Spring cleaning in July????

Source of clip art:

http://www.picturesof.net/_images_300/Woman_Cleaning_Her_House_Royalty_Free_Clipart_Picture_090529-013874-489053.jpg

Over the weekend I decided to do a little cleaning of my curriculum binders. It amazed me of how much material I have accumulated over 11 years of teaching! You are constantly either "stealing" material from colleagues or sharing with colleagues so you tend to gain A LOT of worksheets, activities, or reading material on various topics of interest that MAY pertain to your unit on the Industrial Revolution or Imperialism. But, it gets to the point when a decision has to be made: to keep it or recycle it.

I have to admit that I am a pack rat by nature. I never throw anything away. Never. But, as I went through each binder, I realized that some of the material I've NEVER used nor will I EVER use it. So, out to the recycle bin!

I was also on the hunt for some material for my new AP European History class as well. Since I'm starting this program from the ground up, I figured that I could possibly use some stuff from my World History binders. I was able to find a few things that might work for AP level students.

Another thought: as I was looking through all the binders, I began to reflect and remember some of the activities I did with my students (I usually keep student samples with most activities I do in class so I have a lot of great student work) over the years. I remembered the positive lessons but also the negative lessons and questioned why the negative lessons didn't work. I have some wonderful memories of students having a lot of fun working on the Sistine Chapel activity or creating a modern day manor or going to war in the trenches (my stuffed animals represented the "dead" in No Man's Land).

I feel as educators we should have the time to reflect on what we did great and what we did not so great in the classroom. Unfortunately, we are not given that time during the school year. This school year was insanely busy with the transition program, freshman house dramas, NEASC accreditation, getting the new AP class approved, and just everyday craziness. How can we improve our teaching if we are not given that reflection time?

I still have more cleaning to do (I have A LOT of binders). :-) Plus, I need to go through my electronic stuff on my flash drive to see what is there that could be used.

But, I have to say that I feel cleaner and more organized to start out this new school year.

Happy late spring cleaning. :=)

A day off! OR, is it a day off???????

I have the day off from my second job today.

I have lots of stuff to do today. I'm trying to be somewhat productive around the house since I go back to school in a few weeks.

You know those things that never get done but NEED to get done but you NEVER have the time to complete those tasks???? Like organizing and purging the filing cabinet or cleaning closets? I also need to move a lot of boxes and stuff up to my storage unit in the attic. Add to my house list - my school list of stuff that needs to get done before school starts. Like writing curriculum for the new course or research material for a new class I'm teaching this year (Salem in History) or revamping my first unit in World Studies. Plus, I need to write up a lesson plan to submit to the University of IL about my trip by Sept. 1st.

I know that I should probably be relaxing and enjoying my day off. No luck in that happening! My head keeps racing of everything that needs to get done. During the school year, a lot of stuff doesn't get done since I'm so busy working all the time. I'm hoping that once school starts and I get my weekends back, I'll be able to be more productive at home. The best part: not having to set your alarm on the weekend to get up and go to work.

Oh, I did sleep until 10:00 AM today so I guess I did get some relaxing time today. :-)

What do you do on your day off or weekends?

Long Monday . . . . . .

Still correcting midterm exams. Still annoyed that the grades are pretty bad. The only thing that is reassuring to me is that the other 9th grade teachers told me that their students tanked their exams too. There is something about disappointment in numbers . . . .

I really need to get to bed. I'm tired and my stomach is upset and blah. I really can't afford to get sick right now. Way too much stuff to do. Why is there never enough time in the day to get everything done?????

I'm a list person. I make lists for everything. I also have a planner that I use to help me stay organized.

How do you get everything done that needs to get done in a day????