Streamline and Simplify Your Teacher Workload
My first four years of teaching were rough. I was working 60+ hours a week. I stayed after school late, I went in on the weekends, I took work home. I had zero work-life balance and I was exhausted. After only four years of teaching I left the profession without hesitation. I felt there had to be something better than long hours and no life outside work. I was exhausted, and I was burned out.
I Was Meant To Teach
After a year in the corporate world, I realized managing adult employees is a different ball game. I couldn’t believe I was thinking it, but I missed teaching. I missed the connections with the students, I missed the “I can’t believe I had to tell a student to not eat the gum off his friend’s shoe” moments, and it was a creative outlet.
After a year out of the profession, I decided to go back with a mission to create a system that allowed me to have a life outside my job.
I am writing this post because I want you to know that you don’t have to put in the long hours to be a great teacher. You can have a life outside your job. You can leave your work at work and have time to do the things you love. There are ways to streamline and simplify your workload so you can get more done in a shorter amount of time.
Here are some of the strategies that helped me streamline and simplify my workload as a teacher. I was able to go from working 60+ hours a week to 43 hours a week. These are 4 things I implemented that helped me simplify my workload:
Set boundaries
I stopped grading everything
Easy to replicate routines
Focus on priority tasks
I Set Boundaries
I was a “yes” lady and “no” wasn’t in my vocabulary. I took on everything I was asked to do: coaching multiple sports, advising a club, organizing the school wide fundraiser, organizing outdoor school, PLC leader…you name it, I most likely did it because “no” wasn’t part of my vocabulary.
I made my classroom my first priority and my focus was to put systems in place that simplified my workload. That also meant I had to learn to say no to the extra duties. I literally stood in front of a mirror, and practiced saying, “Thank you for considering me, but I’m unable to commit at this time.”
I also promised myself I would not bring work home. I left papers at school, deleted email off my phone, and turned off any notifications from the district’s apps outside of contracted hours.
Start your school year with a plan in place! In my Streamline & Simplify course I walk you step by step in setting up systems so you can reduce your workload. Click here to get the course 50% off.
I Stopped Grading Everything
I graded everything. As a secondary teacher, I can have up to 180 students. So. Many. Papers. So. Many. Hours. The amount of papers alone felt chaotic and gave me anxiety.
To cut down on stacks of papers and limit how often I grade, I make notebooks for each unit. It did take a little work upfront, but once I made the template, it was quick and easy to replicate. The notebook consists of lesson notes pages, a practice activity for the lesson, then homework. The best part about the notebook is I only have to worry about copying papers once. It takes about 2-3 weeks to complete a unit, so I only have to deal with copying papers 1-2 times a month.
As for grading, during the unit I post answer keys for students to self check, then at the end of the unit I grade the notebook based on completion. For quizzes, students trade and grade. To grade tests, I use a self grading platform like Pear Assessment, formerly known as Edulastic.
In my Streamline & Simplify course I go in depth on simplifying grading and assessments and strategies you can implement to save time. Click here to get the course 50% off.
I Created A Lesson Framework That Is Easy To Replicate
Creating a routine for each unit makes prep quick and easy. As I mentioned before, I create a notebook that includes all of the notes, practice activities, and homework for each unit. Every notebook follows the same framework, so it takes less than an hour to put it together and is ready for print.
Lesson planning also follows a structure, so I am not reinventing the wheel every time. You can see how I structure our 70 minute class periods in my post here. Following the same routine has simplified not only simplified my workload, but students also know what to expect.
In the Streamline & Simplify course I take you step by step in how you can have your entire year planned, and be prepped up to two weeks in advance. Once you implement this system you will wonder “why haven’t I always done it this way?” Click here to get the course 50% off.
Each Week Focus On Priority Tasks
Each week I set a goal to work no more than 43 hours a week. This is a realistic goal for myself now because of the work I put in to streamline my workload. What I do during my prep time allows me to stay within my 43 hour goal. Every Friday I make a list of priority tasks for the upcoming week. Next, I schedule each task during my prep on specific days. I also make a list of upcoming tasks for the next week or two. If I have extra time, then I will start tackling those tasks. Creating a priority task list helps me stay focused and accomplish much more during my prep time.
