4 hours. That’s all we have with our students each day. I know, ‘cause I just jiggled the timetable around 17 times to see how I could get it to work best for my curriculum map next year!
I knew we had “6-hour work days”, so to speak, because of course that’s all we teachers ever seem to hear in the media or from disgruntled neighbours. But when I counted up the hours from entry to dismissal, subtracted lunch (the students get an hour) and recesses, and realistically considered entry times, announcements, national anthem, agendas and clean up at the end of the day, and remembered the kids go to a different teacher for Phys.Ed., Music and Dance, I realised that I had only four hours of instructional time with my students each day.
How am I supposed to run a comprehensive literacy program, do problem based math and engage my class in rich, meaningful social studies and science tasks, and – oh yes – do some “real” Art, not crafts, and also Drama – in only four hours a day???!!!
Really, people, is it any wonder our job as teachers is impossible?!