Teaching From Home with Erin Condren
Dress || Similar Sandals || Earrings || Bracelet || Teacher Planner (c/o)
Even though I’ve been spending nearly all of my time at home, my teaching life hasn’t turned into a picnic. There’s so much to juggle like the lesson plans, remembering who has consistent access to the internet, and always feeling like I should be on call for my students. I don’t regret my career choice for even a second, but it’s more important that ever to stay organized and keep my teacher brain in check. To give you the inside scoop, here’s a quick overview of how I’m scheduling out my day.
7:00- Morning Rituals
David may have gotten up long before the crack of dawn, but I’m letting myself sleep in until around 7. It’s kind of my little silver lining and I’m okay with taking advantage of it. From there, I get dressed, casually sip my morning coffee, and mentally get ready for the day. I also take this time to take care of any blog related elements, like responding to e-mails and getting ready for the day’s blog shoot. I live for this time of the day, especially with the morning light in our St. Pete bungalow.
8:00- The Starting Bell
Now I’m unofficially on the clock. My focus is solely on navigating my virtual classroom, making sure all of the links are live and that all of my directions are clear enough for my ten-year-olds. Believe it or not, some of my students are already online at this point. A few are ready to get started on work, but some just want a moment to talk with me. In my mind, being accessible to my students is more important than anything academic out there.
9:00- The Kids Start
Around this time, the students start trickling in. Although I try and make my lessons as straight forward as possible, I compulsively check my messages. One of the biggest challenges with teaching online is software error. Imagine a quarter of a million people in one area trying to get on the same website at the same time. There’s bound to be glitches in the system. The other side to that coin is not knowing what my children are struggling with. A huge portion of my day feels like tech support, trying to talk children through computer skills that some adults haven’t mastered.
11:30- A Quick Break
We all needs breaks and my school district has been very generous with ours. On the schedule, my lunch break is from 11:30 until 1:00, but I sometimes feel too guilty to be away from my computer for too long. Still, I take advantage of the break while I can. That usually means making lunch for David and I, and starting on some small chore around home. On particularly pretty mornings, we get ourselves out of the house and go on a walk through the neighborhood. Sometimes, that’s the most important piece of the day.
1:00- Back to Work
Most of my students get their work out of the way ASAP in the morning. That’s fine by me. It gives me an opportunity to get my lessons ready for the next day or go over the classwork. Yes, I’m trying to take grades during this time, but please know I’m being very lenient. This is also the time where I touch base with my teacher friends around the area, typically finding a good laugh.
3:00- Done For the Day
Trying to be respectful of my own time, I call it at around 3. Since it has been so gorgeous in St. Pete, the first thing I want to do is go for a quick run and get in a workout for the day. The downside is its the hottest time of the day, but it feels so refreshing to sweat it out. Tripp, my dog-baby, also gets a full piece of my attention with a long walk through the neighborhood. Don’t worry, he’s not starved for love because I am constantly petting him through out the day.
6:00- Last Minute Details
Now that my teacher brain is unplugged, I take care of everything else of my to-do list. Dragging David out for a quick blog picture is frequent, but usually I just want to veg and watch something easy on Netflix. We make dinner together, relax, and share our nightly dessert. This downtime is the perfect way to finish off the day.
11:00- Winding Down
David and I both have issues with ‘turning off’ our brains. If we have something on our minds, we will work on it right in the moment. When that happens, and we’re on a roll, we have a hard cutoff time of 11 pm. Funny enough, Tripp is usually the one to tell us to go bed when he makes his way to the couch and tries to steal a spot. He’s honestly more consistent that any alarm clock. From here, it’s time to say goodnight and recharge for the next day.
Whether you’re a teacher, or anyone else working from home, finding a consistent schedule and staying organized are both critical elements. My Erin Condren Teacher Planner has been my lifelong for several years, but that rings so true now. It gives me an opportunity to keep track of lessons, grades, and attendance without needing to stay online. These planners are fully customizable and are made just for what you need. If you have any burning questions about how I utilize my planner, be sure to reach out!
Love from Florida,
Katie
As always, thanks for stopping by! To keep up with all things about the Sunshine State, be sure to visit my exclusive Florida page, here.
Thank you so much to Erin Condren for gifting their latest Teacher Planner and inspiring this post.