March 20, 2015

Slice of Life 20: 12 hours

5:30-6:10 Check e-mail. Create Google Form survey for Read-A-Thon. Write up and post assignment details for RAFT assignment for world lit students.
6:10-6:40 Get ready. Get text from colleague about senior class meeting this morning.
6:40-7:05 Drive to school, listen to Morning Edition on NPR. Frantically change lanes to get in front of massive truck.
7:00-7:15 Meeting with senior class officers to discuss fundraiser for next week; schedule prom committee meeting for Monday.
7:15-7:20 Speedwalk to department room to get a cup of coffee. Realize there’s no creamer; settle for hot water and tea instead.

7:20-8:03 1st period. AP Lang class. Review in-class write from yesterday. Quickly read and comment on two student essays aloud.  Announce the end of @mrsebarvia Twitter because of new school board policy. Forget about my tea. Notice snow falling.
8:06-8:16 Homeroom. Take attendance. Print out sign for door to tell students to go to the library. Make tea. Student drops by and asks if I think he’ll be chosen as a Commencement speaker. Tell him to write his speech first, and not the night before tryouts.
8:20-9:03 2nd period. World Lit. Class in library today to work on Read-A-Thon poster. Return quote cards. Quickly realize that some students did not watch the video tutorial the night before. Try to pull up video online and realize that it’s blocked by the school’s filters. Frantically work with librarian to get HelpDesk support. Website students need isn’t working on Explorer. Frantically tell students to make sure they’re using Chrome. Run around and help students find Chrome on their computers. Walk around and check students’ progress on their posters and answer questions. Realize the QR code site I used in my tutorial is blocked by the school’s filters. Make mental note to call HelpDesk to unblock before 5th period. Forget. Tell student I don’t think we’re getting out early because of the snow. Run back to classroom to grab iPhone so I can check the QR codes on their posters. Tell at least three more students that I don’t think we’ll have an early dismissal because of the snow. Check students’ progress. Remind students about homework online. Bell rings. Still helping students finish up and print posters.
9:03-9:07 Period ends. Still helping students finish up and print posters.
9:07 Bell rings. Late for next class. Turning the corner down the hallway to get back to my classroom.
9:07-9:50 3rd period. AP Lang. Return student essays. Review in-class write from yesterday. Remind students about anthology. Notice new “mohawk” cuts on some students. Shake head.
 9:56-10:10 4th period. Prep period. Run downstairs to German teacher’s classroom to see iPad Splashtop and Mirroring 360 at work in a lesson. Watch as he shows students how to use Dragon Dictation app to check their German pronunciation. Realize I don’t speak German and can’t understand anything he’s saying. Make a mental note to see IT about making sure my Splashtop software works on my computer.
10:10-10:20 Walk to main office to check mail. None. Check to see if principal is available for a quick question about graduation gowns for faculty. Other admin are in her office. She’s not available. Take shortcut through cafeteria to head up to library to ask IT about Splashtop software. No luck. IT door is closed. See librarian and follow up on YouTube videos that aren’t working. Still not working. Sigh. Totally unproductive 10 minutes.
10:20-10:37 Go to department room for coffee. Check on my YouTube video settings. Log onto a desktop computer when I realize I can’t find the right settings on my iPad. Talk with colleagues about the poster projects. Happy that many of the posters look pretty good!
10:37-11:03 5th period. World Lit. Back to library. Gather lost 9th graders to the right area. Quickly tell students to use Chrome and not Explorer. Tell students not to print until I see their posters (save ink!). Run around and answer questions. Realize I forgot the get the HelpDesk to unblock QR code website. Tell students to Google and find another. Hear students groan when principal comes over the PA to say that lunch privileges have been revoked because of the snow.
11:03-11:37 Announce that it’s time for “A” lunch but will stick around if some students want to keep working and take “B” lunch instead. Five students stay to work. Assist students. Get phone call from IT about blocked YouTube videos. Still not working. Skip lunch.
11:38-11:58 Second half of 5th period. Students return from lunch and continue working on their posters. Walk around to help, assist, troubleshoot, critique, etc. Walk around to make sure every student knows about the homework.
11:58-12:02 Bell rings, students still printing. 6th period students filing into the library.
12:02-12:45 6th period. World Lit. More poster-making. Chrome. Check. Answer questions. Check. Remind about homework. Check. Look out window (there’s a lot of snow!).
12:45-12:49 Bell rings. Assist two students still working. Write late passes.
12:49-1:32 7th period. World Lit. Still in library. Last period of poster-making.
1:32-1:45 8th period. Prep. Talk with colleague on the way downstairs to main office. Try to catch principal again. No luck. Door closed. Talk with nurse about graduation cap and gown orders. Head back upstairs.
1:45-1:50 Take down Read-A-Thon signs on door and whiteboard. Organize papers/posters from the library.
1:50-2:20 Talk to student about her paper. Also discuss how tall people seem to have an advantage in life.
2:20-3:00 Supervise TED Talk club after school. Talk with student about promposal plans. Listen to TED Talk ideas. Check e-mail. Talk to student about commencement speech. Review materials for next week’s new novel unit. Post Slice of Life post for colleague on pawlpblog.org. Notice a dozen or so books in “book return” box in the back of the room. Make a note to reshelve before I leave. Forget to reshelve.
3:00-3:15 Clean up around room. Figure out what I need to take home.
3:15-3:24 Walk to back parking lot. Wow, this is a lot of snow. Clean off car.
3:24-4:00 Drive to boys’ school. Arrive right after the last car.
4:00-4:15 Pick up Colin from Dad’s house.
4:15-5:00 Go to MOD Pizza for early dinner. First time here. Boys order milkshakes, pepperoni pizza, and garlic bread.
5:00-5:10 Grab some donuts from Sweet Taco next door.
5:10-5:40 Shovel driveway. Sigh. Snow is wet and heavy. Wonder why the house across the street never seems to get as much snow.
5:45- Change into PJs early and hope for some time to read tonight. Check results of student Read-A-Thon survey far. Smile when I see one student liked all my book-themed t-shirts. Realize I forgot to take pictures of my t-shirts during the week. Oh well. Work on Slice of Life post.

slice of lifeThis post is part of the “Slice of Life” series, organized by the teachers at Two Writing Teachers, whose goal is to give teachers a place to write and reflect. This March, more than 250 teachers have committed to daily writing. If you’d like to read more “slices” (from other teachers and even some students), visit twowritingteachers.wordpress.com/challenges.