Time Out for Planning
Posted by Hope Spencer on 23 Feb 2009 | Posted in: Classroom Management, Grade 1, Grades 2-3, Intermediate, Kindergarten, The Mailbox
Dropping my students off with another teacher, for gym or music, always gave me mixed feelings. On one hand, there was the peaceful lull of a few minutes to myself—time to run to the restroom, call some parents, grade papers, and finish a few lesson plans. On the other hand, there was the frenzied rush of knowing that the clock was ticking! What should I do first—run to the restroom, call some parents—well, you get the picture.
If I wasn’t careful, my planning time would dissolve before I realized it. But even when I was very careful, I found myself preparing for school in the early morning or, my other favorite trick, carrying home a heavy bag of teacher “homework”!
Teachers have found lots of tricks to help them get things done. Some rely on their aides or on parent volunteers. Others stay late or work on the weekends. Many have worked out a balance of both. What’s your routine? Do you find yourself enjoying a few moments of peace, or is the clock ticking over your head from the beginning of the day until the end? What can The Mailbox® magazine editors do to make your planning time more efficient? Let’s hear from you!
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14 Responses to “Time Out for Planning”
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More Comments Pages: [1] 2 » Show All Comments
I am planning to have VPK graduation on May. I need some of your suggestion, please. Help!
I make books out of a lot of different things. I make lots of ring books. I just made two new one by gluing pics of the class and their families doing activities in our classroom. You could also use pics from home. After gluing the back to back I laminate them and hole punch in the corner and usually connect about twelve of these to a ring. The rings are inexpensive and can be bought anywhere. I also have several sites that I love to get theme related books to print off for my classroom. I use them as theme unit books, library books (just me laminating again) and take home books to read with their parents. I love to encourage parents and children reading together.
Help, I’m a Pre-k3 Teacher who’s kids now know all my little ways and my discipline routines. These precious little ones have turned four and are testing the waters. Are there any updated ways to get these darlings to step up and remember our classroom rules and obey them. I’ve tried several charts and reward systems but to no avail. What’s new under the sun! Has Spring Fever attacked your once upon a time peaceful classroom? Please lend an ear and respond with your hands.
There is just to much paperwork any more. It takes away from the children. At night you want to rest but you have to worry about the paperwork. I’m not complaining. I’m a in home child care provider and we know have to write out lesson plans. I have always got them planned out but not written down.I believe in letting a child be a child but with this you have to write what you do and then tell if what category it fits in with the child. Time, Time Time you could be using with the child.
It would help me a lot if you had a list of 5 books for each theme. I have over 500 books and never seem to think of any for a theme. I purchase the 1 book you mention for the theme but I would like more than 1 book. This is my most difficult planning area.
Time??? We use to get time, but now only if you are an epic room can you have planning. They thing witting in the dark while a few students sleep and the rest are awake and your assistant does homework or visits you should get 1 hour 5 days a week! What a joke!! I spend unpaid hours (16-20) every week just on planning and all my own money on prep. 100 plus dollars a month. Bring most all activities and displays from my home. $15.00 a month to spend is another joke they play. As well as supplies, they don’t know what they are or get what we need to match the themes they pick, and they do not care.
Sorry for the complaining I just have no one to share it with.
The Mailbox is a life saver Thank you
My team and I do the same learning stations every week, just changed slightly to go with a new theme and to keep the students interested. It makes it super easy to plan, you don’t have to re-teach how to do a brand new center every week, so you just go right to it every week with ease. It has been great!
As far as the mailbox making our lives easier…I would be great if with every idea there was a center idea that went with it, as well as all the reproducables. Anything that saves me from having to make something is aces in my book!!!!
Also, I would like a magic wand.
Thanks!
I think as teachers with very little planning time, we need to make the most of what we have. Most of the time, my to do list doesn’t change much from week to week. So I plan out my planning time. For example, I know on Wednesdays I am going to use my first recess to correct spelling tests and my special time to plan and prepare for learning centers. I add phone calls or notes to write home to the beginning of my time so that sudden surprises don’t throw me off. I also plan out the hour before and after school that I stay. It works! I do have to be diligent though and not go and chat with my fellow teachers (which is sad) but I don’t have to cart home tons of stuff or stay too late at night either.
I am fortunate to live in an area with many stay at home moms. I have a parent volunteer every day. When I come across a good idea, or find something that needs prep work done, I put it in a basket designated to the volunteer work. My volunteers spend an hour in the classroom helping students with centers, but many stay longer to help keep the basket empty! I usually copy the directions right out of Mailbox Magazine. Also, we have a PTO prep program. Parents sign up to come in once a week to do prep work (ie:copying, laminating, binding and assembly). We have a form to fill out and a box in the office to place materials. When it’s done, the parent places it in the teacher’s mailbox. It makes my job so much easier! I can focus on the students in class, and on my family at home.
Does anyone have any neat ideas for Dr. Seuss’ birthday?
I have planning time from 10:25-11:05 four days a week. We have to teach our own computer class one day a week, so there is no time that day. We are very frustrated right now because many times our planning time is being directed into specific meetings that are being required. We seem to have more and more expectations with less and less planning time, so finding a balance is a struggle. Many times our planning time is coming from our home time, which infringes on family time. It’s a busy, time consuming job, and it’s a good thing I love it so much!!!! :0)
As a teacher’s asst. at a small private school,I’m in charge of center time for grades 1-4. Centers happen 2 to 3 times a week for 45 minutes. Having enough planned and ready for some students has now become a problem. They have the center idea down pat and finish everything earlier in the week. So, now I’m planning extras every Friday afternoon to supplement the centers. School is a half day on Fridays so I can work peacefully and have access to the copier, etc. Usually I work 1 1/2 to 2 hours preparing for the next week.
I used to get the weekly planning pages for Mailbox kindergarten and really liked them. I still use them to scope out the week — it gives me a place to write what I want to cover during the week and room to draw arrows and re-arrange, etc. It’s my scribble page! I wish the preschool pages online had the same pages available.