But, I Can’t Do It All

Recently, I asked for your input on what you were struggling with right now in your classroom. Most of the responses were centered around having enough time to do it all. Do you struggle with that in your classroom?

Here are some of the actual responses to the question, what is the one thing that you’re struggling with right now in your classroom?

• enough time to do everything
• getting it all done
• fitting everything in
• energy and time to get it all done because there are too many standards and new things that need to be taught and assessed

I’m going to tell you something very important, that you’re going to need to take to heart. Remember this. It’s important.

You can’t do it all.

There will always be students who need more than you can give. There will always be parents who want more of your time than are hours in the day. And, there will always be administrators who want you to go one bit further than you are able to.

The take away:

Don’t beat yourself up for not being a super-teacher.

I get stuck in that rut, that trap, where I think I have to be a super-teacher. I think that I have to do everything and do it perfectly. The reality is that I can’t. If I believe the lie that I can, then I am sorely disappointed and extremely frustrated by my lack of ability to do it all.

My first year of teaching was a struggle because I didn’t know what I need to do. Everything was new and I was a little shell-shocked. My second year of teaching was a struggle because I now knew what I needed to do, but couldn’t figure out how to do it all. It wasn’t until the fourth year that I really learned how to prioritize my teaching and learning. I also learned that I couldn’t do it all.

I created a resource that can help you on the journey of figuring out what you can do and prioritizing it. Click below to sign up and download it. 

Do one thing well

Although I acknowledge that I need to teach many different subjects each day, some of them whole group and small group, I know that I cannot do it all and do it all well. I can do one thing really well. I can do a couple things somewhat well. If I have to do a lot of things, it all kinda falls apart.

So, what do I do? I concentrate on one thing, until it’s solid. Then, I move onto another one thing and become good at it.

Now, I’m not suggesting that you don’t teach the other subjects, but what I am suggesting is that you put your time and effort into doing one thing really well. Why? Because when you learn to do that one thing really well, it will become like second nature. You will then be able to move onto something else. The first one thing will continue to be done well and you’ll start to work on doing something else really well, too. Do you see how that works?

It used to be that each year, I concentrated on a different subject area. I would learn, read books about, and research that subject area in depth. I would create curriculum and student activities around that subject area. I would go deep in that area. I still taught the other subject areas, but I concentrated on doing one really well. The next year, I moved to a different subject area, while using the knowledge I had gained and the curriculum I had developed in the first subject area.

More recently, after having taught 16 years, I’ve been doing the concept across subject areas within the same year, but never at the same time. For instance, a couple months ago, I concentrated on developing opinion writing in our classroom. I focused on learning all I could about it, figured out ways to help students be successful using the academic language, and wrote an opinion unit. Then, I moved onto math, specifically partitioning rectangles. I went deep on that subject. I didn’t stop teaching the other subjects, but was able to lighten the load of one while mentally focusing on another.

Multitasking is a myth. It’s really impossible to do. So, learn to concentrate on one thing and do it well.

Prioritize

How do you choose what to do when you feel like you have to do it all?

Do nothing

Sometimes I do nothing. Seriously. I’m not joking. I just stop doing anything, well anything I know that I need to do. It gives me some time to just think. What is most important will usually bubble to the top and make itself known.

Make a list and narrow it down

Other times I make a list. I list out all the things that need to be done within a certain period of time. The end-of-the-year is like this. There’s so much to do. I make a list, but I don’t work on it in order. I prioritize and work on one thing at time until it’s done.

I will also prioritize the list and work on the top one or two things until they’re done, then move on to that next top couple of things on the list.

Let go of your perfectionism

This has been a hard one for me. I know that I have to teach the standards, but I also know that it doesn’t have to be perfect, with all the pieces in place. I just need to teach it well enough so that students can learn it.

I like to have things neat, in order and planned out. That’s my personality, like many teachers. But, in recent years, with a family at home, I also have to be conscious, that it doesn’t have to be perfect, just functional. I need to tell myself that on a regular basis, especially when I’m a little OCD about something being cut out correctly.

Also, remember, students can’t do it all, either

I could plan every minute of the day, all the whole group and small group instruction, and all the subject areas that I need to cover. Technically, I can fill every minute with learning, but the reality is that our students need downtime, too. I have learned that they need an ebb and flow to their day just as much as I do.

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In what ways have you learned to prioritize your teaching, your learning and let go of your perfectionism? Any tips or tricks that you have for “getting it all done”?

I created a resource that can help you on the journey of figuring out what you can do and prioritizing it. Click below to sign up and download it.