6:00am – I wake up at 6:00am every morning and hop off my bed. I grab my towel and toothbrush and head to the bathroom and sharing one bathroom with four girls, we naturally made a schedule.
6:30 -7:15am – I get dressed, make some coffee, grab my lunch for the day and head out by 7:13am to run and catch the yellow school bus, which is scheduled to leave Teacher’s Village by 7:15am.
7:35am – We arrive at the Legacy Elementary School (LES) campus every day by 7:35am. I thank our bus driver as I exit the bus and say my good mornings to the security guard who opens the door and greets us.
Once I’m at school, I head into the dean’s office to sign in and grab the student packets for that day’s tutorial. I then take my things and put them in my “unassigned assigned” seat in the teacher’s workroom.
7:45am – I’m at my daily post for morning duty, ready to welcome scholars for the new school day. This has become one of my favorite parts of the day. I stand in the middle of the stairs between the basement and first floor to see and greet scholars who are in Pre-K and 1st – 4th, along with their teachers. It’s a chance that allows me to interact with a wider variety of the community’s members. I’ve made a personal goal to remember one new student name each day so I can hopefully greet all of them with their names before the end of the school year.
8:20 – 9:40am – Next up, I have my secondary. For this role, I work as the assistant to the Dean of Students for LES. We’re currently working on planning and executing The Glow in the Dark party for all the students. This is an 80s/90s themed party to celebrate scholars. I enjoy this process because I get to use my creative side and design the flyer to make it informative and aesthetically pleasing.
9:50 – 10:50 am – I prepare all the materials I need for the day (markers, white board, packets, positive and negative behavior trackers, scholar dollars). This is the time I make some modifications, and specific supplemental materials tailored to each of my three tutorial groups for the day. My first tutorial group is Temple, from 10:50 – 11:50 a.m. I have four students in that group, two in my Princeton group, and four in my OSU group. Each homeroom is named after a different college or university.
Monday through Thursday, we have our math tutorial. We start with 5 minutes of silence for “Do Now” while scholars work silent and solo. Then 2-3 minutes of fluency, which is when they do fast math based on multiplication or division facts that they are learning. Currently, it’s simple division. Once that’s over, instructional tutorial officially begins. However, before we start, I time each student for 10 seconds each to discuss their day/share anything interesting. On Mondays, they get 20 seconds to discuss their weekends. This usually excites them and puts them in a positive mood before starting the lesson. It also gives me a chance to learn more about who my scholars are. Once that is complete, we review the problems they did for the Do Now and clear up any misconceptions.
After that, I model a problem based on what they are learning that day, working through step by step while students take notes and observe. Then, I have students turn and talk, explaining the different steps used to solve the problem. Then, they work individually on a certain problem everyone is struggling with, and we come in as a group and work through it. The last 5 minutes of tutorial is the exit ticket, a set of questions based on what we learned in tutorial to assess whether they have mastered the material for that day.
11:50 AM – I rush to the basement for my lunch duty with kindergartners. I look forward to seeing their little faces every day! During this time, I help them open their milk, direct them to the restrooms, and make sure they’re eating and not playing too rough with each other. Although they can get wild, it’s still a time I look forward to the most because their pure innocence and joy is infectious. It reminds me to not take things so seriously and make sure to refresh and reset to a joyful state constantly. They’re so eager to share their age, favorite color, favorite show, or fruit. They also ask the most random and interesting questions. At 12:20p.m., their teachers come down and relieve us of our duties.
12:30 – 1:10pm I eat my lunch, which I usually bring from home, and make any additions necessary to the already existing Check for Understanding questions I have on my Key Packet, based on my assessment of the scholar’s performance from the first tutorial. If there isn’t any, I take this time to relax and unwind with watching some Netflix, doing the daily crossword puzzle, or catching up with the other Fellows. I make sure I’m re-charged for the fast paced schedule to follow.
1:15 – 2:15pm I have my second tutorial with my two students from Princeton. Then we have “Blended Learning”, where I assist the homeroom teacher, along with another fellow by monitoring scholars while they each work on their laptops.
2:35 – 3:30pm Now I have my last tutorial group for the day. My OSU group consists of four students. This tutorial usually runs smooth and fast. The scholars are engaged and follow expectations without being asked. It might be because it’s the third time I’m doing this, but the student’s cooperation allows us to go through the packets quicker.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, after my last tutorial, I have “Power Up”, an after-school study hall that helps scholars with their homework, from 4 – 5:00pm. This program is meant for a few students who need the extra help in any assignments. They are selected by either their teachers or ourselves and we help them work through their homework and study for assessments.
Fridays are different. Instead of math, scholars have ELA Literacy tutorials. This allows me to work with 3rd graders, unlike the usual 4th graders. While slightly different, tutorial has the same flow, starting with 5 mins of Do Now at the beginning, and Exit ticket at the end. Our days also end earlier, at 3:30 instead of the usual 5:00pm.
If there’s no Power Up, this is the time I finish grading exit tickets for the day and input their grades onto the excel tracker. At 4:50pm. I pack up, head to Washington to sign out and head to the yellow school bus, which departs to Teachers Village at 5:00pm on Monday – Thursday.
On the bus ride back, I like to reflect on the day and process what happened. No matter how well you prepare, each day brings different challenges. The closer I become to the scholars, I realize I’m also a mentor, motivator and emotional support not just their tutor. Although this can be very emotionally draining at times, seeing a scholar understand a challenging topic in math or have a personal growth is one of the most rewarding
A Day in the Life: Selamawit Gizatu, Great Oaks Legacy Elementary School Fellow
6:00am – I wake up at 6:00am every morning and hop off my bed. I grab my towel and toothbrush and head to the bathroom and sharing one bathroom with four girls, we naturally made a schedule.
6:30 -7:15am – I get dressed, make some coffee, grab my lunch for the day and head out by 7:13am to run and catch the yellow school bus, which is scheduled to leave Teacher’s Village by 7:15am.
7:35am – We arrive at the Legacy Elementary School (LES) campus every day by 7:35am. I thank our bus driver as I exit the bus and say my good mornings to the security guard who opens the door and greets us.
Once I’m at school, I head into the dean’s office to sign in and grab the student packets for that day’s tutorial. I then take my things and put them in my “unassigned assigned” seat in the teacher’s workroom.
7:45am – I’m at my daily post for morning duty, ready to welcome scholars for the new school day. This has become one of my favorite parts of the day. I stand in the middle of the stairs between the basement and first floor to see and greet scholars who are in Pre-K and 1st – 4th, along with their teachers. It’s a chance that allows me to interact with a wider variety of the community’s members. I’ve made a personal goal to remember one new student name each day so I can hopefully greet all of them with their names before the end of the school year.
8:20 – 9:40am – Next up, I have my secondary. For this role, I work as the assistant to the Dean of Students for LES. We’re currently working on planning and executing The Glow in the Dark party for all the students. This is an 80s/90s themed party to celebrate scholars. I enjoy this process because I get to use my creative side and design the flyer to make it informative and aesthetically pleasing.
9:50 – 10:50 am – I prepare all the materials I need for the day (markers, white board, packets, positive and negative behavior trackers, scholar dollars). This is the time I make some modifications, and specific supplemental materials tailored to each of my three tutorial groups for the day. My first tutorial group is Temple, from 10:50 – 11:50 a.m. I have four students in that group, two in my Princeton group, and four in my OSU group. Each homeroom is named after a different college or university.
Monday through Thursday, we have our math tutorial. We start with 5 minutes of silence for “Do Now” while scholars work silent and solo. Then 2-3 minutes of fluency, which is when they do fast math based on multiplication or division facts that they are learning. Currently, it’s simple division. Once that’s over, instructional tutorial officially begins. However, before we start, I time each student for 10 seconds each to discuss their day/share anything interesting. On Mondays, they get 20 seconds to discuss their weekends. This usually excites them and puts them in a positive mood before starting the lesson. It also gives me a chance to learn more about who my scholars are. Once that is complete, we review the problems they did for the Do Now and clear up any misconceptions.
After that, I model a problem based on what they are learning that day, working through step by step while students take notes and observe. Then, I have students turn and talk, explaining the different steps used to solve the problem. Then, they work individually on a certain problem everyone is struggling with, and we come in as a group and work through it. The last 5 minutes of tutorial is the exit ticket, a set of questions based on what we learned in tutorial to assess whether they have mastered the material for that day.
11:50 AM – I rush to the basement for my lunch duty with kindergartners. I look forward to seeing their little faces every day! During this time, I help them open their milk, direct them to the restrooms, and make sure they’re eating and not playing too rough with each other. Although they can get wild, it’s still a time I look forward to the most because their pure innocence and joy is infectious. It reminds me to not take things so seriously and make sure to refresh and reset to a joyful state constantly. They’re so eager to share their age, favorite color, favorite show, or fruit. They also ask the most random and interesting questions. At 12:20p.m., their teachers come down and relieve us of our duties.
12:30 – 1:10pm I eat my lunch, which I usually bring from home, and make any additions necessary to the already existing Check for Understanding questions I have on my Key Packet, based on my assessment of the scholar’s performance from the first tutorial. If there isn’t any, I take this time to relax and unwind with watching some Netflix, doing the daily crossword puzzle, or catching up with the other Fellows. I make sure I’m re-charged for the fast paced schedule to follow.
1:15 – 2:15pm I have my second tutorial with my two students from Princeton. Then we have “Blended Learning”, where I assist the homeroom teacher, along with another fellow by monitoring scholars while they each work on their laptops.
2:35 – 3:30pm Now I have my last tutorial group for the day. My OSU group consists of four students. This tutorial usually runs smooth and fast. The scholars are engaged and follow expectations without being asked. It might be because it’s the third time I’m doing this, but the student’s cooperation allows us to go through the packets quicker.
On Tuesday and Wednesday, after my last tutorial, I have “Power Up”, an after-school study hall that helps scholars with their homework, from 4 – 5:00pm. This program is meant for a few students who need the extra help in any assignments. They are selected by either their teachers or ourselves and we help them work through their homework and study for assessments.
Fridays are different. Instead of math, scholars have ELA Literacy tutorials. This allows me to work with 3rd graders, unlike the usual 4th graders. While slightly different, tutorial has the same flow, starting with 5 mins of Do Now at the beginning, and Exit ticket at the end. Our days also end earlier, at 3:30 instead of the usual 5:00pm.
If there’s no Power Up, this is the time I finish grading exit tickets for the day and input their grades onto the excel tracker. At 4:50pm. I pack up, head to Washington to sign out and head to the yellow school bus, which departs to Teachers Village at 5:00pm on Monday – Thursday.
On the bus ride back, I like to reflect on the day and process what happened. No matter how well you prepare, each day brings different challenges. The closer I become to the scholars, I realize I’m also a mentor, motivator and emotional support not just their tutor. Although this can be very emotionally draining at times, seeing a scholar understand a challenging topic in math or have a personal growth is one of the most rewarding feelings I’ve ever experienced. It makes it all worth it and pushes me to become the best version of myself who can offer more help.
Once I get home, I fill up my kettle with water and turn on the stovetop. I sit and relax while catching up with my roommates as I wait to hear that magical whistle sound letting me know my tea is ready.
Selamawit is a Washington State University graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. She joined this program to dedicate a year of service to the community and to pursue a career in education.
Education Fellows 