This has got to be one of my greatest downfalls as a teacher: being prepared. I often find myself writing ambitious plans for my students, but when it hits the night before the lesson, nothing has been prepared. Then, I go into class and end up winging a lesson that has far less value for the students. I hope that as my personal life becomes less hectic, I will be better able to manage my time and solve this problem. However, I often fear that I have created bad habits that will follow me as my teaching career progresses.

The latest chapter of The Global Educator held some valuable tips for creating efficient lessons, one of which being as simple as “be prepared.” But honestly, this is the most important thing! A well-prepped lesson has the ability to change students’ mindsets towards learning, as well as sneak information into their minds. It can be fun, but also effective. In order to be fully prepared, it is important to be able to do certain things.

1. Manage your time wisely.

Don’t be like me, waiting until the night before for a craft and realizing you don’t have any of the supplies. Plan things out ahead of time, knowing exactly what you will need to complete the project and knowing how you will teach it. Believe me, you will never be upset that you took the extra time to prepare a fun lesson. The students will love you for it, and likely, the only activity you will lose time on is a meaningless one (such as watching television or scrolling social media). 

1. Be organized.

I am somewhat obsessed with lists (I think it is extra showing due to the fact that this information was found within a list). Make a to-do list! Write out all the steps you must complete before the day of the lesson, and plan out when they can be accomplished. Do not let any details fall through the cracks that you may find yourself floundering on the day of! I do not want to stress anyone out, but especially with older students, they can tell when the teacher is not prepared. Knowing this makes them think that the teacher does not care, and therefore they will not care about the lesson. If you come in organized, whether it is truthfully organization or just a facade, the students will feel much more confident in your abilities. 

1. Shift perspectives.

Complete the assignment as if you are the student. Is there anything that may be confusing and may need explicit directions? By shifting perspectives, potential snags can be located and eradicated. Test out the tools that you will use ahead of time, ensuring that they work properly and that you know how to use them. The article below shows teachers how they can use a practice labeled “dogfooding” to help them in their classrooms: https://technologypursuit.edublogs.org/2017/06/20/summer-the-time-for-dogfooding/

Once all of this can be attained, an organized and well-prepared class becomes easy. I hope that I may be able to use my own advice in the coming weeks and spend more time prioritizing my students, hopefully creating meaningful lessons for them in the process.