ARE YOU REAAADDDY!!!
It is Finally here!
All of us have been thinking about good ways in which to treat our readers and followers. We thought hard, and I mean it! Really, really hard… and decided that we can treat you to our best ideas to work smarter rather than harder… at school and home!
I know what it takes to be a great teacher, the stress, the time, the energy… I could go on and on! I also know that we crave time to ourselves and our families.
So here I go!
It definitely takes some time to figure out how to work smarter, not harder when you are just starting out teaching. I swear when I first started out I could have lived at the school and I think some of the students thought I did! hah! I just felt like there was always more to do. If there was something to correct I would just throw it in my big duffle bag and take it home along with all of my teacher manuals. Yikes! I found myself lugging a big bag back and forth everyday. This was definitely not ideal! So I knew I had to change something! After a couple of years, I learned how important it was to start using my time during the day more wisely. I used to sit and chat at lunch with coworkers and waste all of that time. Don't get me wrong I enjoyed it and it was better than planning or correcting, but it wasn't helping me work smarter. I decided during all of my breaks I would use the time to my advantage. I would eat a quick lunch and get right to work. I would correct and plan for the next day, photocopying and pulling out materials I needed. It sounds so obvious right, but at the time it was not! I finally left everyday feeling prepared for the next. I stopped taking my manuals home and left them out on my desk with post-its outlining the next days lesson along with my plan book. I would also have all my photocopying labeled and out for the next day. It definitely felt good! Plus if I had to call in for a sub, they would know exactly what to do. Having bins labeled with the days of the week by my desk also helped me feel organized. I would put materials in for each day of the week and if something didn't get done I would just move it to the next day.
If you are starting out, I'm sure it will take some time to figure it all out, but you need to find a system that works for you!
I apologize for the lack of pictures, but I am on maternity leave right now!! Here are a few photos to give you an idea on how my desk looked.
I know I just said this, but it definitely did take me a couple of years to figure out a better system to working smarter. My husband would always say to me, "What are you doing at work so late?" I would always say, "It never ends, there is always more to do!" This was when I realized I did have to take some time for myself. Teaching is only a job! So I decided to choose 2 or 3 days a week to leave school at a decent hour (not after 6pm) and go to the gym. Before teaching I would always go to the gym and then it kind of just stopped. So with this plan it definitely helped me unwind with my day! I would leave around 4 with my plans all done and head on out! Definitely find time for yourself, whether it's going home and watching shows off your DVR ( I did this many days, I didn't feel like going to the gym!), going to yoga, shopping, or just relaxing on your own!
I always like to begin my day with the same routine. In my classroom, the students come right in and get started on morning work. Some days I found that I was randomly picking worksheets and some students would be done in about 2 minutes or some worksheets took so long half the kids wouldn't finish. So I decided to make my own morning work for my students and I found it to be successful. It really was a great way of reviewing concepts from previous lessons. Click on the image below or here if you are interested in beginning your day with morning work. I have printables for the fall, winter, and spring!
Top all these great tips and ideas with these top-notch prizes!
A $100 gift card to Amazon
A $50 gift card to TpT
2 $25 gift cards to TpT
1 $10 gift card to TpT
Thank you for reading! And now don't be silly and get your hands all over this awesome giveaway!!
