A Day in the Life Of

In case anyone thinks that teachers don't NEED school holidays...

05h50: wake up. pack marking, school bag, sports bag, lunch.

06h30: leave home

07h05: arrive at school. many staff members already here.

07h10: open classroom windows, switch on computer.

07h15: greet first students who want to come sit in the classroom and chat. listen to long story about friend while checking and responding to the seven emails received since 5pm yesterday

07h30: respond to email from irate parent, cc-ing two senior staff members in case of repercussions

07h45: rush down the corridors to staff meeting. note that its my day for break duty.

07h50: rush back through corridors to take register

07h55: take register. remind class about outstanding reply slips, put two children in detention for failing to pay for photographs, and check on minor uniform defaults. ask the three children absent yesterday if they're feeling better.

08h00: tick off a last late comer. open up teaching slides for the first lessons and check 3 emails that arrived since 07h45

08h05: welcome first class. teach.

08h45: dismiss first class, welcome second class. teach.

09h30: dismiss second class, welcome third class. teach. in a brief gap while they're working put in an announcement for assembly.

10h10: lock classroom and run down the corridor to assembly.

10h40: rush back to classroom to meet two children about missed hockey practice.

10h45: go on break duty. wander around the school sniffing for cigarette smoke.

11h05: back to classroom. two bites of lunch. welcome fourth class. teach.

11h55: free period!! rush out of classroom so another staff member can use it. take marking and lunch. eat in staff workroom in between marking, responding to emails and entering marks. receive a paper to be moderated by tomorrow.

12h45: break. don't leave staffwork room, push on with all the admin. remember to print a worksheet for the next class. manage to finish eating lunch. don't get to moderating the paper.

13h20: rush back to classroom for sixth lesson. welcome class. teach.


14h10: dismiss previous class and welcome new class. teach.

15h00: end of school day. dismiss class. wait for students on classroom cleaning duty while responding to four emails with questions from parents. sms all the parents in the hockey team with a small change in practice times. sms six parents whose children haven't done their homework.

15h05: supervise classroom cleaning

15h15: run to hockey practice. sort out uniform defaults, a fight between two team members and three people who can't attend next practice. sort out the two latecomers.

16h15: back to classroom. respond to emails.

16h45: prepare tomorrow's lessons and print tomorrow's worksheets

17h30: close classroom windows. switch off computer. pack empty lunch box, sports bag, school bag, unfinished marking and unmoderated paper. lock classroom.

17h35: drive out of school grounds

18h15: get home. feed cats

18h20: mark and moderate

19h00: make supper

19h20: eat supper.

20h00: fall asleep exhausted. the rest of the marking can wait

PS I love teaching. No really.