Tricks of the Trade in First Grade: LaborLESS Blog Hop!

Hello everyone!

ARE YOU REAAADDDY!!!

It is Finally here!

Today I am linking up with Laura from Where the Magic Happens, Krista from Teaching Momster, and Lisa from PAWsitively Teaching! I have joined forces once again with my bloggy friends to bring you the best, most amazing giveaway on this Labor Day weekend!
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!

I hope you have a wonderful school year and you find a good system that works for you! Again, remember to take time for yourself because our work always does get done! Now, best of luck with the giveaways!!!

Top all these great tips and ideas with these top-notch prizes!

A $100 gift card to Amazon