Do any of you guys grade, check emails, or do lesson plans during class time? If so, how often do you do it?
No. With a couple minor exceptions: - If students are all taking a test, I'll often wander, observing their test taking (already making mental notes of what areas certain kids might still struggle with), and then sometimes will start correcting the tests as I wander to provide support (and can sometimes provide relatively immediate feedback to students about their tests). - I have my e-mail "up" on my computer, so I'll glance at it through the day, but only for brief seconds here and there, and just to see if there's a pertinent e-mail. Our grade level is in portables, so that's our main form of communication. Outside of that, if students are in the room, I'm actively engaged with them - from one end of the spectrum (modeling appropriate choices) to the other end (working 1-on-1 with a student). Even during lunch (they eat in class), I'll almost always be actively engaging students, whether academic or listening to their conversations to get to know them a bit better.
I check my email about once an hour. We get messages about students from the office that we are expected to read. If it wasn't an expectation, I'd probably only check before school, during planning, and after school. I don't grade or do lesson plans in class.
I glance at my emails during class. I don't grade often. I have graded when I threw on a video for the kids. I usually take my laptop to the back of the room where I am able to view all the kids and still grade. This way I can also make some comments on the video.
I only do this during whole group times (circle time, story time) and my TA is doing the lesson. Otherwise, nope! But I have preschoolers; it'd probably be a different story if I had older students
I glance at my email at the beginning of most classes while students are doing their warm ups. I'm already at my computer so if I see I have an email I'll check it. I grade occasionally during class, but my students are always doing some kind of independent work and I put aside my grading to answer questions. I revise lesson plans in class if I need to move an activity. If I don't I will forget. I would write notes on my lesson plans during a test last year, but this year during a test I'm grading their binders
My email stays up all day. It's the main form of communication in my school, and parents will also email me transportation changes, etc. I will grade or do lesson plans during times where students are either testing on computers (I have to monitor their progress online and constantly reset them since our internet stinks and kicks them out a lot), or during our mandatory typing practice blocks. They are required to do typing 2 times a week for 20 minutes.
I don't have time to grade or lesson plan during class. The only exception is when students are taking a test, but that's only for short bursts between circulating/helping students with questions. I do check my email throughout the day. As others have said, it's my school's main form of communication. Sometimes parents or the secretary will email me info about pickups, etc, or my principal or other teachers will email information I need to know. I don't sit there and read every email, but I check to see if anything important has come through.
No. It's really hard for me to do though, since my projector is directly connected to my computer, so if I'm checking my email, chances are, the entire class is reading my email. I generally have too much to do and monitor anyway during a typical class period, such as monitoring labs, and activities, making sure students are staying quiet, or engaging with partners. Our periods are only 50 minutes long so I essentially have no down time throughout the period. Things that would normally be independent work, I assign as homework because we just don't have enough time in class to do more than practice a few here and there.
I expect my teachers to check their email at least twice daily: once before school (or at some point in the AM) and again in the afternoon. Personally, as a teacher, I used to check my email multiple times throughout the day. One pet peeve is when people send emails that are longer than a paragraph or two. If you've got that much to say, just deliver the message in person (if the email is to a single person) or wait until a staff meeting. I don't have the time or patience to read a novel.
Our distirct mandates two monthly (after school) staff meetings that must be 60 minutes in length. Even if the meeting is less than 60 minutes in duration, teachers cannot leave the site until the 60 minutes are up (per the Master Agreement). Anyway, my point is that there are some things that need to be explained in person--not via email. Plus, we've got the time--so might as well use it.
We have different expectations at my private school than in many public schools. We are expected to communicate with phone all day (we use an app or email) so whenever the phone beeps we have to stop and check it. We also have to return graded papers that day or the next. I teach a one on one SPED class (mainly because my students are 2nd to 7th grades and are all on different levels and curriculum. That means that much of my day, students are working independently and come up when they need help. That gives me quite a bit of time during the day to get plans and grading done. It works for me because my students are all well behaved and able to work independently.
No, only during planning time. I know many teachers do including talking on their cell phone during class (sigh)
Do you have a monitor and projector, or is the projector your monitor? If it's case 1, my two best friends are the AV Mute and Freeze buttons. Freeze will freeze the projector screen but I'm free to use the computer. AV Mute shuts off the image but keeps the projector on. That way the projector can stay on for back to back classes and off during my prep.
Yes to both. I like giving students feedback as quickly as I can do I'll grade their homework while they're journaling, for example. Otherwise it depends on what they're doing.
Me too. I sometimes grade or check things very quickly, put them in the online grade book, and then hand them back within the class period. Key word "sometimes". This is my preferred option, since it provides immediate feedback and keeps me from getting behind in paperwork. However, many (most) days it's not possible. I'll also give participation points during class with my grade book up on my computer. My students really like the immediate feedback, and are happy when they get graded things back right away. Checking emails during the day is an unstated expectation at my school, too. I try to glance at my inbox regularly, but sometimes don't have time.
If my seniors are doing some independent writing, I'll check and answer emails. When they take a test, I quickly grade their notebooks. The way my room is set up I can see all of them just by glancing up, so they know I'm checking up on them.
re: long emails. My principal requests that we send short snippets also. And communicate in person anything that requires more detail. Problem is, he's never around and can't be found when he is. Also, I want what I have to say, and his response, to be a matter of record. Too often what is said in person is not what actually happens or is expected later.
I do. I teach secondary at a private school with small class sizes (12-18). So, while students are working independently I can usually grade that day's homework- it usually tales less than 5 minutes.
I monitor my email through my iPad, so a quick click will let me see notifications from the principal. She knows I check often and will often send me messages to pass to others on our hall. The only time I grade a test with kids in the room is if it is a specific test that they struggled/worried about. I do that about 3 times a year. Other than that, grading and planning happen in my 35 minute planning time or before/after school.
I don't know where my projector remote is. I'm sure I could figure out a way, but chances are, I'll make a mistake and accidentally do something wrong and leak sensitive information.
My students (hs) email me their work so I try to check it several times a day. And I TRY to get work graded right away, so the idea of both email and grading during class sounds lovely to me. Having said that, it's generally done when students aren't in the room. (Although sometimes we grade as a class.) I wish I had smaller classes and that I trusted my students to be more independent. They often have projects to work on, but I feel the need to circulate to make sure they are on task.
This is really unfortunate! I always stick to my word--whether it's in person, on the phone, or via email. No one respects a leader who doesn't follow through! My motto is: keep my talent happy and loyal!
I get that last part of what you're saying, but as a teacher who's had to cover her backside a time or ten with parents over the years, being explicit to the principal of what happened in details saved and will save the principal from finding me and asking "what happened?" after he gets chewed out by the parent. So, sometimes too much info, is better than not enough. This I know.
Then your teachers are very lucky. As I'm sure you have read on this site, there are PLENTY of teachers who have administrators that don't follow through at all.
I agree. I like to have things in writing, both for documentation purposes and just general rechecking of information. That way, if I forget or misinterpret something that was discussed, I can go back and reread our conversation.
When my students are working independently, I often check emails. We are instructed to keep our email program open at all times and to check it frequently throughout the day.
I never did, but I taught grade 1. There wasn't much time for anything administrative while I managed all those peanuts. I tried to check my email before school, on my prep and then again at the end of the day. Parents were encouraged to call the office with messages, not email the teacher during the day.
I use my freeze button constantly! And there have been one or two times where I thought the screen was frozen so I went to check email and it wasn't frozen. But the kids let you know pretty freaking quick when you click off their work!
Freeze and AV Mute are my bestest friends!! I have a bad habit of putting things down in random spots. The projector remote has "Projector" written on it in really large letters. The kids know if they find it somewhere weird (like in one of the library baskets, on the floor where I was working with a group, etc) they put it back by my computer. For the past 2 weeks I've been getting the "replace lamp" warning on my projector. I went to my principal and let her know and told her my heart raced every time I see it. I use my projector all day. I taught without one and I know I could again, but oh my gosh...who wants to??? As far as getting in touch with her, my principal is almost never in her office. She's in classrooms as much as she can, so an email is the best way to get in touch. She packs her iPad and uses it to communicate.
I see it as very positive. My principal at my old school was never in the room, never knew what I was teaching, and never attempted to learn more about changes in education. It seemed like a dream, but it was so easy to fall into bad habits. My current principal keeps up with our plans, visits our rooms often, talks with our kids and is always learning more. She challenges us to step out of our comfort zone, try new things, and and is generous with her feedback and praise. She is a former elementary teacher and will often step in to coteach with us, or ask if she can teach a lesson to our kids. It's a great environment to teach in.
