Quality Teacher Resources
Teachers need time. Time to plan, time to mark student work, answer emails, time for professional development, write reports, talk with parents and if there is any time left over – TEACH!
How is it that some teachers seem to stay on top of their workload, while others fall behind? There are a few answers such as good organisation, efficient planning and a supportive work environment. However, utilising small snippets of time throughout your day goes a long way in completing the many little tasks that are often overlooked.
Here are a few ideas when you find yourself with a spare 10 minutes.
Clean your desk.
Take the opportunity to improve the state it is in. Parents, Principals and Department Heads form preconceived ideas on your organisational ability by the state of your desk and classroom. Unfortunately, a book is often judged by its cover. An organised desk will save you time when work needs to be located quickly and while you are there, don’t forget to wash out that coffee mug!
Ring a parent.
Don’t just ring to discuss poor behaviour or work. Take the time to touch base and maybe let a parent know how impressed you have been with a student.
Email.
There can often be a temptation to answer emails immediately. Instead of answering emails as they happen, try a measured approach of twice a day. Spend 10 minutes each morning and afternoon to read through them and answer.
Return your library books.
Keeping your librarian on side is important. A range of fresh books to choose from every fortnight / month will engage your students.
Write out a few certificates.
Have them ready to hand out instead of filling them in at the last minute.
Start your report card comments.
Open a Word document and when anything of note regarding a student happens, type it up. This is a huge help, especially when you are struggling to think of a comment on the end of semester report.
Declutter.
Get rid of unwanted papers, old artwork and dated posters. An uncluttered classroom makes a great impression.
Prepare for the Teacher Aide.
Organise and gather work for your teacher aide so you don’t waste valuable classroom time.
Listen to a child read.
If you have older students, use that 10 minutes to talk to them about their work or see if there are areas where they need help.
Update your resources.
Engage your students with quality resources relevant to their ability. Check out our professional resources HERE.
Don’t waste the small snippets of time. Over a week, you may have found an extra hour you didn’t know you had. A lot can be achieved in 10 minutes.
Till next time,
Naomi x