Being On Time in the Morning Matters

Today during our morning meeting I shared a really interesting time lapse video of the snow fall in Hartford, CT. There were many oohs and ahhs from the students, and we discussed what time lapse is (which Alban helped define because his dad does time lapse photography quite a bit), and we discussed the snow we faced this weekend. Our morning meeting begins at 8:30, and occasionally at 8:35. Often students are still arriving and miss out on the discussion.

Prior to 8:30, we are working on a problem of the day, MUG sentences, and catching up with friends. There is time to read more of a book, draw, and finish an entry for I Love Math Day, or for the MSS News. The time before and after 8:30 is important.

On time arrivals will be double important when we return from mid winter break, as we will begin our testing right away, each day. A hurried student feels stressed before they've even had a chance to read one problem. Their minds are distracted, their spirit is not calm, and they become anxious. Not a good way to begin a test.

When my boys were younger, my son Jonah was the worst at getting ready and out the door. It usually took three to four reminders for him to get out of bed. I tried all kinds of things some fun (tickling) and some not so fun (squirting him with water). Once I even dragged him from bed and took him to school in his pajamas (thank goodness he slept in sweats and a hoodie).

Then we began the timer/reward system. My boy Jonah loved candy and games of all kinds. We sat down together and decided how much time it would take for him to get ready for the day. We discussed  what he could do the evening before, and what his rewards would be.  On time departures earned him time with family playing Uno or Monopoly, or 30 minutes of Sonic on the Nintendo that afternoon. A week of being on time, earned a trip to the local convenience store for Skittles, Reese's Pieces, or his favorite treat at the time. After this I would wake him, set a timer for how long until leaving, and leave him alone to do it. He started with a bang, then a few weeks into it he struggled, but I kept at it, and so did he. By the time he got to high school, he was usually up and going before I went to wake him.

Think how you can change your morning routine to help you and your fourth grader be on time. Does he/she need to pack his/her things the night before? What decisions can be made in advance--breakfast, clothing, and/or lunch? Do you need to set a timer so everyone knows how much time they have before leaving? Doing these things not only helped Jonah be on time, but it also helped us all get along better, and made our mornings better. I recommend it.