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Making the Most of Your Planning Period

Make the Most of Your Planning time with these classroom ideas! Tons of tips that can be easily implemented so you can focus more on your lesson plans and lesson the paperwork! I really needed to hear tip number 2! - 1

I know. You read this title thinking, “yeah right I do a million and one things a day, what are you going to say thats worth my time?” My goal with this post is to give you at least one tidbit that you can take to your class that will give you even 20 minutes back into your week. Here are ways to make the most of your planning time.

Tip #1: Use Small Pockets of time

Make the Most of Your Planning time with these classroom ideas! Tons of tips that can be easily implemented so you can focus more on your lesson plans and lesson the paperwork! I really needed to hear tip number 2!

A few minutes to spare while your kids are working? Start tidying up so you’re not having to clean up during your conference time. Solicit a student to help clean up!

With extra time, I also try to knock out some emails so I can get right to planning during my conference.

A few minutes in the morning? As much as you DON’T want to do it, keep a stack of papers to grade on a clipboard. Place a post-it-note of the answers. Grade when you have a few extra minutes so you can get down to the actual planning during conference.

Tip #2: Break your To-Do’s into small chunks

Make the Most of Your Planning time with these classroom ideas! Tons of tips that can be easily implemented so you can focus more on your lesson plans and lesson the paperwork! I really needed to hear tip number 2!

You cannot do everything in one day. If you try to, even if you’re feeling energized–you’ll end up staying until 6pm.

Write down a few tasks that you wish to accomplish to get ready for next week. Make it a goal to get those tasks done either before, during, conference time, or after school.By breaking up the tasks into bite-size chunks, you’ll feel accomplished but not drained.

Tip #3: Close the door and turn off the light

This image has an empty alt attribute; its file name is Tip33.png
Look, I’m a Chatty Kathy. I LOVE to talk. But I’ve come to realize that if I want to see my family and get my home life in order then I need to shut my mouth! The house isn’t going to clean itself and that fridge doesn’t magically grow food. On that VERY MINIMAL FAR OFF DISTANT chance that I don’t have a meeting during my conference, I need to focus and GET WORK DONE.
Close the door so when teachers are walking by they aren’t tempted to talk to you.
 
Turn off the lights so they don’t even think you’re in there. If your light is off, they’ll just think you’re in a meeting. 
If a teacher does end up coning in, do the whole walk and  talk. KEEP WORKING while they are talking. Keep planning and organizing so they realize that you are busy. If they continue to talk, then ask them to run an errand with you. Then they can walk and talk and get it out but you can still work.

Tip #4: Create a ‘to copy’ bucket

Make the Most of Your Planning time with these classroom ideas! Tons of tips that can be easily implemented so you can focus more on your lesson plans and lesson the paperwork! I really needed to hear tip number 2!

I was in the habit of being so excited when I planned one subject, that as soon as I had my papers ready, I wasted time during conference time going to the copy machine.

Make the Most of Your Planning time with these classroom ideas! Tons of tips that can be easily implemented so you can focus more on your lesson plans and lesson the paperwork! I really needed to hear tip number 2!
Stay organized by creating a bucket that is intended to house all of the papers that you need to copy. When I print off the master copy, I throw it in the bucket with a sticky to remind me how many copies I need. Then I go to the copy machine once a week and just run all my papers through on the same day at the same time.

Tip #6: Create an agenda with standards

Make the Most of Your Planning time with these classroom ideas! Tons of tips that can be easily implemented so you can focus more on your lesson plans and lesson the paperwork! I really needed to hear tip number 2!

Now it’s time to actually meet with your team. Make it intentional. It is required that our team leader for each grade level e-mail the other teachers the TEKS (standards) of the subjects that we will be teaching the following week. In addition to that e-mail we receive this:

I staple this page to my planning documents. This is great because it has all of the upcoming dates that I need to write in my {teacher planner}. Too often when we plan I say, “oh yeah I’ll do that”, or “I’ll send that”,  and then I forget. Or an admin walks in and says we need to get something done. The “Things I Need to Do” addition created by my team member helps us stay on top of our tasks.

Want the agenda template?

I have had so many requests for this agenda template, so I created printable editable agenda slide templates – download them here!

Tip #7: Do the logistics last

Make the Most of Your Planning time with these classroom ideas! Tons of tips that can be easily implemented so you can focus more on your lesson plans and lesson the paperwork! I really needed to hear tip number 2!

Do the hard stuff first. 

During the beginning of the year, we would plan and talk about upcoming dates and logistics first. It’s so easy to go off on a tangent with those types of topics. Devote the last 10 minutes of you planning period to discussing these things. You’d be surprised how much you’ll get done by shifting this task to the end.

WHEW! That’s it friends! I hope you were able to talk away even one thing from this post! How do you make the most of your planning period? I would love to hear more time-saving tricks!

Pin this image so you can remember these ideas throughout the year!
 
Amber

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20 Comment

  1. Reply
    Theresa
    March 8, 2016 at 12:50 am

    Love this post! Thank you for all the wonderful tips. Would you be willing to share your team agenda? My team could benefit greatly from it. Thank you!

    Trjones24@gmail.com

  2. Reply
    Carleen Cook
    March 11, 2016 at 2:18 am

    Loved your team agenda. Would really appreciate if you could share it.

    1. Reply
      Susy
      March 12, 2016 at 2:43 pm

      I second that! Please share. It looks like a great way to keep meetings organized.

  3. Reply
    Daisy June
    March 17, 2016 at 9:55 pm

    I love the planning agenda! Could you share that with me? Thank you!

  4. Reply
    Anonymous
    March 22, 2016 at 7:10 pm

    Great an ideas.Thanks Mrs.Rios from Lares Puerto Rico

  5. Reply
    Mary Anne Meyerhoeffer
    March 25, 2016 at 10:48 pm

    Excellent ideas…Would you be willing to share your agenda or can it be purchased?
    Thanks, Mary Anne

  6. Reply
    Kelsey Hayes
    March 26, 2016 at 3:27 pm

    Love your planning agenda!

  7. Reply
    Martin Warneke
    March 27, 2016 at 11:14 am

    Great ideas, Amber! Thanks for sharing them with others!

  8. Reply
    Liza Brown
    March 28, 2016 at 3:18 am

    I LOVE your team meeting planning agenda! Any chance you would be willing to share it? My email is lizabrown76@gmail.com. I have really enjoyed checking out your blog and your time saving ideas.

  9. Reply
    Laura
    June 23, 2016 at 2:49 am

    I saw several people asking for the agenda but didn’t see you reply so I’m asking too. I’d love a copy! laura.bean10@gmail.com

  10. Reply
    Kathy
    July 16, 2016 at 12:20 pm

    Thank you for all the tips! I plan on implementing them in my classroom ????

  11. Reply
    T. C.
    July 22, 2016 at 8:46 pm

    Hi there Thanks so much for the great tips! I would also love a copy of your team agenda. Thank you in advance! tcampeau@oglethorpe.k12.ga.us.

  12. Reply
    Lynn
    August 1, 2016 at 7:05 pm

    I love your planning agenda, too! If you’re willing to share will you please email me a copy – mrscobb2@gmail.com
    Thank you!

  13. Reply
    Rita
    August 20, 2016 at 2:57 pm

    Would love to have a copy of your agenda. Rita11553@gmail.com thank you so much 🙂

  14. Reply
    Michelle Richmond
    September 27, 2016 at 6:55 pm

    Can I also have a copy of your agenda? It’s great! Thanks
    richmonm@highlands.k12.fl.us

  15. Reply
    Kayshala
    November 10, 2016 at 2:28 pm

    My email is kayshala13@yahoo.com. I am not a teacher yet, but I am in my Junior year of college and I am looking forward to being in a classroom. This post has gave me great insight at what it takes to be an everyday teacher!! I would love any extra ideas that anyone has and would be willing to share with me via email. Thanks so much in advance(:

  16. Reply
    Tamera Jones
    November 13, 2016 at 3:55 pm

    Love the meeting agenda!! Do you mind sharing it with me as well?

  17. Reply
    Lauren hurrle
    January 25, 2017 at 12:37 pm

    I would love it if you could share. Lamunson@ccisd.net

  18. Reply
    Halo
    February 4, 2017 at 1:37 pm

    Hello! I love your agenda template. Could you please email me a copy of it? I have recently taken over as team lead and this would be an amazing resource. Thank you! Halo0505@gmail.com

  19. Reply
    Cait
    February 16, 2017 at 1:24 am

    I love the idea of just doing a little tidying up and also having a separate clipboard of papers ready to grade while students are working. I’m a first year 8th grade teacher with an intensive math double block class. And I started in the middle of the year! It has been chaotic to say the least and I loved those comments to help me try to get a little organized so that I can use my planning time for actually planning. 🙂

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