Take The Time...

Being an educator today can become overwhelming in the blink of an eye.  With all the demands that are placed upon our time it is easy to become lost in the details of what needs to be done.  Preparing for lessons requires time before and after school because a 45 to 50 minute conference period is simply not enough.  Some of the other issues that come into play and demand the time of educators are tutorials, parent communications, campus meetings, department meetings, emails, dealing with copy machines that are seemingly always possessed by some crazy monster, and many other time consuming items.

So how do you survive as an educator with all these demands on your time?  You must prioritize your time and place your focus on what matters.  

The trick is determining what takes priority and what matters when it comes to your time. This is different for each person and you must determine your own criteria.  Here are some criteria I utilize in my role as a principal:

• How will this benefit students?
• How will this benefit teachers?
• How will this benefit the school community as a whole?

I know these may seem simplistic but as a school leader these are the areas that I must place my focus.  These three areas of a school are most important to the overall success of the school.  If the time consuming item in question does not fit into one of these criteria then it does not take a high priority.  Simple as that.

How will you filter the distractions so that you can focus on what matters in 2016?

Think. Achieve, Succeed.

​Jeff

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