Making Your Mornings Meaningful

I am confident if I walked into ANY school in America on any given day, I would find students entering classrooms with "morning work" nicely placed in the center of their desk. Work they are most likely expected to do silently. Is this your classroom? Your teammates classroom? It was mine for many years! I thrive off of change so my morning work did look differently from time to time, however it was the same principle. The students entered the room, completed some sort of review activity, turned it in, and I usually didn't look at it until the next day (or later) to grade or OCCASIONALLY slip in the recycle bin while the students were in gym or music.

DON'T SHAME ME...YOU KNOW YOU HAVE DONE IT AS WELL!

My outlook on morning work and time management quickly changed after watching a teacher get EMBARASSINGLY called out at a conference for stating that she "didn't have time" to teach writing. In which the trainer bluntly responded by telling the teacher, "You need a course on time management if you don't have time to teach one of the most important skills in education."

TOUCHE.... blunt but true!

How many times do we as teachers give the excuse " I don't have time" when being introduced to something new? I can tell you I personally have heard this statement HUNDREDS of times in my 11 years in education.....and in 99% of those classrooms the time is not being utilized as effectively as it could be.

In my classroom it all started with a shift in our district's literacy plan. I was on a committee that was piloting a word work program. This specific word work program took approximately 15-30 minutes daily and I was having a hard time finding time in my schedule that made sense. Thinking about what the vibrant trainer would say, I quickly realized I had to make a change. At the time in my building, students began arriving at 8:20. They would enter the classroom and work on "morning work" until announcements. We would not begin any meaningful instruction until 9:00. This was forty minutes of my day in which students could be doing something purposeful and instead I was wasting it on random "morning work" review sheets that most days I DREADED grading. Each week I would look at the stack of papers and ask myself...

WHY DO I KEEP DOING THIS TO MYSELF?!?! I was DONE. Frankly, I no longer wanted this stack of messy papers in my space.

From that moment on, when my students entered the room they were doing something purposeful. Each day was planned with intention and not just copied out of my "October Morning Work" binder. Now don't get me wrong...I love a good themed activity when the time is right. However in this season of education, when our time is so precious and teachers have more expectations than ever, I learned that EVERY minute has to be intentional. Was this change a little more planning on my part?

YES.

Was it worth it?

WITHOUT A DOUBT.

Kids today, especially after suffering through a pandemic school year, need more from us. They do not need more busy work! I am sure they got enough of that during the treacherous virtual learning days. They need authentic, purposeful activities that are going to move them forward each and every day.

If you think I am nuts and you want to continue with your morning worksheets and endless grading....STOP HERE! Teachers have enough on our plates and if your morning work is the ONE thing you feel in control of keep doing your thing. No judgement here! :)

However, if I have sparked your interest please keep reading for some ideas on how to fill your mornings with purpose and meaning!

#1: STEM BINS/ MATH GAMES

This first idea isn't for the faint of heart... or patience! However, I can promise you if good structures are put in place your kids will be RUNNING to your room with excitement each morning. In years that my math block was shorter than I preferred, I loved to utilize STEM bins and math games first thing in the morning. Was it the quietest morning activity? DEFINITLEY NOT! However, when it was time to put them away and begin instruction, they had already warmed up their brain and they were ready to learn!

#2: Read Aloud

As many times as I tried to make it a priority, I was the WORST about pushing read aloud time to the side. I usually saved it for the end of the day and it was the first thing to go if we needed to finish up an activity. With that being said, my students of course were read aloud to in reading, however those texts had a purpose. Every teacher should make time to read aloud for enjoyment! What an incentive for the kids to get to school on time if they know your starting a new chapter in your class book first thing in the morning. If you love your quiet mornings...this is a perfect activity to start the day...and there is no grading! WINNING!

#3: Give Students Choice

As teachers we are ALL different. Some of us are morning people. Some of us lock our classroom door in the morning until we have finished one cup of coffee. Some of us are running in hoping the principal doesn't see us slide in 5 minutes after we were supposed to be at school. Our students are the same way! They don't all fit the "silent morning work worksheet" mold. Giving the students choices allows them to start their day on their terms with something that allows them to feel comfortable. Read a book. Draw a picture or write a story in your notebook. Practice your multiplication facts with a friend. Maybe they just ran in the classroom door and need to sit and eat breakfast. CHOICE IS EVERYTHING when it comes to students taking initiative in their own learning. Let them be themselves for the first 20 minutes of the day.

#4: Working Memory Activities and Executive Functioning Practice

This might be the most UNDERRATED yet BENEFICIAL way to utilize your morning. Reading scientists have recently included working memory as an important component of how students learn to read. Underdeveloped phonological working memory has been shown to be a factor in children with developmental language problems (Montgomery, et al., 2019). If we allow students time to develop their working memory each morning, this will allow them to build the skills to be successful when it comes to their core block learning. Some example working memory activities that students can participate in each morning are the following:

1. Play cards or games (Ex. Go Fish, Checkers, Board Games) These are not content rich games! Just for fun!

2. Visual memory games

3. Brain Gym

Not only do these activities develop a student's working memory, they also help build their executive functioning skills. (Ex. paying attention, taking turns, focusing, being patient, controlling impulses, etc.) We know students need executive functioning skills in order to learn, however many of our students executive functioning skills are underdeveloped due to trauma and lack of exposure and practice in their everyday lives. Why not use your morning time more wisely and help develop these skills?

In the end, changing up your morning to ensure it is meaningful is making an investment in the quality of learning that is taking place in your classroom each and every day!

-Amber Huskey