Do Less...win MORE!

I hope things are well for you…my grace-filled and deeply caring colleagues!

A lament I often hear in teacher circles (and, honestly, I’ve sometimes wondered the same thing myself) is some variation of “we are always being asked to do more things, but nothing is ever “taken off our plates”.

Well…today’s your lucky day! I will share a quick and easy way to actually do less! And, the thing (I hope!) you’ll end up doing less is one of the most exhausting elements of the job: redirecting behaviors…!

Here’s how it works.

Begin every one of your classes with a game that involves movement.

Literally, the very first thing. Every time. It doesn’t matter what age students you work with. You will cut the number of times you have to stop your lessons and speak about behaviors over the course of the class at least in half based on my anecdotal data (I teach primarily middle and high school students). NOTE: some classes will need a game somewhere in the middle, as well.

This is not a brain break. Students of all ages need play in order to jump-start their learning, reduce anxiety, mitigate other challenges the classroom gives their diverse brains, and to learn that fun is an integral part of every school day.

I know what you’re thinking. “I barely have enough time to get through my curriculum. Ain’t nobody got time for games! Welllll, an awful lot of time is lost waiting for students to follow directions. Years ago, I read a study that said that the average class period loses five minutes of instructional time due to behavior redirection. Our school district has a 184-day school year. If five minutes is accurate, then we’re talking about more than 15 hours (!) of instruction lost every year…just in time spent handling behaviors!

Personally, I think that an opportunity to play and laugh with our children beats having them sit and wait for behaviors to abate is a win. Obviously, there will always be times when we’ll need to speak to students about what they’re doing or not doing. This strategy, however, is allowing me to do A LOT less.

I find my games mostly in Facebook reels like this: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BbXtBCh6H/

(for smaller kiddos), and this: https://www.facebook.com/share/r/1BWG3aoS7s/

(for older ones) Plus, I sprinkle in the ones I played as a kid, like RED LIGHT GREEN LIGHT.

I get a lot deeper into the subject with exclusive content I’m sending my TEACHERS SNACKS subscribers this week. Wanna join? It’s FREE! Just click this link so I can add you to my email list! https://www.teacherssnacks.com/subscribe

Until next week!

Happy snacking!

Chef Charles