Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
I know it sounds a little strange, but this one helps me stay on track. Each day I have a specific task I aim to complete. For example, on Mondays I plan out my math lessons and on Fridays I re-evaluate my upcoming lessons in case we lagged behind or got ahead that week. Also, I always reserve about 10 minutes each plan time for parent or colleague communication (save the lengthier conversations for an after-school conference).
Plan time is a vital part of a teacher’s day. It’s when the “magic” happens, or at least, it’s supposed to. If you’re like me, plan time mysteriously disappears, taken up by “quick” conversations with a colleague, getting students caught up on work, or communicating with parents, leaving you with little to no time to plan before your next class begins.
After a decade of teaching, I feel like I’ve finally figured out how to make the most of my plan time. While some are blatantly obvious, these 6 little nuggets of wisdom may be just what you need to take back your plan time.
Use A Planner Find a tool to help you plan your week, month, year. Having everything in one place, and being able to see a week, or month, at a glance is helpful. Create a digital template, or make one by hand. Choose from one of the hundreds of editable lesson planner templates available like this basic lesson plan template from Angie Amos on Teachers Pay Teachers.
Shut Your Door
I know. It’s hard. You don’t want to seem unfriendly or unwelcoming. However, if you are swamped with grading and planning, this is one step you can’t avoid. If you feel it necessary, you can even make a little note to stick on your door explaining that you’d LOVE to visit, but you have work to complete. Uninterrupted plan time is precious!
Avoid Scheduling Meetings
Some of us have little control over this one. However, in my building, our plan time is OUR plan time. Plan time isn’t allowed to be used for IEP meetings, conferences, or evaluations. If you can, request that meetings be held at times other than your plan time.
Delegate Work If you have teacher’s aides, use them (please don’t ask your paraprofessional if they can help you with work, their job is to help students). If not, ask a parent volunteer to help throughout the week. Jobs like making copies, cutting, stapling, sorting, and hanging papers on bulletin boards are ideal for aides or volunteers. These tasks take up a surprisingly large amount of time, so let someone else help you out!
Recruit Student Help
Use peer tutors to assist students who have been absent or who need extra help with assignments. Offer peer tutors an incentive for their help.
Each school year and each day are different. See what works best for you. Don’t be afraid to protect your vital plan time!
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Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
Creating the “perfect” classroom seating arrangement is one of the more challenging aspects of teaching. It seems to be a never-ending puzzle! A good classroom seating arrangement allows students to be focused on learning, and that can only occur when other nuances are addressed.
Consider each student’s needs and challenges. Students who are easily distracted should be placed in an area of the room that provides the least amount of possible interruptions. If a student has visual or hearing complications, seat them where they can easily see and hear instruction. A student who needs to leave the room during class time for other services (speech, gifted, etc.) may prefer to be seated near the door to avoid feeling uncomfortable when leaving. A talkative student may need to be situated with as few classmates as possible. Do any students have physical limitations that requires equipment or accessibility?
2. Peer Tutors
Are there students in your class that could potentially be peer teachers to others? Seat these students near others who struggle academically or behaviorally. Be sure to spread them out among your seating arrangement. Don’t overuse this strategy, as it may be uncomfortable for your stronger students. They don’t ALWAYS have to be a peer teacher, sometimes they just enjoy being a student.
3. Student Organization
Allow your less organized students a little extra space. This may be at the end of a row or the corner of a group. If their supplies happen to “overflow,” it won’t cause problems with neighboring students. This is a bigger deal at the elementary level if students keep their supplies in their desks.
4. Teaching Style
Think about your own teaching styles and the desk arrangements that will benefit your instruction. Do you spend most of your time lecturing from a certain location in the classroom? What about classroom technology, like projectors, SmartBoards, or access to laptops? Is group collaboration often used?
Here are a few Free Desk Arrangement Generators to check out:
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Classroom transitions can be time-consuming and steal away precious teaching time. Whether it’s lining up to go somewhere outside of the classroom, or changing to a different activity, trying to get all students to “switch gears” can be a tricky task. We can’t expect students to have smooth transitions if we don’t have a structured process and clear expectations. This 4-step guide can help make your classroom transitions more efficient, so you can spend more time on what matters!
4 Helpful Steps for Classroom Transitions
Prepare Students to Wrap Up Use a countdown. Allow students time to wind down from their current activity or assignment. This step can be done with an actual timer, lasting the length of a song, or a virtual stopwatch displayed on the screen. When time is up, students should be prepared to end their current activity.
Explain And Transition Directly and explicitly, tell students what will be happening next (“put away _____, get out _______, line up to go to _________”). Initiate this process by using a word other than “go.” I like using the words “transition” and “let’s get prepared.” If needed, use another countdown.
Monitor Take note of students who are transitioning correctly and praise them. Reteach students who seem to struggle with any of the transition steps.
When Things Go Wrong Author Todd Finley offers advice for troubleshooting classroom transitions in his Edutopia.com article “Mastering Classroom Transitions.” If transitions take too long, Finley suggests making it a challenge to beat another classes’ time. When student behavior is a problem when lining up, place stickers or dots on the floor several feet apart for students to stand on. Combine a visual timer and a verbal countdown for students who don’t want to quit what they’re doing. For younger students, distraction can derail any transition, so singing a song may help keep students on track.
As for any process that is new to students, it’s always a good idea to use reminders, even if you think students have it down. Practice, rehearse, and practice again.
The end of the school year is hectic. Assemblies, field trips, awards ceremonies, and celebrations seem to fill up the calendar during that last month. Your “To-Do” list is a mile long filled with tasks that need to be completed before the end of the year. Why not add just a few more important items? Don’t forget to accomplish these things before the end of the school year.
Plan Ahead for Professional Development
Many teachers are so busy during the school year that professional development is not a priority. Summer is a more convenient time to squeeze in those professional development hours. Check out the graduate level continuing education courses given by your local university. Online coursework is a great option if you’re planning to work over the summer break. Enroll in coursework that will benefit you. Some school districts may even have a tuition reimbursement program.
Clean Out and Organize Your Desk and Classroom
Nothing feels better than leaving for summer vacation, except when you leave for summer vacation with a clean and organized classroom. Purge what you don’t use. I use the one year rule: if I haven’t used it in a year, it goes. If the items you are purging are in good shape, offer them to colleagues so they don’t end up in the trash. Organize what you want to keep. Take ten minutes at the end of every day, from now until the end of the year, to focus on one area of your classroom. Start with your desk and move around the room from there. By the end of the year, you’ll have a classroom you can feel good about coming back to after summer break!
Thank Your Teammates
You can’t do this job without your coworkers. Let them know how much you enjoyed and appreciated working them with a simple gift or thank you note. Potted plants, homemade goodies, or even a simple from-the-heart note are all great ways to say “Thank You For A Great Year!”
Treat Yourself!
The taste of summer vacation is lingering in the air! You’ve made it. Treat yourself for your hard work before those last weeks of school. Get a massage. Eat at your favorite restaurant. Go get that book you’ve been meaning to read. Grab some appetizers during happy hour while you toast to another successful school year in the books. Or, if you’re anything like me, get a babysitter and take a long nap. After your personal pampering, you can return to school feeling rejuvenated to finish up the last weeks of school like a boss!
May the end of your school year be productive and positive. Cheers!
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Our Education Blogger is a public school teacher with over a decade of experience. She’s an active NEA member and enjoys writing about her experiences in the classroom.
Making the Most of Your Summer Break Without Breaking the Bank
If you are lucky enough to have some free time during summer break, take advantage of it. Don’t let the summer days slip by. Make the most of your summer without spending much money!
Sleep In and Take Naps
How often do you really get to do this? According to the American Sleep Association, sleep is a basic, biological need, and if we are deprived of sleep, our bodily systems fail. The average adult needs about 8 hours of total sleep time each day (ASA). So, no need to feel bad about sleeping in that extra hour or taking a quick snooze on the couch during the day. It’s for your health!
Find Free Activities
Make a list of the free festivals, carnivals, fairs, and other summer activities that your city or town has to offer during the summer. When you notice you have a free day, see what’s on the list for that day and have fun!
Exercise
Use your summer days to get back into an exercise routine. Use your break to fine tune your routine so you can transition easily into the following school year. The best part about summer is that there are a variety of activities you can do: swimming, biking, canoeing, kayaking, skating, jogging, hiking . . . well, you get the idea.
Have a Staycation
It’s time to explore your own town or city. Take a stroll through a local hiking or nature area. Visit a local museum, zoo, or aquarium. Eat out at a new-to-you restaurant. Or simply lounge at the pool soaking up the sun.
Get Outside
There are many benefits to spending time outdoors. As the Harvard Health Letter titled “A Prescription for Better Health: Go Alfresco” says, spending time outdoors will raise your vitamin D levels, encourage you to get more exercise, make you happier, improve your concentration, and might make you heal faster.
Spend Time with Friends
Carve out time each week to have lunch with a friend, or a group of friends. Maintaining meaningful relationships is important to your well-being. The Mayo Clinic says there are many health benefits to having friends including boosting one’s happiness, reducing stress, improving self-confidence, reduced significant health problems, and longer life spans.
Get Ahead on Professional Development
If you have “extra” time during your summer break, think about squeezing in some professional development so you won’t have to work on it during the school year. Don’t have the monetary resources to take coursework? No need to worry, here is a list of 6 Free Professional Development Resources for Educators.
Organize
Take a few hours each week to do that “spring cleaning” you never got around to. Focus on one room or area at a time. Purge, clean, and organize. You’ll feel like you can tackle the upcoming school year with ease if you have a clean and organized home.
