Friday Flashback: Are the Weeks Getting Longer??

I know the days will be getting longer soon {yipee! yay!},  but are the weeks getting longer, too???
Maybe it's just me.
Probably.
I swear I am WORN OUT by the end of the week!
I honestly think it's because we only have 3 planning periods per week.  Yep, you heard that right.  And, we take our kiddos to lunch AND recess.  So that means that on Mondays and Tuesdays I am with them every single minute of the school day. 

I love them.  It's not them.  It's just that I need to get other stuff done.  Like planning.  Since I don't have a break until WEDNESDAY {half-way through the week} I end up staying late on Fridays to get my ducks in a row.  And, I had early morning duty and afternoon duty everyday this week. 

I really don't understand how LEGALLY teachers can work an entire day without a break of some sort.  I remember working retail and you were required to have a 15 minute break for every 4 hours you worked - it was the law.  Hmph!?!  I swear that when I'm no longer teaching {if that happens before I'm dead} I'm going to become a teacher advocate!

Thanks for letting me vent there....so glad it is the weekend NOW!  Here's to hoping it goes s-l-o-w-l-y and I get a little retail therapy in!  I am soooooo ready to shop for some spring dresses and get a pedicure!!

This linky is definitely for YOU to link up and share.  I don't have much to share this week, so I'm hoping you do! :)

In reading, we started practicing our tall tale plays.  I think we are going to perform three of them.  I might be crazy.  But, they are eating them up and their expression and fluency is SOARING!!  We'll be working on them for a few weeks, but I'll definitely give you a little video clip once we're ready!

In writing, we finished up our How-To Unit with our "Teach-It Day" - see my last post HERE for more about that.  But, here are a few more pics that didn't make it into that post.

The kiddos took their role as "teacher" so seriously and they all came super prepared!  Their favorite part was being called "Mr. Henderson" or "Mrs. Jones"....hehehe.
They did such a good job teaching their classmates how to do or make things!

In Math, we are still plugging along with two and three-digit subtraction with regrouping.  I've been trying to make it fun, but I've about reached my limit! ;) They've got it...just got to get rid of the carelessness!

We've had more of those snowball fights that they love!
This friend is ready to launch his snowball!
"BLAST 'EM!"

And, we played a little Addition Battle with number cards (playing cards with face cards removed).  I don't have a pic, but it's been terrific practice.

Two players - one stack of cards.  Each player flips over two cards to create two 2-digit numbers.  Then the players solve the subtraction sentence (they have to know to put the largest number on top).  If their answers match and are correct they "win" and get to split the cards to keep.  If the answers don't match (someone is incorrect) the game "wins" and the cards go back in the stack.  {See how sneaky that was...if someone needs more practice they're going to be getting it with this game!}

We also played "Movin' On Up" with word problems.  Blah!  Who likes word problems?  They're not exciting at all!  Well, this little ditty helped a little itty bit.

Think "Big Brother" - please tell me you watch that summer guilty pleasure, too?  I put a story problem on the board and students solve it in their journals.  Then, they go and stand in a line (shoulder to shoulder using the tiles on our floor to keep it straight).  We go over the problem and solve it together.  Those who got the correct answer, flip their journals around for me to check.  If they did get it correct, they move up (forward) to the next tile.  We repeat until time runs out....we've finished all the problems....the teacher is ready to stop....whenever.  Students who made it the farthest give a little "Hoorah!"

It just gets them up and moving during those lengthy word problems.  With that being said, I would not play this game unless all students are proficient at solving them yet.  Or, I would "reset" the game after a few problems, if not.  You wouldn't want struggling students to get so far behind that they became frustrated and didn't feel like they would be able to catch up.

Next week we're starting several new units, including Magnets and Tall Tale Writing....can't wait!


19 comments

  1. OMG 3 a week!? You are a rockstar! We get 2 a day! And only one duty a week! I can never complain about missing a prep again! Love your addition battle game!

    Kimberly Ann
    Live, Laugh, I LOVE Kindergarten

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  2. I echo your complaints about working without breaks. At my school, all core teachers have morning, afternoon, and lunch duties EVERY SINGLE DAY. And, I teach all 6 of my classes in a row three days a week, which means I don't get a break from 6:45-1:00. Sometimes I have to grab someone from the hallway to watch my class so I can go to the bathroom! It's terrible!!!

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  3. We get 4 a week, but one is a team meeting day. We were told at the beginning of the year that planning time was still work time not personal time. We also eat with our kids (I rarely get much down though). So my kids show up at 7:35 and do not leave until 3:40. Technically no break or lunch. I think we deserve a few moments away from the kids that is not taken with paperwork or other obligations.

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  4. Wow... I can't believe you hardly get a moment to yourself! How terrible, and from the comments above it sounds like you're not the only one. I feel for all of you!! Hope the rest of your year flies by!!
    -Jackie-
    Sister Teachers

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  5. By law (or contract, maybe) all staff members are to have a minimum of a 30-minute, duty-free lunch everyday. At my school, we also have a daily 55-minute team meeting and a daily 55-minute prep. I know that we are really spoiled.

    And the weeks are getting longer. Everyone is getting ready for spring break, and we don't have it for two more weeks! On top of that, next week is Iowa Assessments...

    And I don't remember you having the captcha thingy before. Did you add it on purpose?

    Diane
    Fifth in the Middle

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  6. Is it state-to-state I wonder? Because here, it is law that we get a break!! And yes, weeks are def getting longer!! Whew!
    Jivey
    ideas by jivey

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  7. Thanks for hosting this linky again, Amanda!

    I love your Teach-It Day Activity - we're going to be starting "How-To" writing in just a couple of weeks and you motivated me to start planning for it :)

    ~Jessica
    Joy in the Journey

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  8. I agree the weeks do seem longer. This whole week I have been so tired and felt that Wednesday should have been Friday already. I feel your exhaustion!!!

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  9. No break until Wednesday?! That is unbelievable! I feel terrible for you! Why do teachers get so little and so much is expected?!

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  10. I really liked reading about your "Teach-It" day! How fun and meaningful. :) Thanks for hosting a fun weekly recap.

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  11. Your teach it day looks SUPER FUN!

    I am RIDICULOUSLY spoiled at my school! We have 5 preps a week ( 1 is common prep time with our grade level team and 1 every other week is to meet with our title team). And this year we don't have to do lunch duty anymore either. I NEED that time to decompress or I get SUPER crabby. You, my dear, are a ROCKSTAR!

    And yes, this week felt forever long. I thought it was just me because we haven't had a 5 day week ( because of snow days and planned days off) since the first week in DECEMBER!
    Jean
    Diving Into 2nd Grade

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  12. Wow! No break is just absolutely ridiculous! Even McDonalds employees get a 10 minute break if they work a certain number of hours!! We have a duty free lunch, and then our plan time varies, depending on the schedule. This year I have an hour or 45 minutes each day (except every other Friday when I have 30 minutes). We do have some teachers who have one day with no plan time due to scheduling issues. Our school board just passed a plan to add an additional hour to our collaboration time each week! I'm feeling very thankful for the time I have!!

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  13. Yup, I'd have to agree with you - the weeks are getting LONGER! Next week is going to be crazy for me - teacher's workday, curriculum meeting, reports due, student of the month due AND conferences.

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  14. We hardly have any plan time either. Seems like a have a meeting to go to every day. I totally agree that we should be allowed a break to just go to the bathroom...although I don't have to stay with my kiddos during lunch. If I did, I'm sure I would be crazy. Bless your heart!

    Swimming into Second

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  15. It sounds like your weeks are really full. I cannot believe about your break (lack there of). We have free duty lunch and 4 specials per week, sometimes 5.
    I do believe weeks are getting longer!
    Tania
    My Second Sense

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  16. Our district keeps piling on more things for us to do. We have teams of people constantly coming into our rooms to critique us. I am tired of working 7 days a week. I am so ready for Spring Break!

    Shelly
    Smiling and Shining in Second Grade

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  17. Thanks for hosting this, I just linked up! I love reading about everyone's week! I'm your newest follower!
    ✿Sue✿
    Science for Kids Blog

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  18. No break even at recess and lunch!!!!! When do you go to the bathroom. I, like you, have only 3 planning periods a week - at my old school I had 5 so I am really feeling it!

    Your teach it day is adorable!

    Hope the weeks get faster soon!

    Alison
    Teaching Maths with Meaning

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  19. Wow! Really . . . no breaks? We have a recess break, unless we have yard duty (I have before school duty, so no recess duty), and a lunch break. We do not "get" prep time worked into our day, though, so all our prep time is done after/before school. And, I thought we had a lack of time away from the kiddos!
    What I Have Learned

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