Guidelines for Time Management for Teachers
Many teachers complain that they don't have enough time to finish all that they have to do within the day. What with preparing for class, checking papers, reading reports, attending meetings, and their personal life, time management for teachers can be a real challenge.
However, just like in any profession, time management for teachers is necessary because if they fail to finish their task on time it will negatively affect their performance in the classroom or the quality of their teaching. Below are some tips on time management for teachers:
First, determine your activities that are just a waste of time or those that consume too much of your time. You can do this by recording all your activities in a day and how much time you spend in each activity. Review this log and be honest with yourself. You need to eliminate the time wasters.
Oftentimes, time management for teachers becomes a problem for the simple reason of not being able to say "no". For example, if your hands are already full because you are part of three school committees then do not accept another special project because you will end up spreading yourself thin and then you become less effective.
Students are often guilt of procrastination but many teachers are, too. If you need to finish grading papers do not wait until the last minute to do so because quality always suffers with cramming. You might make some mistakes in checking the papers, which can result to complaints from students and parents.
Priority-setting is a key aspect of time management for teachers or for other professionals. When you know which tasks are the most important then you can arrange you schedule to make sure those tasks get done first. Delegating routine tasks to a school admin staff or even a student is also a good idea.
Another useful tip when you have a large task to do is to break it down into smaller tasks so it becomes more manageable and less daunting. The goal of time management for teachers is not necessarily push them to do more and more work. While increased productivity is a natural outcome of good time management, the ideal result is a balance between work and personal life. That is why it is very important for teachers to make the time for themselves whether it is taking a quick stroll or having a quick cup of coffee in a nearby shop.
