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Last week Casey shared a glimpse into her average day and this week it’s my turn. Before we dive into my daily routine, a quick disclaimer: Please excuse some of the iPhone photos. Working in a school makes it hard to truly snap photos of my daily routine, especially since I didn’t want to include students. Although it’s far from glamorous, I’m so lucky to have this everyday routine and the chance to do what I love both during the “school day” and after.
Rise & Shine
5:30am: My alarm goes off and it’s time to start the day!
5:30-6:00am: Matt pops up and gets ready while I lay in bed and read through some of our new emails, catch up on the news, and check out my favorite blogs for the day. Even though my eyes are barely open, I love this time to ease into the day. Usually I’ll text Casey a few times, depending on what I find in our inbox. I know she’s still sleeping, but she’ll see it in a few minutes when she gets up!
6:00am: Get up and get ready. I shower at night before I go to bed and lay out my outfit so I really don’t have too much to do in the morning. I always put on music during this time, usually using the Pandora App on my phone. Then I wash my face, brush my teeth, put on my outfit, throw on some make-up, and straighten or curl my hair. I can get ready in 20 minutes… tops.
6:30am: Sit down for breakfast. I eat greek yogurt and granola everyday and I’m trying to incorporate some water into this meal too! I also grab the lunch that Matt made me (he’s seriously the best) and we chat over breakfast.
6:40am: Since Matt and I work together, we drive together 95% of the time. Our ride is so stress free. We usually use that time to chat about the day and what we’re doing after work.
6:55am: I’m an hour early for work and I’m always the first one in the office. I take this time to sit and work on my email while looking over my to-do list for that day. I tie up any leftover emails and organize all of my lessons.
8:00 – 8:48am: I teach the Special Education Work Program during 1st hour and today we are finishing up our unit on entrepreneurship. We used some of the time today to chat about Bill Rancic and his tips for kids in business. Although none of the students know who he is, I tell him all about how he went to the same high school as them and they immediately love him and want to learn all about him.
8:48 – 8:55am: I don’t have a classroom to call my own, so at every bell I pack up my things and head across the building for my next class. In this case I hustle through the hallway crowds and arrive at 2nd hour homeroom right as the bell rings and the pledge of allegiance starts.
*Fun Fact: The hallway pictured above is the SAME hallway where Casey & I had lockers next to each other in high school. This is where it all started and we became fast friends!
8:55 – 9:30am: This is a short homeroom and I work with a few student. I look up at the clock to find that it was already 9:29, which means it’s time to quickly pack up my bag and head across the school to 3rd hour! I literally have to power walk (sometimes run on a bad day) to get to class before the bell rings. It’s hard holding students accountable to be on time when I’m not, so I do the best I can to be there. Flats often come in handy for this.
9:40-10:25am: Made it just in time for the bell! Third hour is similar to 1st hour so I repeat the lesson (with a few changes to meet the needs of this class). I look up at the bell and realize, how is already 10:25?! And then it’s usually followed by a thought that goes something like this, “Thank goodness 3rd hour is over because I’ve had to pee since 8:30 and now I finally have the chance!” #teacherproblems
Working Lunch
10:25 – 11:19am: You know you’re a teacher when your days (and lunch break) are timed to the exact minute. It’s my prep/lunch period during this time so I usually return emails, make copies, grade papers, write IEPs, or anything else that is on my to-do list that day. That’s also the time I look at my phone and see I have 6 unread texts from Casey (a welcome distraction!) During this time I’ll also shovel in a peanut butter and jelly sandwich (glamorous, right?!) along with some veggies & hummus.
11:19am-12:19pm: It’s my 5th hour government class and I co-teach with one of the teachers I had in high school! Today we’re going over the political spectrum and starting to explain the difference between republican viewpoints vs. democratic viewpoints. The kids are super respectful and really curious so I leave feeling really proud of them!
12:15-1:10pm: Lunch duty time! This is a time when I stand in the cafeteria and oversee a section of students. I actually like this time of the day because it forces me to unplug and just walk around. I usually chat with some of the kids in my section, but I also want to give them enough space to enjoy their lunch with friends (who wants to waste their time chatting with a teacher during lunch?!). When I’m done chatting, I’ll stand in my section and mentally review my to-do list for the rest of the day.
1:10-2:15pm: I’m off to another classroom where I co-teach with a different government teacher. In this class we’re dissecting the preamble of the constitution. To help analyze and remember it, the students are presenting a song/dance they created of the preamble. The songs are amazing and one group chooses to rap it, which literally has me CRYING in laughter… and amazement!
2:15 – 3:00pm: Last but very not least, I head up to my class of the day to co-teach Economics with another teacher (and blog reader! Hey Colleen!!). The class usually flies by and before we know it, the school day is over and I’m usually thinking it’s 3:00 already?!!
After Work
3:20pm: I typically don’t stay after work to finish any additional work because I come in an hour before work and never, ever take a lunch. Skipping lunch and working through the whole day definitely makes for hectic days, but come 3:20 I’m always grateful because this usually means it’s time to head home… and start my second job of the day — blogging!
Matt and I drive home together and swap stories from our days. This is such a great time to catch up and chat about our plans for the rest of the evening. Both of us talk to our parents each day so we usually take this time call our parents and see how their days are going.
3:45pm: On nice days or ones that I don’t have a ton of work to do for the blog, Matt and I will get outside and go from a 3 mile walk/run. Unfortunately I don’t always have (or make) time for this.
On those days I get home and get right on the computer to start working on the blog. I sift through our email, shoot Casey a few texts, and write/photograph anything I have. If I have to run errands for this weekend’s project, I’ll do it during this time too. Today, I’m cutting the grass. I run home, change, grab my headphones and get out to cut the grass and do some minor landscaping around the house since the start of the spring usually comes with some much-needed landscaping.
5:00pm: Dinner time. Thanks to Matt our dinner is made (and so are our lunches for tomorrow!) so we sit down and enjoy. He really is the best at allowing me to work while he takes care of A LOT around the house. Honestly, I’d probably forget to stop and eat if it wasn’t for him!
5:30pm: I finish up the blog work, organize my outfit for tomorrow, straighten up the house, shower and get ready for bed. Usually, Casey is getting out of work/work out class right about now, so if we have to discuss anything from the day we will chat during this time.
8:45pm: I like to try to get to bed to finally relax for the day by 8:30 or 8:45pm. Partly because I like a good night’s sleep and partly because I’m exhausted. I’ll typically post my Instagram for the day in bed, text Casey a few more times, and then lay in bed to watch CNN. Gotta get that beauty rest so I’m ready to do it all over again tomorrow!
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