Work Smarter! Not Harder! Post #1

Work Smarter, Not Harder!

My motto for many, many years has been WORK SMARTER, NOT HARDER!  Now, you may be asking yourself, “How is this possible?”  Yes, as teachers, we are some of the hardest working bunch of people I know of.  It seems we are always redoing, revising, reinventing, etc., etc., etc.  There are several ways that I try to stick to my mantra to make life easier.  I plan on doing a series this summer here on my blog to give tips and encouragement to make your life more simple, enjoyable and easier.  I hope you will visit often to see my latest post and add comments and questions to help us all.

Today is post #1:  Are You Working Hard at Planning or Hardly Planning?

I like to use the beginning of the summer to map out my next school year.  Other teachers always ask me why I’m not spending hours on lesson plans during the school year.  My reasoning is simple…I did it in the summer at my own pace when I was relaxed and WANTED to do it.   First, on my computer I make a folder titled for the next school year.  (2012-2013).  Inside this folder I make a folder for each month. 

Inside each of those folders, I make a math, language arts, reading, writing, science, social studies etc. folder.

Next, inside each of those folders, I make…hahaha…you got it…MORE folders.  (Make August first, then copy, paste and simply change the month name…remember SMARTER…).  These I label for the things I use to teach the unit such as, Power Points, Hands on Activities, Worksheets, etc. 

Then as I come across ideas on Pinterest, blogs, TPT, Teacher's Notebook, etc. I just drop them into the correct month, subject and teaching style folder.  During the school year as it is time to plan for the unit, everything I need is at my fingertips and it makes planning a breeze!  Of course, I've been doing this for several years, so now I just change the year and add or delete to make it jive with the current school year.  (This year I'll be doing a LOT of adding and deleting with the new standards!  :-)

*EXTRA, EXTRA* - I have opened a store in Teacher's Notebook called, "Cynthia's Pad."  I am having a 50% off sale to welcome you all to my store.  Don't miss it!

What do you do to make lesson planning easier during the school year?

Next post:  Year at a Glance

Cynthia