Principal Words of Wisdom - Planning Time

Here is a great piece of advice from Dale Martin, an old school LYS Principal.

Finding planning time for teams of teachers is always a zero-sum game. Either it is after school or off-contract, which is tough on the teachers (if no pay) or tough on the budget (if paid).  Or you have to take teachers out of the classroom, which has a detrimental impact on instruction.

Do what Dale does. 

Hire enough substitute teachers to cover a content or grade level team (based on the planning needed) on district benchmark testing days. The substitute teachers can proctor the test and your teachers get to meet as a group for an extra period for team planning. 

The negative impact on instruction on that day is negligible. And if you schedule it right, one group of subs can cover for up to 8 teams of teachers (if you have an eight-period day). Thus, lessening the negative impact on the budget while making a huge positive impact on instructional preparation and adjustment going forward.

Think. Work. Achieve.

Your turn...

• Call Jo at (832) 477-LEAD to order your campus set of “The Fundamental 5: The Formula for Quality Instruction.” Individual copies available on Amazon.com!  http://tinyurl.com/Fundamental5 
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