The Small School

I teach at a small, parochial school.  For the most part, I love my job.  I have taught in the public schools, but, frankly, I love my small school.  There is such a sense of family.  My kiddos aren't just my kiddos, but are really the kids of the entire faculty.  I love seeing the eighth graders helping a first grader read the Psalm during our devotion time.  I love how the older kids will often play with the younger ones during recess.  I love the fact that after teaching there for four years I have had most of the kids in the school in my class.  I love that the faculty is a family and tries to problem solve together.  I love the fact that I actually know who the parents are, not just for my own students, but for all of them.
Teaching at a small school also has its disadvantages, however.  I am one of only 2 truly full time teachers.  (We have a teacher on 3/4 time who is basically there all day and two teachers that are half time, although one also works as our Title I teacher, so is there basically all day as well.)  This means that before school, I have all of the PK-2nd grade students in my room.  I don't get a plan time.  I don't get a lunch break.  In fact, I have to help serve lunch.  I do my own recess duty.  Besides my five reading groups and other activities during my literacy center time, I have to prep 2 math lessons a day, 2 English lessons a day, 2 handwriting lessons (3 times a week), plus science, social studies, and all of my own specials (PE, music, and art).  There is never enough time in the day to do everything.  There is never enough time to prep everything.  While I know every teacher works over the summer, if I want to create anything innovative, I HAVE to do it over the summer as there is simply no time during the school year.
I admit, I get upset when I see teachers teaching a single grade say that they don't have time to do basic, important things, like handwriting.  If I can manage to fit it in three times a week, you should be able to get 5 or 10 minutes a day without a problem.  Yes, I know that there are many things you are required to do and that handwriting is not in the Common Core standards, but would you neglect teaching a child to make a better choice because it isn't in the standards?  Would you simply tie a shoe for a child over and over because shoe tying isn't in the standards?  When I see teachers complaining that their planning time got cut from 300 hours to 225 hours a week, I almost want to cry.  What I wouldn't do for 100 hours a week of planning time!  (I am not saying teachers with planning time are evil.  I taught in a public school.  I really enjoyed having my planning time.  However, I have a lot more perspective now than I did then now that I teach in a small school and am making only 2/3 of the salary I made in my first year of teaching.)  Okay, my rant is over now.
Multi-grade teachers - how do you manage your time?  Leave me a comment and let me know!