Expectations
Each day, I arrive at school roughly an hour before the students. I walk around the room and pick up fallen books and notebooks, organize supplies at each table’s caddy, and shove desks back into their original positions. I take a few minutes to unpack my bag and get my desk in order. I spend time answering emails and messages through our classroom app. I make sure the date and agenda have been changed on the board, update the Bell Work and morning To-Do List, and make sure all of my copies for the day are laid out. I dash up to the office and check my mailbox, stop by a colleague’s room to bounce a few ideas off of her, and take a precious pit stop on the way back to my room. Then I quickly write out checklists for four of my students who need help focusing and descretely tape them to their desks. Then, if I’m lucky, I have just a moment to sip some coffee before the day begins. I wasn’t paid for any of that.