Welcome to the second half of the school year! As primary school teachers, we know how valuable time is, especially during this busy period. That’s why I’m excited to share with you four time-saving tips to help you master the rest of the academic year.
It is often said that we don’t need to reinvent the wheel. The person who came up with that must have been (or known) a teacher!
We are massive advocates of teachers working smarter rather than harder.
So, let’s look at some simple time-saving ways you can work smarter during the second half of the school year.
1.Take advantage of the systems you have set up
All routines and relationships have already been established. Continue to build on them and take advantage of the fact your students know what to do and your expectations.
If things have gone off the rails a little, it is okay, we have been there many times! In this case, look at your routines and expectations with fresh eyes. You will know your students better and what they will respond to. Try something new with them.
Check out our FREE PA of the Day badges here.
2.Goal setting
Check over any targets set in Semester 1 reports and create an opportunity for students to set new goals. Remember goals for our students don’t need to be large and wafty, often short and sharp goals are best. That is why we love to use these Growth Mindset Desk plates. 
Stay on top of SMART / achievable goals with these gaol setting desk tags.
3.Be ready for Reports
Most time-saving reporting programs will let you export the data as a spreadsheet. Print it off and use it to track how students have progressed over the second half of the year. If you notice a student isn’t making the gains you expected, get in touch with parents and flag it before the end of the year.
Check out our report companion here.
4.Organisation hacks for the win
Being organised really does help you work smarter and save time. Try some of our favourite time-saving organisation hacks:
*Setup a good morning tab (learn how to do it here)
*Have a PD diary to keep all notes together and make it easier to log. Check it out here.
*Setup a system for your emails (we have written a blog post about what works for us, read it here).
*Invest in a ‘sighted by’ stamp!
We hope you gained a tip or two to add to your teacher toolkit today. If you are looking for more time saving hacks, you need to check out our Teacher Time Management blog series.
We also have a FREE downloadable guide that you will love as well. Grab yours here.
Click here to start saving time!
To make things easier for you, I’ve listed the resources mentioned in this blog post below. It’s a quick way to browse and save you some time!
“This is just what I was looking for. The PA of the Day badges have made my daily school life so much easier and the children love the responsibility of being PA. Excellent idea and resource, thank you!” Orlaith C. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“These are absolutely AMAZING! What a great way to promote the culture of practicing Growth Mindset all day every day! Oh, and they’re beautiful too! Thanks for creating! :)” Ally B.⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I’m not the best at writing comments, and this resource has been sooo helpful!! I’ve used it for report card comments, PTCs, and to communicate with parents.” Create With Miss D ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Professional Development Diary
“Great resource for a teacher to keep track of all of their PD and other needs.” Brittany P. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
What to read next:
Time Management Tips for teachers
5 common mistakes made by new teachers (and how to avoid them)
