Ewe, Time Management
If I had a nickel for every time I was told to “better manage my time” as a teacher…
As we all know the expectations of teachers deliverables has increased significantly over the years and continues without pause. In such a crazy environment with so many expectations, how are teachers expected to manage their time effectively? There are many tips and tricks out there, schedules, charts, alarm reminders, but how efficient are any of these tools when natural interruptions occur during your day. For example, little Timmy gets a head injury at the playground and you were chosen to go in the ambulance with him, or the lockdown drill coincided with the fire alarm that went off from the pull station little Joey got a hold of-how are you managing to play catch up from days like these? Inevitably teachers carry over their work into their homelife and that spins out of control way too fast for everyone. What can we do?
Learn to say ‘NO’- this is a challenge for all teachers as coming into a world where we sacrifice ourselves everyday to give to others, saying ‘no’ feels like failure. BUT IT IS NOT! I will say that again! Saying ‘no’ to someone doesn’t mean you are failing at managing your tasks. It means that you want to give the best you can give to what you’ve got. Resentment carries a heavy load. If you choose to say ‘yes’ to everything asked of you, the ultimate price will be resentment. With every second of stress this adds onto your body you will resent the person or the job for your additional stress. But here is the secret, they didn’t know you were already tasked fully-especially when you said, ‘yes.’ So when you are asked to do something the next time, pause and think, will I resent this person or this task if I say yes, and if you will-SAY NO!
A little bit, goes a long way. I am finding more and more everyday as I speak with teachers that we all have one of the same quirks. If it isn’t planned, we put things off for later. For example, if I have time set aside for emailing, I will ONLY use that specific time even if some time opens up and I could get ahead. This stems from a long career of detailed organizational time management but what we miss is that even a if we do a little bit here and there when we have the chance, it can go a long way and shave off a ton of time later. So, when you have those peeks of time open up, use them effectively.
Socializing- do you think I am going to say not to? Well, you are incorrect! Socialization is key to much happiness and team building at any job, but-YES there is a BUT! We need to be careful. If you are working on something and your work bff comes in to tell you a hilarious story-tell them you want to hear all about it but you just need to finish this one task first- if it is something that can use their input, include them, maybe they can help. If not, ask them where they will be in your predicted time of completion and check-in with them after.
Delegate! You are not working open to close and generally there is an assistant working on either side of you. Use them wisely. Chances are they would love to assist you with cutting, coloring, or cleaning as much as they can and it is not an insult to ask. Only be sure to say thank you and maybe even have the children make a thank you card for them too!
Tips for time management are everywhere and some will work for you and some you will absolutely shake your head at. Remember this…you are a teacher, giving guidance and safe fun learning to your students comes first-everything else will fall into place as long as you give yourself some grace.
