Long Days!

I never realized just how long an elementary school day could seem! I've been teaching all afternoon and it is math then science then social studies. It is a 2 3/4 hour block with no breaks. The kids feel and the teacher feels it so in general it is just difficult! Everyone is tired so it does not flow as smoothly as the morning. My teacher said she really dislikes this schedule because the morning is only 1 1/2 hours then a special and then only 20 minutes in class between special and recess/lunch! With the morning so broken up it's hard to get things in and to keep the students focused. By the time the kids come back from special and get settled there are only about 15 minutes to work.

I think if I was the teacher I would switch up the periods to break up the day a little more. All of the ELA and writing is done in the morning. I would try to put some independent reading into the afternoon or maybe the full reading period. I think maybe science or social studies would be better in the morning. Basically I think that the students would learn more and be able to focus if the afternoon was not 3 intense subjects. Reading is still intense, but I think it changes the way of teaching and learning to something more calming and relaxing. I think as a teacher scheduling is one of the most important ways to set your students up to succeed, so I am very happy that I get to see this and decide how I would change it!