Management Mondays

What time is it?!  We are late for lunch!!! Hurry and pack up, it is time to GO!!! These are the frantic phrases I have found myself saying many times during the week.  One thing new and old teachers alike struggle with is time management.  There is just never enough time in the day to fit everything in!  Well, I do not have a magic wand to help me manage my time, but I LOVE using timers.  I have a student that is the time manager (also known as the bee keeper) for the day.  If I say we are going to work on a project for 10 minutes, the "bee keeper" will set the timer for 10 minutes.  Then the "bee keeper" will let students know when there is 5 minutes or less left on the timer.  Once the timer goes off students are trained to stop working and listen for directions.  This gives me the opportunity to assess students' progress and determine if more time is needed. We are currently using the timer on my iPod touch.  It is easy to use and kid friendly! There is also a variety of sounds that can be used to notify students that time is up! I will put my iPod under the document camera, so students are aware of how much time they have to work.  I have found that the timers help me and my kids work more efficiently! You can use any type of time, you just have to train your kids how to use it.  So if you are struggling with time management, set the timer and go!