Rhiannon Wyatt March/April Post: Routman Chapter 12 “You Only Have So Much Time”

Rhiannon Wyatt   March/April Post: Routman Chapter 12  “You Only Have So Much Time”

This chapter by Routman really appealed to me because it explains exactly how I feel.  Exhausted!  I spend so much time after dismissal time planning and getting ready for the next day that I feel that teaching is taking over my life! Even as I write this my daughter is waiting on me to pick her up from daycare. She asked me this morning, “Mommy, do you have a meeting today?” I responded to her by saying,  “No, I don’t have meeting so I am going to try really hard to come and get you early today”. Oh, it breaks my heart! So pertaining to this, Routman had a lot of good ideas about how to make learning more meaningful for the students which in the same time will help cut down planning time on lessons that are not needed. For example, Routman suggested that a teacher should continually ask herself when planning work for students, “How is this activity helping my students become more independent as readers, writers, and thinkers?”  If it is not, then she should set it aside.  Some ideas that Routman offered in the chapter that I found interesting were to make ongoing evaluation part of every literacy activity, create structures that maximize participation and learning and making morning work sensible and pleasurable. As for ongoing evaluation, I found interest in ideas that the author shared such as taking a few minutes to observe partner reading as well as having a student lead the class in rereading a text during shared reading so I can stand back and observe how students are following along and redirect those that need help. The latter idea sounds very beneficial and I am most sure that I will try that this week.  When Routman wrote about creating structures that maximize participation and learning she referred to simultaneous student led groups, literature conversations, partner reading and shared reading, etc. I have begun to use this structure in my classroom where I demonstrate to the whole class, then have students work in groups while I guide one group.  I am enjoying this structure however I am still working on the tasks that my students are completing independently.  Right now, the tasks change from week to week which adds more planning time for me.  I am hoping to devise a more consistent plan as I learn more.  All of the ideas that Routman shared prove that “authentic reading and writing where the students have some challenge, choice, control and opportunity to collaborate motivates students most”. From what I have observed in my classroom this year with guided reading groups and partner reading, I totally agree with Routman!