Teaching: Work Smart, Not Hard

If you are a teacher, do you often hear yourself complaining that there is never enough time to do everything? Do you feel overwhelmed and you are only two hours into the school day? Throughout my years in education, I have learned some important life lessons that can be related to teaching. Below are a few tips on how to run your day more effectively so, by the end of the week, you will not have to spend your entire weekend playing catch up in your classroom.

Not Everything Has to Be Graded By You

It was my third year of teaching when a veteran educator imparted some much-needed wisdom my way. I was facing an avalanche of papers that needed to be graded when he asked me why I was grading all of them. I asked him what he meant by that. He replied that if it is not going into the gradebook, not everything is required to have a grade on it. Sometimes a “Good Job” or a “Work Harder” at the top of the paper is all that is needed.

At the time, it felt like a mindblowing concept. But he was entirely correct. Often times, I have students trade papers and grade them in class or have designated student graders that have aced the assignment look over them. Of course, I spend a moment to look over everything to make sure they were fair. Now I basically only grade things myself if it is important and going into the gradebook. I average about one or two grades per subject in the gradebook every week and that leaves me with about 15 grades for each subject every quarter.

Tutoring for Free Is Not Required

How often do parents ask you to tutor their child in your classroom when they start falling behind in a certain subject? Out of a class of 25 students, I would say a quarter of the parents ask me to spend additional time tutoring their kid. I have no problem providing a bit of extra help here and there, but if I feel that the parent could assist their child themselves, I tell them exactly that. Or I mention a great tutor that I know that charges a reasonable rate. If you are often getting requests to tutor children and you just don’t have the time, or maybe you are a parent that is out of their element and would love to have someone help out your kid, iAchieve can definitely help. We have expert tutors for every subject and every grade level.

Skip Out on Social Time

I learned very early in my teaching career that the teachers’ lounge is something that you usually want to avoid if you are having a busy day. I come from a long line of teachers. I have over ten teachers in my family if counting aunts and uncles. They all have supplied the advice that the teachers’ lounge is not a place to hang out if you are interested in having a productive day. A good majority of the time it is just fellow educators talking about how they are frustrated. It is easy to get wrapped up in the talk and before you know it, your half hour lunch time is gone. Skip eating lunch in the lounge and get busy in your classroom instead.

Give Chores to the Students

Many teachers have a problem letting go. They try to take everything on themselves. They organize the bookshelves at the end of every day. They wipe down all the desks with disinfectant wipes. They push in all the chairs and clean the garbage off of the floor. They wipe down all the whiteboards so they look like new.

Classroom management is more than just keeping all the students behaving as best as they can. It is how the whole classroom operates as a community. There are certain chores that students can complete during the day in the classroom that will save you meaningful time later on. Plus, they enjoy it. Also, they definitely need the responsibility that goes along with it. If you are unsure on how to handle this in your classroom, iAchieve can be of assistance. We have amazing professional development workshops that could help you out.

Written by Ryan Crawley

Interested in our teacher professional development programs?  Contact us today to learn how our programs help maintain high standards of teaching and further the growth of all educators!

Learn More!

RELATED POSTS

6 Ways to Teach Our Kids To Be Kind and Compassionate

Social and Emotional Learning in Schools

4 Ways Technology Can Boost Learning