One of the most powerful things you can do as a teacher is spend time reflecting on how things are going in the classroom. Reflection give you a chance to identify things that are working well and replicate their success. Reflection also gives you time and space to honestly appraise what isn’t working well, and identify potential ways to address any problems. But, the problem with reflection is that it’s hard to carve out time for it- papers demand to be graded, emails clamor for our attention, and just about everything else becomes more urgent than finding a quiet time and space to stop the presses and just reflect. [Read more…] about Finding Time for Reflection as a Busy Teacher
time management
One Simple Law Teachers Must Learn for Work Life Balance
My first 10 years as a teacher, I worked crazy hours. During my first school year I would routinely start the day in my classroom at 6:30 and not leave until 6:00 at night, sometimes even later. And holidays and weekends- yep, back in the classroom. I was surrounded by other workaholic teachers who wore their excessive hours as a badge of honor, and I felt like it was just part of the job, an expectation if I wanted to be a good and effective educator. It’s been a journey from that point to one with improved work life balance, and one simple law first coined in 1955 by Cyril Parkinson in an essay published in the Economist has been super helpful in getting even better!
[Read more…] about One Simple Law Teachers Must Learn for Work Life Balance
