Not too exciting…life of a kindergarten teacher/blogger:
5:45am wake up, shower, eat breakfast, let dog out, wake up husband, wake up son
7:00am-ish drive 30 minutes to work
7:30-9am prepare for 21 kindergarten students
9-11:40am teach 5 & 6 year olds how to read and write…take 3 group trips to the bathroom…tie numerous pairs of shoes…say please stop about 50 times…listen to 20+ separate stories about 20+ separate topics…clean up 3-5 spills…say remember to write your name 10+ times
11:40-12:30 lunch time…nirvana
12:30-3pm teach 5 & 6 year olds about being kind to each other…discuss rules and routines…teach math skills…take 3 more group trips to the bathroom…take class to music, physical education, art or library…say please stop 50 more times…listen to 20+ separate stories about 20+ separate topics…tie more shoes…have about 20-30 minutes of play time…pack up belongings…walk to bus
3:00 walk to car and enjoy the quiet
3-4:00 get diet Coke at drive thru and drive home
4:00-6:00 workout or blog or do household chores or drive son to hockey or do errands
6:00pm eat dinner
6:30-8:30pm blog and watch tv
8:30 go to bed and read
9:00pm lights out:)
I know you are jealous of this opulent, exciting life…lol. I love that I have a profession where I get to spend a lot of time with my son during vacations, summers, holidays, etc. When I got into this profession, it was a great, noble profession where we could really make a difference in children’s lives. Unfortunately, administration and government has taken over and all they care about is high test scores and pushing children to do things that they aren’t developmentally ready for. Society has a lot more issues, which filter down to the children. We have more and more children in crisis, but are given less and less resources. It is a very sorry state of affairs. The fun has been taken out of teaching and something needs to give before great teachers are driven out of the profession that they were once passionate about.
If we minus the children, this would be a good day for me.
🙂
Many thanks and props for choosing to be a teacher! Teachers make a world of difference in our lives and even though there is a lot of red tape now a days its teachers like you that keep the kids inspired to learn despite what test scores say. Although I do think it would be exhausting to have 20+ conversations on 20+ different topics I imagine it must be fascinating as well to look into a child’s mind.
Thank you Olga…it can be exhausting, but also fulfilling
Always wondered what a kindergarten teacher’s day would look like. Had I not pursued starting my own postpartum care business, that’s where I was headed!
I didn’t even include all the details…lol…that post would be way too long.
It takes so much patience to be a teacher. I taught 4 -12-year-olds arts and crafts for several years but I think I had it easy as they were really keen on the projects and had chosen to be at the class as an after school activity. Credit to you -kindy is particularly difficult, but also loads of fun I imagine. 🙂
Patience is a must with kindergartners:)
This is such a great post! Love the pics that go with it, too. Oh, kindergarten. You must have incredible strength and patience! I did daycare for a while, and it was exhausting every day. The little details you added about working with them is so on point – especially 20 different stories, probably all about things that aren’t that exciting for you, but thrilling for them! Like, “I saw a BUG today!!” and “My sister picked her nose!” Ha ha 🙂 So appreciate and respect your words at the end, too. I studied to be a high school English/drama teacher, but I did not end up doing it. It’s unfortunate, because it’s one of the most needed and valuable professions, and yet teachers get zero respect, and less resources. So much respect for you! I know you must love your kids so much, and work hard for them!
Thank you for all your kind words…it is exhausting. We went to a state fair the other day on a field trip and the kids were so well-behaved. I was so proud of them and we had a great time.
Kuddos to you for being a teacher! I agree that something has to give, my best teachers when I was in school were the one’s that walked to the beat of their own drum, I know they are a dying breed because of the changes. I love that you are still in it and helping kids reach their potential. From the kind of work that I do, your day is very glamorous, it can filled with glitter….I’m no longer allowed to have glitter at my job 🙁
Thank you Olga
Props to you for teaching the little ones! I can only imagine how you manage to wrangle so many 5-6 year olds lol. I’m jealous that you go to bed so early and get up early. I love early mornings but I’m a night owl so it doesn’t work for me.
I used to be a late night person forever ago, but once I started teaching…that went out the window…I love mornings, but only on the weekends…lol.