “get a clue” by looking at what other people are typing.  Having a new colleague who teaches the same subjects I teach is also helping me discover my other “guarded benches” because she very nicely asks me, “What do we NEED to do?  Why?  What’s the ultimate goal?  Can we do it a different way?”  It has been nice to have someone with which to plan and to see how I could do something better and more effectively.  She’s also been trying to help me figure out how to accomplish things more efficiently since that’s definitely my biggest weakness.

This chapter is about finding the time for independent reading.  I know that, however, I was able to find so much more meaning within its pages.  “It’s our job to do everything we can to equip children with the tools they need to stay engaged and motivated when we’re not there….” (pp. 8-9, Miller)  This quote refers to reading, but I feel strongly and resolutely that it also applies to our students’ and children’s day-to-day lives, both academic, behavioral, and social lives.