Three Ideas to Give Teachers More of What They Need Most: Time

As a school leader, I was responsible for allocating resources effectively. There was one thing everyone always needed more of—time. There are many demands on a teacher’s time during a typical day, so what they really need more of is dedicated time with children. While as an administrator you don’t have the power to slow down the day, you do have the power to give teachers resources that will help make them more efficient, thus returning to them more usable, intentional time within the day.

Here are three ways to help teachers become more efficient with their time.

1. Provide high-quality resources that work hard for children AND teachers alike. 
   The selection of high-quality curriculum, assessment, and digital resources requires a great deal of careful research and thought. As you work with teachers and other leaders to choose these materials, consider not just the costs but also the benefits, both immediate and long-term. Choose a curriculum that is interesting to children and promotes individualization so that every child can learn and grow. Look for assessment options that help you build a complete picture of each child’s strengths, needs, and interests and offer actionable data. Assessment data should help inform both individualization of instruction and improvements in your programming. Look for offerings that include digital resources that seamlessly integrate into a teacher’s day and continually serve up the right thing at the right time. When resources work together to support every child, teachers spend less time searching for the right activities, individualizing lessons, and recording assessment and more time engaging with children.
2. Individualize (adult) learning. 
   Technology offers more ways than ever to help every teacher grow, regardless of their current skillset or experience level. Professional development in various formats, including in-person training; asynchronous eLearning courses; live, virtual classes; and online discussion forums, allows teachers to get what they need, in the format they want, when they want it. Rather than devoting all your professional development time to large-group sessions that may not be relevant to every teacher’s needs, look for shorter, focused options that can help each teacher access the learning that is right for them. The point is to help teachers grow in the way they each need most so that they are empowered to get back to focusing on children.
3. Engage families in supporting their children’s learning. 
   The simplest, most effective way to “add time”—while also greatly expanding the number of adults you have working with children—is to engage families in their children’s learning, so that learning continues long after the school day has ended. Leverage digital tools that make families aware of what their children are working on in school, what they can do to contribute to the life and work of the classroom, and how they can further promote learning at home and at the many places they go as a family. Make this level of family engagement another item you look for when selecting curriculum and assessment.

While you may not be able to add more actual time to the day, you can select and allocate resources in ways that increase the amount of time teachers have to focus on children—which will always be among the very best ways that an administrator can spend their time.