There is no escaping it; if you’re a teacher, your workload has the potential to grow rapidly without effective management. Fitting everything into your day will sometimes seem impossible and juggling lesson planning, marking and actual classroom work is often an uphill struggle. Importantly, you will also want to ensure that you are providing a great level of support to your students whilst managing these other areas.
Finding innovative, smart solutions to help monitor and reduce your workload is absolutely key. Streamlining your work will improve your work/life balance, ensure your motivation levels are maintained, protect from burnout and give your students the best level of education they can get.
1. Prioritise and Get Organised
The first step to reducing your workload is to get organised. This means having a clear idea of your priorities and using a system for tracking your tasks. Teaching can be a busy line of work so brushing up on your organisational skills is essential to your success.
There are a number of different ways to do this and there are a wealth of organisation apps available to support you – so find a system that works for you. Some people find it helpful to use a project management tool, while others prefer to use a to-do list .
Once you have a system in place, you can start to prioritise your tasks. This means deciding which tasks are most important and need to be done first. It’s also important to be realistic about how much you can get done in a day. Don’t try to do too much, or you’ll just end up feeling overwhelmed.
2. Collaborate With Your Teaching Assistants
If you have teaching assistants, don’t be afraid to ask for their help. They can be a great asset in reducing your workload and their support should be used to your advantage. Delegate tasks to them to free up your time, such as preparing resources or setting up your tech. This will free up your time so you can focus on other aspects of your role.
Not only can you pass on basic admin tasks to your teaching assistants, but you can use them to the benefit of your students as well. Time is often hard to come by in teaching and it is difficult to give every student the attention they need to develop their learning. Utilising a teaching assistant provides an extra contact point for children in your classroom. They can become a valuable support to children that are struggling with their work or behaviour.
3. Nail Down Your Behaviour Management
If you have good behaviour management, it will save you a lot of time in the long run and will help to build a positive learning environment. This means having clear expectations for your students and being consistent in enforcing those expectations. Setting clear expectations provides a framework to work with and ensures your students know what is required of them. It will help to engage your students, provide extra motivation as they know what they’re working towards, and establishes a sense of community within the classroom.
It also means being proactive in dealing with any behavioural issues that arise. Failing to do this may allow behaviour issues to escalate and cause greater disruption to your work. Keeping disruptions to a minimum will not only benefit you, but it will provide a better environment for learning.
4. Cut Down On Marking
Marking is a time-consuming task and according to many sources teachers are likely to spend over a full day on it every single week! Luckily, there are ways to cut down on the amount of time you spend doing it. If your school is happy for you to take the reins on how you mark, you may decide to do so through verbal feedback, quizzes, or self-assessment. Verbal feedback is especially good for building relationships with your students.
Alternatively you might choose to utilise peer assessment in your lessons. This saves time and gives our students a better understanding of their own work as well as that of other classmates. Again, you’ll have to abide by the marketing guidelines set out by your school.
5. Remember Why You Want to Teach
It’s important to remember why you became a teacher in the first place. If you’re feeling overwhelmed by your workload, it can be easy to forget your passion for teaching. It might seem like you’re just barely getting your work done and that teaching isn’t what you had imagined it to be.
The truth is that teaching has the potential to be both rewarding and difficult. During tough times it is always recommended to reflect on why you started your career in the first place. Think about the fact that you are making a difference to a child’s life and that you are giving the valuable skills they need to survive and thrive in the world. This will act as a valuable motivation booster during tough days and remind you that even the seemingly menial tasks you do feed into a bigger overall picture.
Start Your Career Right With LTF Recruitment
Following these strategies will help to reduce your workload and give you a more enjoyable and fulfilling teaching experience. We also provide a wealth of other valuable resources to help you in your career, be it through our educational news and resources or our LTF Learning Hub.
For valuable support during the beginning of your teaching career, choose LTF Recruitment today. We offer valuable services in getting your career to where you want it to be and are passionate about offering the very best in recruitment opportunities in a number of different teaching fields.
Contact LTF Recruitment today to find out how we can help you.