A Day in the Life of Ms. Houser
Categories: Goals and Motivation, Instructional Coaching
I keep a running list of blog post topics and one that has been on there for awhile is a “Day in the Life” post. I secretly love learning about the rhythms and routines of other people’s everyday schedules. When I’m out walking my dog at night, I’ll even walk a bit more slowly past open windows so I can peek inside. Is that weird?
Anyhow, I got to thinking that most of the posts I’ve written on this little blog of mine, have been more professional and less personal. I haven’t really shared much about the gal behind MsHouser.com. And I know that one of my favorite parts of reading a blog is making a connection with the person writing it. So in an effort to get to know each other a bit better, I’m opening up my window curtains and inviting you to take a peek inside.
My morning and evening routine is pretty standard, although my coaching days are always different. This day though {Wednesday of this week} reflects a pretty typical coaching day. Alrighty, let’s take a peek.
4:30am WAKEUP
The alarm goes off and my chocolate lab pup jumps on the bed to greet/lick me good morning. I’m a super early bird, so I don’t mind the 4:30am wake-up time. It gives me a few extra minutes to enjoy a cup of coffee, write in my journal, and map out my day. Starting the day this way, helps me get focused and organized for the day ahead.
5:15am EXERCISE
Most mornings I’ll head out for a long, brisk walk with the puppy, Sombra {spanish for shadow}. He’s pretty much the cutest thing ever, don’t you think? And he gives me a pretty good workout.
6:45am DRIVE IN
I hop in my car and head off to school, which is about a 25 minute commute. I’ll usually listen to a good podcast or audiobook on the way there.
7:20am SET-UP FOR THE DAY & BREAKFAST
I head into my coaching office, unpack my bag and get set-up for the day. I’ll have my breakfast while I check a few emails and see if there any changes I need to make to my schedule or anyone I need to get back to right away.
7:45am COACHING VISIT
I’m working fairly intensively with a kindergarten teacher right now in the mornings. So I’m in there longer than I would normally be in a classroom. We’re digging into rituals and routines. We’re both learning a ton and enjoying it! Kindergartners are pretty funny.
10:00am COACHING PLANNING
I always build some time into my daily schedule to review my coaching observation notes and plan for my debriefs with teachers. I think it’s important to be prepared for when you meet with teachers, just as you would be prepared for teaching a lesson. Teachers are sharing some of their limited planning time with you, in the hopes that you can help them and their students grow, so it should be worth their time!
11:00am COACHING COACHES
This isn’t a usual event in my schedule, but it was a fun one to add in! I chatted with a group of coaches about scheduling, the instructional coaching tools I use, lessons learned, goal setting and some Q&A at the end. Some of my lessons learned…be prepared and always be honest with teachers! It’s okay not to have all the answers and it’s okay to honestly talk through sticky situations.
12:00pm LUNCH {usually}
I always make time to eat lunch, but at what time that happens…it just depends on the day. As much as I love structure and routine, different things may come up during the day and coaching requires you to be flexible. When it is time for lunch, I’ll check in on email or do some reading.
12:45pm WORK ON DISPLAY
Its’s College Friday in Colorado, and I’ve been working hard all week on creating a “college dreams” wall for our kids. This is the center of the display, and it extends down the hall. Creating different displays or walls such as this throughout our building, is something I enjoy doing, and offer to help out with on occasion.
1:15pm FACILITATE VISITORS
A few times a year, we host groups of visitors from other schools. Today I facilitated a site visit for a group of 7 teachers, with a focus on identifying instructional practices that support the engagement and achievement of students.
2:45pm MEET WITH CHELSEA
Chelsea and I are just kicking off our coaching cycle together and are meeting today to review her updated assessment data, so we can set a goal and identify some instructional strategies for the focus group of students we’ll be working with.
3:45pm DRIVE HOME
Time to head home for the day. Another podcast plugged in, a snack to munch on, and I’m home!
4:15PM PLAY TIME!
This is one of my favorite times of the day. Sombra is crazy excited when I get home and I’m pretty dang excited to see him too. Luke, my fiancé, hears the commotion upstairs and comes up to greet us {he works from home}. Then we all head out back for some bone throwing and chasing time.
5:00pm PREP FOR NEXT DAY
This time includes unpacking my bags, making breakfast and lunch for tomorrow, cleaning up the house a bit, picking out tomorrow’s outfit, mail…all that kind of stuff.
6:00pm DINNER AND FAMILY TIME
We try pretty hard to have our meals planned out for the week and enjoy spending some time together in the kitchen cooking healthy meals. Tonight is one of our favorites, chicken burrito bowls.
7:30pm BIZ WORK
I’ve been working super hard on my side business, so I’ve been using this time to hustle. I’m in the process of launching a new, unique weekly planner designed for educators and other busy professionals. It’s been a long time dream in the making and I can’t wait to share it with you! You’ll hear more about it in the coming weeks.
9:00pm GET READY FOR SLEEP
I like taking a hot shower before I go to bed, just to wash the day off and relax. Then I’ll do a little fiction reading to help me get my mind off work stuff. Right now I’m reading The Maze Runner, and really liking it!
9:30pm LIGHTS OUT!
Thanks so much for taking the time to get to know me a little better. I hope this post also gave you a better idea of what an instructional coaching day can look like. I know that’s something I’m always curious about.
Now it’s your turn!
If you’d like to send me a note or introduce yourself in the comments below, I’d love it!
Have a happy weekend and I’ll talk to you soon.
Your “Time and To Do Planner” sneak peek doesn’t open anything…is the link missing?
Thanks Mary, for checking! It’s not actually a link until next week, just the logo sneak peek as of now :)
Thanks for your interest!
That was a fun post to read! I’m with you, I like peeking into the window. I was an instructional coach for 7 years in one middle school, focusing on science. I spent 3 years as a district level coach and I am now a K-12 Science Coordinator in another school district. I tend to approach most of my work through a coaching lens and as such, appreciate reading your blog!
Hi Jen! Thanks so much for introducing yourself. I bet I would probably have a lot to learn from you given your experience…wow! That’s so great. I hope your year is going well :)
Kristin
I enjoyed seeing the structure and organization of your work day. It gives me incentive to be more structured too, especially in the home aspect of my day. I like the journaling and dog-walking you start your day with. I’m feeling the need to “center” myself with a beginning like that. I’d like to know what podcasts you listen to. Thanks for sharing.
Hi Linn! Great to meet you :) I just started the journaling piece actually and I really like it. Th 5 Minute Journal is pretty easy to keep up with too. It takes some effort at times to keep that “structured” piece at the beginning of the day, but it’s totally worth it. I like “The Model Health Show” podcast and “Smart Passive Income.”
Kristin
I’m always looking for good podcasts to listen to on my commute. Was curious as to what you enjoy listening to. Thank you, and I am loving your website. Great job and great ideas!
Hi-
I am a BIG time fan and love your organization and tips.
I am interested in the black and white calendar at your desk- it looks home made and update-able can you share details?
P
Hi Patricia,
Thanks for being a fan of the blog! I wish I could say I made the calendar, but I actually bought it at Papersource. I’m pretty sure you can purchase it online though!
Kristin