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PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT AND LEADERSHIP * 1 HOUR * LEVEL 2

Managing your Time

Page 8

Keep Calm and Remain Prepared

You can organize until you’re blue in the face, eliminate tons of unnecessary paperwork, delegate to your heart’s content and do what you can to control your time but all of that will be in vain if you are not prepared. Preparation in childcare and education is probably the key to surviving many adverse and difficult situations. Typically, a child will present some type of challenge to the usual routine of the day. 
Teachers who plan ahead for these unforeseen circumstances have the best results in working through these types of challenges. 
Being prepared and having plans in place directly support time management skills and make it possible to avoid massive amounts of lost time. Time often gets away from people but with careful preparation and planning it does not need to especially in the case of a surprise event. Having supplies, a clear plan, and the proper training to execute the plan gives educators a leg up on handling certain situations.
How to Prepare
Make a plan.
​If there is a fire, earthquake, or natural disaster your building has a specific plan in place. Just like those emergency procedure plans, consider having a plan in place for events that occur often in your classroom. Some of these might include a sick child, a massive temper tantrum, separation anxiety, a minor injury, etc. If you have set protocol in place along with any supplies or materials needed you can save more time in responding to them.
Practice.
​If you have a support person in your room whether it is an Occupational Therapist or a Co-Teacher it is important to make sure that you both practice the plans and procedures to avoid any hiccups and mistakes. This does involve an investment in time initially but it will end up saving time in the event that these procedures need to be followed.
Avoid. If you know that a certain situation could trigger an unforeseen event then try to avoid it. This isn’t always possible but putting a little bit of effort into avoiding challenging situations can help to drastically save time. This is something that teachers often plan and prepare for automatically, but it is good to remain aware.
The smallest bit of preparation in the beginning will help you avoid more lost time in the end.