A typical day at Explorer
When the school doors open at 8am, children pour excitedly into the school. There is the sound of greetings as they pass by their former teachers and arrive in their classroom. Once inside their classroom, they read the morning message – either written on a whiteboard or on chart paper – and the daily schedule before replying to the question on the morning message and beginning their morning work.
In some classrooms the morning work will be a math problem of the day (POTD), in others it will be a direct response to learning from the previous day or a chance to read, finish work and settle in to the day.
The school day does not begin until 8:15 and most classes do not hold their morning meeting until 8:30 as students come from all over San Diego and therefore many experience heavy traffic on their journeys.
Recess and lunch times vary so that all grades can go outside in smaller groups (eg 4th and 5th grade). This ensures that students have more space to play in. Children go outside for 20 minutes in the morning and then have a 40-minute lunch period around midday. Due to the mild climate in San Diego, children eat both their snack and their lunch outside. They are then responsible for cleaning up the area under and around their tables before they begin to play.
Wednesdays are always half days. Students are dismissed at 12:30. Wednesday afternoons are used for professional development - from whole staff training to small group committees or planning and preparation time.
Each class receives instruction in science, art and PE by a specialist teacher in a well-equipped room. The amount of time that each class spends in these speciality classes varies by grade level. While the students are out of the class at these specialties, class teachers have the opportunity to plan and prepare resources. To see what this looks like on a daily basis, check out my class's weekly schedule below.
In some classrooms the morning work will be a math problem of the day (POTD), in others it will be a direct response to learning from the previous day or a chance to read, finish work and settle in to the day.
The school day does not begin until 8:15 and most classes do not hold their morning meeting until 8:30 as students come from all over San Diego and therefore many experience heavy traffic on their journeys.
Recess and lunch times vary so that all grades can go outside in smaller groups (eg 4th and 5th grade). This ensures that students have more space to play in. Children go outside for 20 minutes in the morning and then have a 40-minute lunch period around midday. Due to the mild climate in San Diego, children eat both their snack and their lunch outside. They are then responsible for cleaning up the area under and around their tables before they begin to play.
Wednesdays are always half days. Students are dismissed at 12:30. Wednesday afternoons are used for professional development - from whole staff training to small group committees or planning and preparation time.
Each class receives instruction in science, art and PE by a specialist teacher in a well-equipped room. The amount of time that each class spends in these speciality classes varies by grade level. While the students are out of the class at these specialties, class teachers have the opportunity to plan and prepare resources. To see what this looks like on a daily basis, check out my class's weekly schedule below.