I feel very fortunate that I've had the opportunity to teach at the same school that my children attend. I know that it might be a difficult decision for some people when they think about the option, but for me, it has been absolutely wonderful being with my children. I haven't taught either of my own children because I am at a large enough school that it wasn't necessary. While there are some drawbacks to being a teacher in the same school, they are very few in my opinion. The hardest things is probably the fact that my parenting role extends basically to the time the bell goes, which doesn't allow for the "down time" that I might get otherwise.
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| Photo used with permission by Depositphotos |
The best things about teaching at the same school are:
1) being able to see them often (out on the playground, field trips, assemblies, etc.)
2) only needing to understand the schedule, rules, special events of one school
3) having an inside view on how things at the school function
4) not needing before and after school care (usually!)
After school sometimes it can be difficult to balance being "mom" while still needing to complete my planning and administrative tasks. Here are some things that I do to help balance it all.
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| Used with permission by Depositphotos |
Unit planning
It is vital to have my long-range plans done ahead of time, so that I don't have to do as much "big picture" planning with my children in the room. If possible, work together with a colleague so that your planning isn't as onerous.
Day plan throughout the day
Whenever possible, I try to find pockets of time during the day to get my activities set up for the next day. I do love socializing with my teacher friends during break times, but I will often spend part of my break doing things that are harder to do after school. I find that taking 15 minutes of my lunch break each day to accomplish tasks uninterrupted makes a huge difference.
Plan independent activities for my children
The activities that my children have needed in order to stay occupied has changed as they have grown. When my oldest was in kindergarten, she would sometimes be so worn out that she would rest or she would just want to paint or color. However, I actually found that having just one child with my after school was quite difficult. Total disclosure, after a few months of having my kindergartener with me after school I arrange for after school care for her two days per week. This allowed me to stay later on those two days and I would try to get as much done as possible. Then, the other three days of the week I was able to leave sooner after school. When she was in first grade it wasn't necessary anymore, because she was able to accomplish more things independently.
Some activities that my two children have enjoyed having access to:
-classroom toys
-classroom books
-puzzles
-stuffed animals (they make great students for little "teachers")
-art supplies (I had their own there)
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| Used with permission by Depositphotos |
Use technology is needed
When my children were in first and third grade, I started letting them use technology after school. They didn't really have access to it at home, so it was a great novelty. They were so excited to use tech, that they often didn't want to leave when it was time to go home. At that point it became quite easy for me to accomplish my tasks.
Some technology that my two children have enjoyed having access to:
-movies (Netflix to the rescue!)
-ipads
-computers for games and drawing programs
Use resources that make your daily planning easier to manage
I have enjoyed having certain resources printed and ready to go to make my daily planning not as overwhelming. By having them prepped ahead of time, I don't have to make quite so many trips to the photocopier! If you are interested in any of these, you can simply click on the picture to take a closer look!
These First Week of School Activities are so easy to prepare ahead of time.
Having this Morning Work (or Daily Practice work) ready to go means that you can just follow the same format each day without extra prep!
This bundle of number practice from 0-20 is differentiated and is a great routine for number sense!
I love having these printable brochures all ready to go for the year. The great thing is that the lists are student-generated, so they are automatically differentiated!
Are you considering teaching at the same school as your child(ren)?
As difficult as it is on occasion, I wouldn't give up the chance to teach at my children's school! It has been absolutely wonderful being part of their school lives in this way. When they transition to middle school I won't follow them ;) but I will always treasure this time that I've had!
