Ah, the teacher life! It’s the life so many people simply dream about! Working only 6-7 hour days, every stat holiday seems to have extra vacation days around it, and a full 2 months off every summer! Wow, that must be a fantastic and relaxing life!

Let’s peek into a typical teacher’s blissful day…

1. Send kids off to daycare and school. (Yes, teachers have kids, too…)
2. Ensure classroom is set up and ready for the day. Tommy and Susie were fighting yesterday, so best to separate their desks today. Oh, that means that Duncan will be closer to either one of them. That is strictly forbidden! The parents will freak out! Okay, Tommy and Susie will move closer to the back and will be on opposite sides of the room from one another. Duncan will need to be moved closer to the front. Oh, no! Evie can’t be near Duncan either. She will also have to move… I think you get the drift!
3. The photocopier was overheating last night. Please, please, please be working this morning! I will rush down and get some copying done before school starts. Crap! 5 other teachers had the same idea!
4. Meet with Sally’s parents regarding her seemingly academic struggles.
5. Open classroom to the psychologist from the board office who is in to observe a couple of students today.
6. Welcome students as they enter the classroom. I didn’t have time to pee. Hopefully there is time at recess! Remember to keep smiling no matter how uncomfortable the bladder becomes!
7. Teach lessons and have students do work as planned. I will work with Sally today when her peers are working. I promised her parents I will do everything I can to get her reading level up.
8. While working with Sally, Fred tripped on his way to the pencil sharpener. Oh, no! I have to see if he is okay. Once settled, I phone his parents to let them know he may be bruised and that I will keep an eye on him.
9. Time for a little quiz!
10. Ah! Who pulled the fire alarm?!? “Okay kids! Let’s go! Single file. Remain quiet.” Man, I really should have used the toilet before school started!
11. “Okay, false alarm. The firefighters have determined it is safe to go back inside. Let’s go!” We get inside and continue with the quiz.
12. Recess! I can finally pee! Ah, it’s my supervision day! I have to get outside. I was late getting out last week and there was a full-on fight by the time I got out there. I heard about that one and was lectured as to why I didn’t get out there sooner. I guess I had better just get out there!
13. I have the greatest lesson planned for after recess! I am so flipping excited about it! I spent over 2 hours planning it last week with a coworker after school and another hour at home on the weekend making sure all of the materials are ready. I also went to Michaels to purchase anything that wasn’t at school. It is $30 out of my own pocket, but it will be so worth it to see how excited the kids are and how much they learn from this experiment!
14. Bell rings to go inside. Darn! Still no time to pee! I am amazed I still have a bladder! The lesson goes as planned and the kids were super engaged. 5 minutes before lunch, Sally comes over and says, “Teacher, I don’t feel good!” Teacher: “Oh, Sweetie! I am so sorry to hear this. Do you think you need to use the washroom? Do you think you are just hungry? It is almost lunch. Try using the washroom.” As Sally walks towards the door, she vomits all over Stephen. Yikes! Maybe I could handle this better if I didn’t need to pee so badly!!! Teacher: “Okay, children! Uh, everyone to their desks. Let’s back away and give some space. Terry, can you go get the caretaker please and let him know we need a clean-up? Sally, you sit here. I am giving you this trash can in case you have to throw up again. I am going to call your parents and let them know you are sick and will have to go home. Stephen, let’s get you cleaned up. We will check for clothes in the lost and found until we can get someone to bring you a change of clothes.” Lunch bell rings.
15. I send Trish and Daniel down to the office to get a lunch. I so wish I could just send them home with supper every night! At least we can make sure they have food while in school.
16. Sally was picked up right away, but neither of Stephen’s parents were nearby to come in. I guess he will just wear clothes from the lost and found today! Thank goodness I finally snuck out of the classroom to pee! What a relief! I guess I will just take my sandwich out to eat while on supervision…
17. It is Daily 5 after lunch! I really need to read with Ty today! Report cards are coming up and I still have 8 reading assessments to complete! I really need to get his done since he is going on holidays next week so I won’t get another chance if I don’t get this done today!
18. Daily 5 runs like a well-oiled machine thanks to so much work with the routine at the beginning of the year. Ty’s assessment gets completed. He improved a lot since his assessment just last month! I am so proud of him!
19. Gym time! I hope today’s gym class runs smoothly. I really have to keep an eye on Braden. He tries to sneak out when he doesn’t like the activity. He has even run out of the school once and we had to track him down! We are playing floor hockey today and I know he doesn’t like that! I think I’ll make him my special helper. He seems to do better when given a special job to do in gym. 
20. I have to remember to hand out the field trip forms today! My coworker and I planned that field trip way back the first week of September to make sure we could book buses and get in to that great program for a day with our students. I hope all of the kids will be able to come on the trip!
21. Who put math as the last period of the day??? I really need to change that! These kids simply aren’t understanding as much as they would be in the morning. I have explained how to do this type of question at least 5 times to the class and it seems only half of the students are understanding it! I will have to really look at this tonight and see if there is a better way I can present this concept to the students tomorrow. 
22. I will continue to read to the students until home time. They seem to need a break from this math for awhile. This will allow me time to look it over again and figure out how to make sure the other half of the class understands the concept.
23. I read to the class until the bell rings for home. Thank goodness for another uneventful day! I am so grateful for this awesome class of mine! 
24. Supervision after school.
25. Change bulletin board.
26. Photocopy worksheets for the week.
27. Write in planner for tomorrow.
28. Pick up little ones from daycare / after school care.
29. Run child to hockey practice.
30. Cook supper.
31. Do dishes.
32. Read my kids a story and tuck them in.
33. Continue to plan for next day and look up ways to teach the math concept differently. Adapt the week’s lessons for those students who need it.
34. Get caught up on work email.
35. Work on a couple more report cards.
36. Shower and go to bed.
37. Get out of bed to pee!
38. Wake up and do it all over again!

Please thank a teacher today! It is a thank you that will be appreciated. 😀