Remember Anything

The people who are likely to become teachers are those who have succeeded in school. This means that these people are more likely than average to have good time management skills, since school success is so highly dependent upon time management skills.

This means that teachers are more likely to believe that everyone should naturally have good time management skills. Along with this belief goes the belief that if a student does not have good time management skills, that student is being lazy or defiant. Not every teacher has this set of beliefs, but many get frustrated at students who can’t remember to get parent signatures, do homework, keep track of long-term assignments, or manage in-class work time successfully.

There are certain identified student issues that can lead to poor time management skills, such as Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder or various forms of autism. Also children who grow up in families where time management is not taught or where the culture of the family does not follow western approaches to time are not going to naturally pick up time management skills.

It behooves all educators to actively teach time management skills. This includes instruction on how to use a planner but also plenty of teacher-led practice in writing things down and regularly reviewing what is written down. Further, there are so many different types of planners, from printed notebook planners to electronic, from web-based to a simple sticky note with a list, that teachers should also provide guidance to individual students as the students discover what will work for them. Just as students wear different shoe sizes, students also have different needs in terms of finding the right planner.

For example, students who have a computer at home and who love technology might enjoy a web-based calendar system. Similarly, students with cell phones might find it convenient to use the calendar function on their cell phones because they always have the phones with them when they are asked to schedule events or assignments. Some students might do well with a published printed planner or even a printed planner assembled from web-based resources. Additionally, these students may need to decide which type of planner would be the most convenient. A planner that sits in a backpack is not effective.

Many older students will have mastered time management. If there is a student that has not, it is important to avoid making that student feel shame in relation to time management problems. There is a very good chance that the student has been told this is a problem in the past but also that the student has not been able to learn time management skills.

Instead, it would be good to inquire what the student has tried in the past and what aspects of any given system have been helpful or not helpful. Based on this type of conversation, a planning system more tailored to the individual student’s needs can be put together. Beyond simply providing an appropriate planner for a student, students with poor time management skills need consistent and caring assistance in working with the planner.

When we provide students with the right tools and assistance in using those tools, we get to enjoy their success, which is one of the greatest rewards for teachers.

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