Time Management. This is a topic that high school teachers, coaches, professors and every mentor has stressed throughout my academic career, and yet it still seems to be an area of growth for me. This week as I juggled class prep, supervisor observations, after school meetings, FFA week prep, college course projects, professional development and some time to relax and network with other young teachers I realized just how important time management is to this profession.
Setting time aside to plan and prepare for classes is essential, and this week I really saw this work out in great ways. Throughout the week the time I took to pull up online resources prior to class, set out materials, and work out the "kinks" in my lessons produced real results in student learning. For example during my Monday observation students were able to complete all of the days activities, including the creation of a safety podcast, and then successfully pass their shop safety exams.
Additionally, coordinating time with students to meet and plan out big activities such as FFA week before or during school allows for time after school to be spent on my own professional development or college course work. While it can still be overwhelming, setting aside specific times for each of these responsibilities holds you accountable and assures that they get accomplished throughout the week.
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| Another responsibility of Ag teachers is serving as an Advisor for the school's FFA chapter. This week I attended Garden Spot's monthly meeting and observed how they conducted their meeting. |
Peaks:
1. As I have said before I am proud of the lessons and activities that I was able to provide for my students this week. We were able to finish up the safety content with both half groups in Ag Mechanics, and one group also finished their measurement unit and are ready to step into the shop for plumbing when they return to school.
2. I was able to meet some of the other young ag teachers from the area one afternoon, and I learned how important and beneficial a professional support system can be.
3. This week I also had the opportunity to engage in the Global Learning in Agriculture (GLAG) conference. Throughout the week I could access on demand sessions, as well as participate in a live finale, where professionals from all disciplines and regions of the world discussed the importance of developing students that are driven, passionate and prepared to think critically in order to solve 21st century problems. I loved listening to the speaker's stories and learning how each of them are taking action to tackle todays agricultural challenges.
Pits:
1. While everything eventually got done, this week came with a lot of stress and long nights. I learned that I need to plan out my time more efficiently in order to avoid getting burned out.
Looking forward, I know that time management is going to be key in a successful finish to my student teaching semester. As I continue to pick up classes, coach CDE teams, work on personal professional development and more I will need to manage my time more efficiently.
Questions:
What helpful hints do you have to managing your time?
What advice do you have for a new teacher trying to balance work and life?
Hi Elise - There never seems to be enough time! I agree last week I was feeling the pinch, too. I thought I was doing really great, but as I picked up more classes I realized I could benefit from being even more efficient. What CDE contests is LS planning to compete in? Was there anything that stuck out to you from the GLAG presentations that you will implement in your instruction?
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