Time management can be an uphill task for teachers who have failed to understand the rudiments to great time-saving even when they’re the Yoda in offering excellent teaching advice and their teaching techniques have turned standards in their respective institution of learning.
But one thing remains a stubble and that’s how to save time.
It’s easy to get absorbed in the affairs of delivering excellent notes and explanations to your students in the classroom (I have been there) and there’s always a smile playing at the corners of your mouth each time you get positive nods from your students.
But on the other hand, a quick flick in your mind reminds you of the heap of assignments, untidied around your work area.
Other times it’s that constant hammering in your head. Why? Because you have a snowballing crisis at hand.
Your class’s serene atmosphere derailed because you lost control.
Eventually, somehow, you get to the top of the situation and stir you current dip around. Good job. Well done.
However, you lost an ample amount of time getting things under control.
These and many other reasons, are why you experience work fatigue because you can’t save time and usurp long hours to get things done in the classroom.
While there’s plethora of possible strategies at your disposal, a few are absolutely needed.
Stick with the following fundamental principles, make them a routine and you’ll never suffer from a burnout.
Cut Casual Breaks
Give yourself an opportunity to engage in harmless conversations with another teacher especially one who’s your friend and be ready to kiss your shot at time saving goodbye.
Getting distracted by a friend is easy. I’ve been there. Sometimes, I instigate this action.
And the sooner you realized you had spent more time than needed, it’s already too late.
Your class has turned chaotic. And You spend more than 10 mins reorganising.
Avoid this by steering away from luring banters and rather, engage your students in other relevant things.
Focus on Teaching Detailed Routines
It’s important for your students to master detailed routines. Routines are the life-wires of a well-run classroom.
I remembered teaching a classroom of toddlers some time back and during lunch breaks, they would scuffle to get their lunch boxes.
And in the process, they’d trample on their bags, leaving their shoes under-sole prints on them.
Obviously, this was never going to work.
“What did I do?”
I picked one person from the whole class to serve everyone their lunch boxes.
It took time adjusting to this but with constant repetition they became accustomed to this routine.
The key is to teach children how to maintain detailed routine.
Pretend you are a student and play the role then, ask a child to repeat this to be sure they followed.
Practice the use of detailed routines in some of your classroom activities to save time.
Organised Your Work Area
Letting things heap up like an ant-hill on your desk is no way to save you time or even energy. Sometimes the sight of such clutter kills the mood to teach.
Below are few tips to help clear such litter:
• When something comes in, don’t let it pile up. Put it in, right away.
• Use well-labelled shelves or bins for regular submissions. Like one for completed assignments and another for turning in homework materials.
• Don’t keep materials you’d probably won’t need in a long time on your desk area. It only makes your area too jammed. Rather store them elsewhere, where you can reach for them.