Establish routines for you and the students - and have a calm week!

How do routines for you and for the students help maintain a calm atmosphere?

​Having routines in our work removes some of the pressures and stresses of the ‘not knowing’ what comes next. Although in our everyday lives we may enjoy spontaneity, and there is a lot to be said for the excitement of a new adventure and a surprise evening out, this is not the same in the life of the teacher!

No two days in the teacher’s life are the same, and we are often faced with 'crisis management' when something unexpected occurs. So for the rest of the time we need to be sure that clear routines are established - these will keep us sane!

The next two posts explore routines for you and for your students. Both are important for different reasons.

Today's post - Routines for you.

​Routines for you

What time do you arrive to school?

You need to ensure you get to school in plenty of time. I always arrive early, make myself a cup of tea, check everything is ready for my day, greet people (and have time for a chat!) and then calmly go to the staff briefing, or my first lesson. People who rush in at the last minute are not setting themselves up for a calm start - and if you are calm and in control, the students respond positively.

When do you plan your lessons?

Life is very busy as a teacher. In addition to planning and teaching, there is so much more to fill our days. But you know that lessons are a constant. They are always at the same time each week, with the same students and – usually – in the same room. So you can plot on your calendar when you can plan them.

I would advise planning in plenty of time for your mentor to look at them first. That way you can make any changes that are recommended. I have worked with some trainees who thought they didn’t need to show their mentor their plans. Suffice to say, the lessons were not as good as they should be – and it took a long time for their practice to improve.

When do you plan your resources?

Once you have planned your lesson, you will know what resources you need to either create or find. It is advisable to do these early – sometimes your ideas won’t always translate in practice. It is far better to know this early enough to be able to address it!

Equally with video extracts or internet clips – make sure you watch them ALL the way through. Also listen to music ALL the way through. Don’t let bad language or inappropriate content surprise you in front of the students! There are likely to be repercussions if you do make this mistake.

How do you spend your lunchtimes?

Do you support any lunchtime clubs? Do you work with struggling students doing their homework? Perhaps you spend lunchtimes with the football team. Whatever you do, remember to

1. Make time for lunch. Eating sensibly and drinking plenty of water is vital to keep you healthy! I have seen too many trainees (indeed established teachers) forget to eat and then find they are off ill for a period of time.
2. Be back early from the club, so you can set up your classroom ready for learning. If you arrive at the same time as the students, it will not be a calm start to the lesson. After lunch is notoriously difficult for some students to settle - they (and you) need an ordered, calm start to give you all the best chance.

What do you do straight after school?

Do you rush off home? Or do you stay until the site manager kicks you out?

I would advise somewhere in between. Often there will be meetings after school, and you will probably have your training sessions at least one day after the students have gone home. You may also decide to support one or more of the extra-curricular clubs that the school run. This is excellent practice – as long as you plan for it, and make sure you leave enough time for the rest of your planning and preparation.

After school is usually the time where staff can find each other to discuss things. If you have rushed off you will miss this informal planning and learning time. 
 
When do you do your reflections and assignments?

It is really important to plan time to complete tasks, to make time for yourself, and to catch up with yourself before the next week.

This means you have a fall-back position for whenever events occur which may surprise you or knock your scheduling for a while. Use the horizontal planning blog as a possible way forward to help you plan your time effectively.

A typical scenario for you... which would you prefer?

Imagine the following:

1. You arrive at school and discover that your mentor is stuck in traffic and is going to be late.
2. The photocopier is broken.
3. The internet is down.

These may have the potential to spoil your day – but not if you have planned carefully and have routines to support you. 

Is this you?

1. You have planned your lesson carefully, and because you have arrived in school with plenty of time to spare, there is time to seek out your head of department to check your lesson with him/her and ask if there is someone in the department who can come in and support you.

2. You copied your resources yesterday.

3. You were planning to show a you-tube clip, but as you have time (due to your early arrival at school) you can change this part of your lesson by extending the writing task.

Or is this you?

1. You rush in with 5 minutes to spare. No time to see what the alternative arrangements may be, so when a teacher you don’t really know is sent to ‘cover’ you, you are thrown and make some silly mistakes – this doesn’t help your confidence!

2. You only planned your lesson last night, so were hoping to copy the resources during the 5 minutes before the lesson starts

3. You only discover the internet is down when you try to load the clip – in front of the whole class. Of course they are all calling out their suggestions to make it work – ‘have you turned it on, sir?’… 
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​I know which I prefer!

Coming up next time: Routines for your students