5 Timesaving Tips for Teachers to Plan Their Day

Time management skills are crucial in any job, especially teaching. In addition to preparing lessons, editing, and marking essays and tests, teachers need to take time to create report card comments.

Report cards are usually issued at some of the busiest times of a teacher’s school year. In preparation for report card time, here are a few time-saving tips teachers should follow every day.

Eliminate Unintentional Breaks

Oftentimes, we may find ourselves taking a “quick” peek at our smartphones, just to check the weather or see if we have any messages. This can lead to long unintentional breaks. While this may not take up all of the day, it can hinder the time needed to write effective students’ report card comments. Freeing our minds from other activities can lead to more time for the task at hand.

Organize the Day by Priorities

Making lists will never go out of style so organize each day by listing tasks in order of importance. Perhaps the next day’s lesson plan can be shortened to extend the time for test reviewing for the class. There will always be countless teaching matters to be done within a day and some of these may need to be pushed aside or overlooked until a later time. This will help to prioritize the workload and provide time for any troubleshooting that may arise.

Set Manageable Goals and Jobs

Within the list of priorities, set manageable goals that can be attained within the time allotted. Don’t leave marks the night before. Instead, each report or test should have a manageable deadline. The same applies to writing report card comments. With the amount of time it can take to create useful report card remarks, you can prepare a report card comments bank weeks leading up to the release of report cards to help save you time when it’s “crunch time”.

Strategically Plan Homework Assignments

You can make time for unexpected delays by strategically planning homework assignments. As with report card remarks, creating a flow plan for assignments can leave you more time for teaching. There are subjects that should be left for homework assignments to open in-class time for lessons that require hands-on learning. This can help to alleviate the workload and stress on both the teacher and the students.

Prioritizing Your Work-Life Balance

Life can throw curveballs and like any other career, teaching requires you to learn how to prioritize a work-life balance. It may seem easy on paper to schedule lessons while making time for family and self-care, but we all know teachers are at high risk for burnout. Time management is key to sustaining a healthy physical, mental, and emotional state. When making your daily or weekly priority list, be sure to include time for you, in whatever aspect that may be.

Download Our Report Card Comments Collections

TIMESAVERS for TEACHERS is an easy-to-use interactive downloadable tool that features over 1,800 common report card comments and observations. You’ll never be stuck for comment ideas for a report card again!

We also offer a variety of other time-saving teacher resources including The Teacher’s Binder, Substitute Teacher Instructions Kit, and Classroom Awards. To learn more about these great teacher resources, feel free to visit our website or contact us.