In this post we will be following Andrea Opfar as she shows us what a day as a kindergarten teacher looks like. She is a mother of three and has been teaching full time for the past three years. Andrea shared that she decided to be a teacher because she wanted to have a career where she felt like she could make a difference, and where she could continue to influence and love children.
Andrea's Schedule:
4:40 a.m.– Wake up and check my email, any texts I got overnight,
5:30 a.m.– Head to the kitchen for breakfast. I put together a lunch and make breakfast and take my vitamins :)
6:00 a.m.– My husband and I have a prayer together
6:15 a.m.– Leave for work. I like to get to work and gather my thoughts and make sure that I have all of my copies ready and a basic plan for the day.
7:15 a.m.– The kids start arriving to class. The kids unpack and choose from a stem box, their playdough, their whiteboards, or some worksheets to do while we wait.
7:35 a.m.– The first bell rings and a few minutes later the announcements and pledges come on. They go back to their job as kids filter in.
7:50 a.m.– I ring the doorbell (an electronic one I have that lets them know to clean up and come to their floor spot.) We start out with a morning meeting, phonological awareness, a quick phonics lesson, then they read for about 15 minutes. Afterward, they come back to the floor for a shared reading or interactive reading lesson and a short grammar lesson. Then they split up into their groups and work on word work, listen to reading, or writing centers. I pull small groups back for guided reading or else assessments at this time.
9:15 a.m.– They start to take turns using the restroom in our class and washing their hands.
9:30 a.m.–We go outside for recess.
9:50 a.m.– We go in and stop at the bathroom to wash hands, then go to the cafeteria for lunch. This is my break time. I take attendance on my phone.
10:15 a.m.– I gulp down a protein drink while I pull up my handwriting video and any other resources I'll need for writing, science, and social studies.
10:30 a.m.– I pick them up and put hand sanitizer on them before they line up. We walk back to the classroom and do a short breathing exercise, then move into handwriting, writing, science, then social studies.
12:00 p.m.– We take turns using the restroom and washing hands, sanitize, then walk to specials (this rotates between Art, Computers/STEAM, PE, and Music). This is planning time and I meet with my team during this time and plan upcoming units. We have to stay at least 2 weeks out on every subject. On Tuesdays, we meet as a PLC and do kid talks, plan CFAs, and talk about how to help specific students who need more help or extensions.
1:00 p.m.– We make a quick stop at the bathroom on our way to get the kids from specials. 1:15 p.m.– Snacktime! They come in class, sanitize hands, get their snacks and I let them watch Peep and the Big Wide World, Word Girl, or Wild Kratts for a few minutes while they eat.
1:30 p.m.–They come to the floor where we start by counting to 100, doing number talks, then problem-solving, a math mini-lesson, then they split up into math stations while I pull groups who need help or extensions, or walk to the groups and talk to them about what math they are learning.
2:35 p.m.– The doorbell rings and they cleanup stations and pack up for the day.
2:45 p.m– The kids start getting pulled out to go to after school care and walkers go to different rooms and get picked up to go home. Car riders stay in the room and they are called to the carline as their rides arrive.
3:15 p.m.–I am a Team Lead so I have a meeting on the first Wednesday for that and we have staff meetings on the 2nd and 4th Wednesdays at 3:15. I also serve as the co-chair of the Sunshine Committee and we meet every other month.
4:30 p.m.– I usually stay at the school on other days cleaning things up and getting organized for the next day.”
Wow—this is a very busy day, and keep in mind not every teacher schedules their life like this. Andrea shares, “I spend a few Saturdays every few months going to soccer games, football games, baseball games, basketball games, etc to see the kids outside of class. It means a lot to them. :)” Andrea says it is all worth it, "I absolutely love being a teacher! All of the hard work is worth it when you get to see a child who has been struggling succeed, or when a child gives you a hug and tells you that they love you. These kids are literally with me for more time than they are with anyone else all day. You learn to love them and hope for only good things for them in their lives."
Thank you to all of our teachers!! And to those aspiring to be teachers—they need YOU!
If you have any questions feel free to schedule an appointment with us!
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