Today, Berit Gordon kicks off her year-long series for new or newer teachers here on the Heinemann Podcast. Berit is the author of the book, The Joyful Teacher: Strategies for Becoming the Teacher Every Student Deserves. In this episode, she'll explore specific tips for time management, like the Pomodoro Technique for focused work sessions. Discover how to manage your workload, protect your time, and maintain your energy and optimism.
Transcript
Berit Gordon:
It's one of the biggest things I hear from new teachers, all teachers, I'm still working on this myself and my own teaching, but it's managing the never-ending workload that never feels, unlike some jobs where you can say, "Oh, I am done. I'm going to put it aside," there's no finish line in teaching. And so it can be overwhelming. Part of it, of course, is embracing that, that it's never going to feel done and to give yourself grace. But when we say, oh, find a work-life balance or use time management, what does that look like? What does that mean? So here are a few moves that I suggest. For example, the Pomodoro Technique can be great when you have a lot to do and it's sort of overwhelming and you just feel like, "Oh, I'd rather pick every dead leaf off my house plant before actually starting on one of those tasks."
Pomodoro Technique is based on the brain science that it's really hard to multitask and be productive, and it's also hard to be productive for extended amounts of time, sort of diminishing returns. And so set a kitchen timer for 25 minutes and choose one task. It could be work-related, it could be lesson planning, it could be packing some lunches that you actually will want to eat, and you work on just that one task for 25 minutes. And typically when the timer goes off, you're going to feel sort of a sense of relief and accomplishment because you will have gotten something done. And then because you get diminishing returns after 25 minutes, take a five-minute break, go stretch, go take a little walk, come back, set it again, and one we're really tired, for instance, at the end of a long teaching day and we're overstimulated. Maybe 25 minutes is too big an ask.
So set up for 10 minutes to clear off your kitchen counters and then take a two-minute break. Another example of a time management strategy, this is great for those of us who are a little bit content toward perfectionist or procrastination, is to look at a task that we have to do. And let's say one that always takes me more time than I would like is lesson planning. And so if you're like me and you sit down to lesson plan and you say, "Realistically, I should be able to lesson plan in an hour and a half," and the next thing I know it's four hours later, I've got 20 tabs open on my screen and I've got nothing planned. I still don't know what I'm going to teach tomorrow. So one thing you can do is set a hard end time. So really be generous in estimating how long it will take you to completely finish a task.
And if it's an hour and a half, you say, "At an hour and a half, I'm done. I'm submitting these." And what that helps me do is not open every hyperlink, not open 20 tabs. And it helps me to from, "Oh, this is kind of hard. I'm just going to check out that sale. I'm just going to do a little Amazon cart filling." Keeps me focused. And then at the end of an hour and a half, even if they're not quite to my standard, I submit them. And guess what? The world keeps turning. Everything went okay. Another tip I suggest is have a parallel play work partner. This is great for ADHD, is to have someone physically in the room with you when you're trying to get work done. You're not talking, you're not necessarily collaborating. So new teachers, maybe two days a week you decide to get some work done with a friend and you sit in your classroom together and you both commit to getting in your cars by 5:15.
And just using that time to be productive. You're sort of silently holding each other accountable. Another thing I tell new teachers is practice saying this phrase, when someone asks you to take on something extra, especially something that is not directly in the service of kids practice saying, "Thanks so much. Let me think about it and I'll get back to you," because we will be asked to take on so many extras and I hope the teachers have the energy and join in on things, whether it's coaching a sport or helping out with the play. But the truth is, in your first year, you really need to protect your time and your energy for what happens in the classroom. And it is okay to say no. But that phrase really has helped me because usually when I go think about it, the answer is a hard no.
And a last tip that I say is it might help some people who find emails take up a lot of time is to commit to answering emails at one set time every day. You might read them throughout the day. This has helped me a lot. It cuts down on the number of emails because very often, instead of getting into a back and forth, people answer their own questions. And also it helps me. I might read it, but instead of having a quick emotional reaction, I'm sifting through a possible answer even subconsciously. And when I answer the next morning, I have a very concise and calm moderated response. So those are just some examples of helping new teachers think about what might help them with that never ending to-do list.
Edie:
Thanks for tuning in today. To learn more about Berit's work and read a full transcript, visit blog.heinemann.com. And for a 30% discount on all Heinemann professional books, use code PROFBKS30P.
About the Author
Berit Gordon brings many years of teaching experience in New York City schools as well as in the Dominican Republic to her literacy coaching work. She is a graduate and former instructor at Teachers College, Columbia University. Berit is the author of No More Fake Reading, which offers solutions for boosting stamina, joy, and skills among adolescent readers. Whether running workshops, leading literacy coaching sessions, or working in classrooms, Gordon strives to help students fall in love with reading and writing, and to lay the groundwork so they are experts at both for life. She lives with her family in Maplewood, New Jersey.
You can connect with her on her website at BeritGordon.com.
