Joanne C. Wachter - Time-Saving Tips for Teachers

Dedicated to our father, Joe Strohmer, for teaching us by word and example the importance of doing our jobs well but also saving lots of time for family. Also dedicated to Bob, Maria, and Megan Carhart and Jerry Wachter for giving us incentive to work efficiently so we have time to enjoy them.

Copyright 2003 by Corwin Press.

Fir Skyhorse Publishing edition 2018

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced in any manner without the express written consent of the publisher, except in the case of brief excerpts in critical reviews or articles. All inquiries should be addressed to Skyhorse Publishing, 307 We 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018.

Skyhorse Publishing books may be purchased in bulk at special discounts for sales promotion, corporate gifts, fund-raising, or educational purposes. Special editions can also be created to specifications. For details, contact the Special Sales Department, Sky Pony Press, 307 We 36th Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY 10018 or .

Skyhorse and Skyhorse Publishing are regiered trademark of Skyhorse Publishing, Inc., a Delaware corporation.

Visit our website at www.skyhorsepublishing.com.

10 9 8 7 6 5 4 3 2 1

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is available on file.

Cover design by Tracey E. Miller

Print ISBN: 978-1-51073-301-5

Ebook ISBN: 978-1-51073-307-7

Printed in the United States of America

Contents

About the Authors

Dear Teachers,

I would like to introduce my sister and coauthor, Joanne C. Wachter. Joanne started her career in education as an elementary school teacher. She continued her studies, as she worked full-time, to earn her doctorate in education. She then served as language arts supervisor for elementary and middle school teachers in a public school district. This job provided her with much material for this book because she had the opportunity to observe many skilled teachers. She also had to develop organizational skills and time-savers so that she could fulfill her many work requirements and still have time for relaxation and fun.

For the past several years, Joanne has been a full-time textbook writer. She spends her days coming up with creative ideas for teaching language arts in regular education and ESL classrooms. She has had to fine-tune her organizational skills even further to meet challenging deadlines.

As Ive watched Joanne in her career, Ive witnessed firsthand how one can be very dedicated to and excel at ones job without the job becoming ones total life. Im sure Joannes ideas can help you save some valuable time so that you can enjoy your life even more.

Good luck!

Clare Carhart

Dear Readers,

It is my pleasure to tell you something about my sister, Clare Carhart. Clare brings to this book practical ideas from her experience as a high school mathematics teacher. When she first started teaching, Clare was newly married to Bob. The nature of his job was such that he could not bring any work home, so they made an agreement that neither would work at home. This provided my sister with the particular challenge of finding ways to get all her work done by the time she left school. And the answer was not that she could habitually stay late at school, because her school was in an area where it was unsafe to stay after about 5:00 P . M . Therefore, she had to find ways to work very efficiently so she could get all the basics and a few frills done in a short period of time. She did a great job of doing this while also building a reputation as a creative, effective, and caring teacher.

Next, Clare transferred her academic and organizational skills to a community college setting where she taught remedial math. Now, she is working as a coordinator of a church education and youth program while also being a dedicated mom to two little daughters.

I know you will find the ideas she contributed to this book valuable and practical.

Enjoy!

Joanne C. Wachter

	Introduction
Whos Got Time to Figure Out How to Save Time?

T eachers come in many varieties with different talents, interests, and philosophies. Any time a group of teachers gets together, there is lively discussion and professional debate on almost every aspect of teaching. This is true unless you ask, What is the single biggest problem teachers have? The answer, then, is a unanimous, resounding, one-word response: TIME!

You, as a teacher, need and deserve a secretary and at least one assistant. With that kind of support, you might be able to have a family life, participate in social events, and have time to nurture yourself. However, that kind of support is not likely to be forthcoming in the near future. Instead, relief must come in the form of getting more done in less time and changing some attitudes that get in the way of a healthy, happy life.

This book is packed with practical, tested ideas to help you start to contain your job yet maintain high standards. This book was written for good teachers who want to continue to be good without going crazy. (Teachers who dont care never have a problem with time!)

Browse through the book. Mark ideas that fit your style and needs. Try out a few at a time. Use the ideas as springboards for other strategies or devise variations to meet your particular situation. It is especially helpful to work with a colleague. Above all, take a playful, experimental approach to seeing how you can improve your enjoyment of both your teaching and the other parts of your life.

Working Smarter

M ost of us were taught to finish our work before we played. But as a teacher, such a work ethic would condemn you to a life without play! You are never going to finish your job. There it is, in black and white. When you picked teaching, you selected a profession that never has a sense of closure.

You cannot say, Well, Im finished teaching that child. Now, Ill move on to the next. You never get to sigh at the end of the day, Im all caught up. There is nothing else I can think of that needs to be done today, so I guess Ill go home now. Yet these truths are not reasons to grab the Help Wanted ads and see what else you can do with your life. They may, however, impel you to develop some new attitudes.

Try on These Attitudes for Size

Here are three ways of thinking about teaching that may help you set some goals related to working smarter so you have more time to do what you want.

1. You are expected to do a good job, not a perfect job. You were hired to do one main task: successfully help children learn your subject area of expertise. People will demand that you do well on any aspect of your job that directly relates to this task. They will not demand that you be superhuman and do a perfect job, nor will they insist that you do an exemplary job on the frill tasks related to your teaching assignment. You have to admit in your heart of hearts that you know you will not be fired because your bulletin board isnt perfect or because you agreed to be on only two of the three committees on which you were asked to serve.