The beginning of the year can feel chaotic and thats because it is! Especially when you’re a beginning teacher all of the to-dos from setting up your classroom to resubmitting paper work that HR lost can feel overwhelming.
Having a plan to prioritize and organize tasks can help you stay in control amidst the chaos and help you gain a sense of control and allows you to focus on what really matters.
Finding ways to organize and prioitize your time is actually really easy with these 5 tips that will make you a savvier teacher and give you some peace of mind as students walk in the classroom day one.
Read on if you’re a new teacher or looking for strategies to get ahead of the game this year!
5 Tips for New Choir Teachers
Make a List of Your Most Important Task
Nothing is worse than rushing the parts of our job that our most important to us! Think day one what needs to be ready for me and my students to be successful. Some high priority items might include setting up your classroom, making procedures and prepping materials.
As a choir teacher choosing music, score prepping and creating or choosing helpful learning materials will be your biggest assets. If you know what you’re teaching and how and when you want to teach it you will be able to keep your class engaged and maximize classroom discipline.
Have an Inbox to Collect To-Dos
An email inbox collects all messages in one place for you to view and reference.
Having an inbox for your to-dos can be helpful to keep all of the commitments and demands on your time in one place.
I use the Things3 to keep everything in one place. It has a built in inbox and will let you create list to organize items by context. It also has a date and remind feature to help keep you on track. Todoist is another option with similar features. You could also use the notes app in your phone or a sheet of paper, just don’t lose it!
80/20 Rule
It feels good to check to-dos off a list. Many times I have found myself checking off 10 small unimportant items to feel like I accomplished something for the day, only to find I got nothing important done. To keep yourself on track follow the 80/20 rule.
80 percent of your time should be devoted to activities like:
- Planning lessons
- Organizing quarterly and yearly calendar
- Creating materials and assessments
The remaining 20 percent of time can be spent:
- Following up with administration, parents and students (non-emergencies)
- Filling out paperwork
- Cleaning and straightening up your room
Get Advice from Other Teachers
You don’t know what you don’t know and you’re not going to be the best at everything. Regardless of your situation it is beneficial to connect with colleagues and build relationships with other directors.
If you’re not apart of the Texas Music Educators Association this is a great resource and you’re teaching in Texas you will need to be a member. This organization has all the info and links you will need to navigate Allstate, UIL and more throughout the coming year.
Each school is located in a “Region”. These regions are used to represent the different areas of Texas. Each one has its own handbook and policies so make sure you attend your Region Meeting to be up to date with whats going on in your region. You can use this map to see what region you are located in. If your a 4A school or smaller you will still meet with your region but you will also be in a small school region. Reach out to your Small School Coordinator for more information. Their information should be located on your regions website. Each region typically meets at the beginning and end of the school year as well as the TMEA Convention.
The TMEA Convention is one of the largest music education conventions in the world. There are multiple performances and information sessions to help you grow as an education. You see the convention details here. Also be sure to check out our guide on Navigating TMEA.
Don’t Be Afraid to Delegate
As a new and beginning teacher it can be hard to ask for help. We want to prove ourselves and show others what we can do.
If you work with a team of another directors or a team, let them know if you need help. They have likely been in your shoes before and will be able to give helpful information to your unique situation.
If you are a the only director at your school the best advice I have is to make friends with other Fine Arts teachers. They will be your everyday support system so building those relationships is really important. In addition to it might be good to get a mentor. Someone who has a experience being a teacher and is devoted to helping support you and your success.
In Texas, the TMEA Mentoring Network is a great resource for beginning teachers. Make sure you sign-up to be a mentee and not a mentor! I have had a great experience with my mentor Mike. He has answered many questions and even come and worked with my choirs!
The beginning of the year can be stressful but it is so rewarding to welcome students into a loving and safe environment where they can flourish as singers and musicians. Please check out our other blog post and let us know what your would like to see talked about!