If not for the last minute . . .

I'm a plan-ahead girl. Partly this is natural to me (thanks Dad!) and partly it's occupational training. A teaching day goes better if it's planned in advance, with all materials prepared and two backup plans for changes in circumstances (like no wi-fi or half the kids pulled for some other thing).

My students . . .well, not so much.

A lot of them are barely keeping one hour ahead of where they are now. So, they're in my Spanish class panicking over the math that's due next period.

I used to get really "het up"over things like that. Early in my career, I took as a sign of disrespect, that kids thought my class less important than their other classes. It took a while, but I've learned to relax a little.

Not that I don't still raise a fuss when deadlines are missed, but I spend more time sitting down and helping the kids who are floundering.

I realized that not everyone had my father, who thought on time was okay, but a week early was even better. They look at the pile of things to do and have no idea how to prioritize, organize, and make progress. Some kids have never been shown how to plan the steps to get done what needs doing, or how to select what to do first.

So, here's the Bryant plan for efficiency:

1. Make a list of everything you can remember that is on your to-do list. I like to do this in a three column chart, listing what I have to do, when it's due, and my estimate of amount of time needed.

2. For big tasks, break it down into smaller parts and assign yourself mini due dates on the way to the big due date.

3. Reorganize the list so it's in order of priority--what you should do first, second, third, etc. Often this is doing what will be due first, then second, and so on, but you also need to consider those mini-tasks on the way to bigger ones.

4. Look it over and arrange for any help you need. Do you need Mom to take you to buy posterboard? Do you need another copy of a handout? Do you need to ask the teacher to explain something to you again because you don't really get it? Add those to-dos, too.

This backwards planning is a revelation to some kids.

Sometimes we all need to remember, especially in middle school, that we're teaching students, not subjects. I teach sixth, seventh and eighth graders. Spanish is just our context. So, helping them succeed may involve teaching them something that doesn't seem like Spanish :-)