A Day In The Life: High School English Teacher

It isn’t often that I discuss my job here on One Swainky Couple. I’ve written about being a teacher here and we posted a “Back to School” segment on the blog in August. But occasionally, I’ll get DMs about teaching or my classroom and I thought the easiest way to answer them would be to take you through my everyday routine as a teacher, as well as what happens before and after the classroom.

A Day In The Life Of A High School English Teacher

5:30 AM I wake up and do a few things for the blog before getting ready for the school day. This is my only time to make sure things are scheduled for the day, including Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, and the actual post.

6:30 AM Breakfast, hot tea, and getting ready for the school day. I generally have my outfit picked out the night before (because I’m nerdy and love that), and our lunches are packed ahead of time.

7:30 AM Head to school! We live a few miles from school but because of the traffic, it usually takes me 20-30 minutes to get there.

8:00 AM Tutoring hours begin. I offer tutoring for my kids most mornings, unless I have a meeting to attend. If no one shows up, I just get things ready for the day, put my agenda up on the board, check email, etc.

8:45 AM The first bell rings and school begins! I teach at the AP level (Advanced Placement) and I’m also a Dual Credit certified teacher which means that I’m technically a college professor as well. My Dual Credit students are receiving college credit through the advanced course and my AP students receive college credit through the English AP Exam. To simplify all that, my students are all very motivated and I feel so blessed to teach kids that genuinely want to learn. I’m a bit like a momma bear and tend to brag on them frequently 😉

1:20 PM I teach 8:45-1:20 without breaks! Can you believe it?? My schedule is a little crazy and I have to say, it’s been one of the hardest parts about teaching this year. I’m used to a break coming much earlier in the day and sometimes, I find myself forgetting whether or not I’ve said something to a certain class or if I’m repeating it. Before the break, I teach my five classes (all the same) so it can definitely be a bit exhausting. Nevertheless, it still excites me and I love what I do!

1:20-3:10 PM This is my break time. Half of the time is lunch, the other half is my conference period. During my conference, I’m emailing, making copies, grading, developing curriculum, editing the calendar, or just running around the school, checking things off my to-do list.

3:15-4:05 Last class of the day!

4:05-4:30 I usually finish up on grading during this time period and prep all materials for the next day. I will say, I’m very good about leaving at 4:30 (unless we have a team meeting). I’m strict with myself on not bringing work home unless it’s absolutely mandatory, and I’d much rather get there earlier than have to stay until 6:00. I love having a back-to-back lunch period and conference because I often work through lunch to make sure that I’m able to leave on time.

4:30-6:00 This is usually my time alone at our house. I’m typically either blogging, working out, cooking dinner, or a combination of all three. Brandon arrives home anytime between 5-7, depending on the day.

6:00-6:45 We’ve gotten into the habit of eating dinner and watching an episode of This Is Us as our first way to unwind in the evening. Anyone else watching?? We’re now caught up and dying to know what happens next!

6:45-8:45 Brandon and I will talk, catch up, plan for the blog, read, or do a few chores, depending on what needs to be done. Now that we’ve had Daylight Savings, we’re walking a lot more frequently. We love taking Tara for a quick walk around the neighborhood before it gets dark.

9:00 By 9:00, we’re usually in bed. We try to have our last hour as reading + talking time as a way to unwind and relax before going to sleep.

10:00 Lights out and sweet dreams for us!