Secrets for Secondary School Teachers by Ellen Kottler, Jeffrey A. Kottler, Cary J. Kottler Page A
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have you seen the advantages to clearing your desk except for the current project?
Think of your work space in terms of zones. Keep the items you use regularly; by that we mean daily, in the immediate vicinity—on or in your desk. Items that fall into this category include textbooks, confidential information, grade book, lesson plans, paper and pens, and desk supplies kept in a drawer. If you are not going to use it right away, it probably doesn’t have to be on your desk.
Reference items such as the Teacher Handbook, dictionary, and curriculum resource materials should be placed in an intermediate zone, within arm’s reach, such as in or on a nearby bookshelf or table. If you must have piles of papers and materials, and some of us do, request or bring in an extra table so that you will be able to see what you have accumulated. This way you will be able to spread out your papers and still have a place to work.
Decide in advance where students will put their completed work so you will have access to it. Will they place it in a basket on a table on the side of the room or file it in a drawer? Where will they find their makeup work—in a basket, on the bulletin board, or in a file cabinet? Also, determine how you will return their work—will they have mailboxes or folders for retrieval or will you hand papers back personally? Establishing routines will make your life and your students’ lives easier.
Things you use from time to time, such as class sets of supplies or supplementary reading or folders/binders of resourceplans, can be stored out of the way in cabinets, wardrobes, or bookshelves on the side or in the back of the room.
Decide whether you will keep lesson plans, lectures, transparencies, and other information in folders or binders; or experiment to find out which is most comfortable for you. We suggest color coding your files, binders, and boxes for easy reference. It goes without saying, keep like materials together.
Space may be an issue in two particular situations. If you travel from room to room, you will only be able to bring what is essential with you on a cart. You will have to be extremely selective in your choosing. Carts have weight limits and can tip over if they are unbalanced. Also, it is difficult to maneuver a cart with objects that extend over the sides in hallways full of students. You will have to find a place for your reference books and supplementary materials, supplies, and student work. You might store them in a department office or in a room shared with another teacher.
If you inherited a room from another teacher, you may find the cabinets full of real or imagined treasures. You may want to box these items for storage elsewhere until you have time to go through them and decide what will be useful for you and what you can discard.
M ANAGING T IME
Some days when school ends, you may feel totally overwhelmed, as if you put out one fire after another all day long. When you consider the next day’s work, you don’t know where to begin.
There’s no denying your days will be very full, and each day will be different from the day before. In order to manage your time efficiently, the first step is to create your “TTD” or “Things To Do” list. Next to each item on the list, it is also helpful to identify what resources you will need to accomplish each task. In some cases, you will need to gather additional information or consult with someone else. Sometimes, youcan even predict how long each task will take (just as you do with lesson plans). For example, you may identify several short items to do regularly during your preparation period, such as grading and recording makeup work. Other items you may do on a weekly basis, such as getting supplies or calling parents. Examine your list to determine which things need to be done right away, which items within a week, and which have later deadlines. Then prioritize your work and set a schedule for yourself for other things that must
Think of your work space in terms of zones. Keep the items you use regularly; by that we mean daily, in the immediate vicinity—on or in your desk. Items that fall into this category include textbooks, confidential information, grade book, lesson plans, paper and pens, and desk supplies kept in a drawer. If you are not going to use it right away, it probably doesn’t have to be on your desk.
Reference items such as the Teacher Handbook, dictionary, and curriculum resource materials should be placed in an intermediate zone, within arm’s reach, such as in or on a nearby bookshelf or table. If you must have piles of papers and materials, and some of us do, request or bring in an extra table so that you will be able to see what you have accumulated. This way you will be able to spread out your papers and still have a place to work.
Decide in advance where students will put their completed work so you will have access to it. Will they place it in a basket on a table on the side of the room or file it in a drawer? Where will they find their makeup work—in a basket, on the bulletin board, or in a file cabinet? Also, determine how you will return their work—will they have mailboxes or folders for retrieval or will you hand papers back personally? Establishing routines will make your life and your students’ lives easier.
Things you use from time to time, such as class sets of supplies or supplementary reading or folders/binders of resourceplans, can be stored out of the way in cabinets, wardrobes, or bookshelves on the side or in the back of the room.
Decide whether you will keep lesson plans, lectures, transparencies, and other information in folders or binders; or experiment to find out which is most comfortable for you. We suggest color coding your files, binders, and boxes for easy reference. It goes without saying, keep like materials together.
Space may be an issue in two particular situations. If you travel from room to room, you will only be able to bring what is essential with you on a cart. You will have to be extremely selective in your choosing. Carts have weight limits and can tip over if they are unbalanced. Also, it is difficult to maneuver a cart with objects that extend over the sides in hallways full of students. You will have to find a place for your reference books and supplementary materials, supplies, and student work. You might store them in a department office or in a room shared with another teacher.
If you inherited a room from another teacher, you may find the cabinets full of real or imagined treasures. You may want to box these items for storage elsewhere until you have time to go through them and decide what will be useful for you and what you can discard.
M ANAGING T IME
Some days when school ends, you may feel totally overwhelmed, as if you put out one fire after another all day long. When you consider the next day’s work, you don’t know where to begin.
There’s no denying your days will be very full, and each day will be different from the day before. In order to manage your time efficiently, the first step is to create your “TTD” or “Things To Do” list. Next to each item on the list, it is also helpful to identify what resources you will need to accomplish each task. In some cases, you will need to gather additional information or consult with someone else. Sometimes, youcan even predict how long each task will take (just as you do with lesson plans). For example, you may identify several short items to do regularly during your preparation period, such as grading and recording makeup work. Other items you may do on a weekly basis, such as getting supplies or calling parents. Examine your list to determine which things need to be done right away, which items within a week, and which have later deadlines. Then prioritize your work and set a schedule for yourself for other things that must
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