24 hours in the life of a MA CSE student

I decided to document the transition between the end of the weekend, to how I go about getting ready for the start of the next week. I am, however, not the best at taking “Instagram-worthy” photos… so please just treat this blog post as a VERY authentic snapshot of my life.

SUNDAY AFTERNOON

3:30PM- ARRIVAL

After a weekend of work, errands, as well as catching up with family and friends, I arrive back to my place to unwind and prepare for the upcoming week.

I always block off my Sunday afternoons and evenings, just so I enter into my placement and my classes with the right head space.

4:00PM - RUNNING LAST MINUTE ERRANDS

Made a trip to Dollarama to purchase some supplies for the next day's Math lesson.

One of the challenges that I face in my program is finding time to complete errands. Because my day is so busy, I find that simple things, such as hitting up Dollarama, tend to get left to the last possible moment.

6:00PM - FOOD PREP

I prefer cooking food in bulk, so that I can have one less thing to worry about during the week.

Since I'm not a picky eater, my method of cooking suits me well - not to mention cost-effective! This week, I ate chickpea salads for lunch (a modified version of chickpea salad wraps). For dinner, it was rice with meatballs, as well as an assortment of veggies that I rotated around. The only downside though, is that I'm basically chained to the kitchen for the majority of Sunday evenings.

9:00 - PREPPING FOR PLACEMENT

As this was my last week at my placement, I made every child a personalized bookmark with a quote about reading.

Sunday nights usually end in a flurry, with me scrambling around trying to prep lesson plans or frantically write essays. This week, after dinner and a little bit of Netflix, I was busy making goodbye gifts for my students.

12:00 - SLEEP TIME

In general, my rule is for me to be in bed by 11:30PM. However, I find that I have not been the most consistent with that in the last little while as the work load has started to pile up.

MONDAY MORNING

6:25 - WAKE UP (OH, I MEAN SNOOZE)

Yeah... I'm supposed to give myself a full 40 minutes to wake up and get ready before I head out the door. But lately, I've mastered the art of washing up, getting dressed, packing my lunch and backpack, in just 15 minutes flat. Which also explains why this section has no pictures, since I'm running around like a headless chicken every morning.

7:15 - COMMUTING

(Just picture walking...the TTC Bus...then subway...then lots of walking)

8:00 - PLACEMENT

The Grade 6 classroom at the JICS Lab School!

It's the calm before the storm. Just kidding. But sometimes not really. Even though the school that I am placed at starts at 8:45, I like to arrive by 8:05, just so I can debrief with my Associate Teacher (AT) and to help prep for the day.

10:30 - MATH

In the spirit of Fall, I led a fun Math lesson by letting my kids build 'pumpkin catapults', and then measuring the total distance of each launch. Everyone became super creative with their catapult models.

Obviously, a lot more happened in my placement than just Math. The kids also went to Music, had some individual work time to complete various projects or assignments, as well as a French class. As a first year completing my Block 1 placement, I am not expected to lead an entire morning, though I do know some classmates who have already done so. Depending on everyone's comfort level and their AT, you may be asked to teach more (or less).

12:45 - LUNCH

My meal is usually accompanied by a fruit or a snack, which I usually save for later on in the day.

Since I have classes right after practicums, I prefer to arrive early to class, and eat my lunch there. A great bonus of having all our classes in the JICS rather than at OISE is the difference in wait times for the microwave at lunch. At the most I think I've waited for 2 other people before it was my turn.

1:30 - LECTURE

Since I am a visual learner, I always make sure to use coloured pens and page spacing to help me organize my notes in a coherent manner.

Some classes are BIG on snacks and food! So for this course, my classmates actually organized a "snack sign-up list" where every week, a certain group of peers will bring in food for everyone to share :)

4:30 - LECTURE ENDS

And just like that, my 24 hours are over. All my courses are 3 hours long, and it takes me about an hour to commute home. In the future, I will probably look into doing another 24 hour snapshot, but in the middle of the week.

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