The school year hasn’t even started for me yet. I am eyeballs deep in planning and scheduling for my itinerant caseload. As I am making my new schedule, I’m thinking about all the ways to make my travel and time work for me, all the while keeping my students and teachers happy. Something new I am focusing in on is how can I make the most of time when I have a student absent or a cancellation. My motivation for this post is the dreaded show up at the school/classroom door and hear the phrase “Oh-Sorry the student is absent.”
Now sometimes this is annoying and sometimes it is a gift in my busy day. I could go on and on about how much of a drag and pain it is dealing with this situation, especially if it happens often and there is supposed to be a plan in place to avoid wasted time, gas and stress. Let’s focus on the gap in your day as a GIFT.
Knowing In Advance
When I know in advance that a student will be unavailable for our scheduled time I typically plan how I will use my time. I always have options and try to make the most of “free time” in my busy schedule. When a block of time is scheduled in advance I typically choose a location that will allow me to make the most of my time; this could be a meeting, use of technology, a make up session, or housekeeping. However, when I can’t plan in advance here are my top ways to make the most of my “gift”.
Drive On
If I am at a school that doesn’t allow me access or the convince of technology I will just drive to the next school in my schedule. This allows me a more relaxing drive (hopefully) to the next school. Depending on time and weather I might stop and drive through for a caffeine boost.
Catch Up
Catching up can mean many different things. If I need something at the cancellation school I will make the most of being there.
- I love it when I can touch base with another teacher or provider and face to face chat about a need or situation.
- I will catch up on emails.
- Work on paperwork.
- Make sure my data is up to date.
- Work on notes.
Plan
I typically will use this as a time slot to plan for any or all of my students. I love to infuse books into my lessons and themes, so this is a perfect opportunity to check out books in the library. If I have printing or laminating access I will make the most of my time getting resources ready for future lessons.
Create
Fresh and new resources are very important to me. I find I am always looking for new ideas to keep things interesting and student specific. I enjoy making resources, but they typically take a lot longer to develop than a missed session time can afford, so I will research new ideas from all the brilliant teachers out there. Teacher Pay Teachers is my first choice because there are so many teacher authors providing content and resources that span my diverse caseload. This can be a rabbit hole situation if I am at home, so I definitely will take my gift of limited free time and use it wish listing or printing out new resources.
Organize
Keeping up with organization can be a struggle when you are on the go. I try to be as organized as I can, but some days…or weeks are harder to manage. A cancellation can provide the perfect opportunity to clean up, purge or rearrange your itinerant school life. Here are a few things that I can manage in a small window of time.
- My bag
- My car
- Workspaces
- Storage areas
- Folders
All of these are manageable in a session time. My bag is one I definitely try to tackle once a week, but if I get extra time I will toss and organize its contents. Being Itinerant can be difficult, especially if where you work doesn’t allow materials and resources to be left, so when you are carrying your world in your bag-giving it a good tidy up can make like a lot easier.
Everyone’s time and schedule is important-with this perspective I never think a teacher is trying to make my day more difficult. This reality has come with experience and age. As I add another year to my career, I think I am more aware and reflective of what will set me up for success. A healthy mindset is sure to help me keep my sanity as I run from school to school. Hopefully one of these ideas will come to mind as YOU navigate your school year and help you cope with the challenges of being itinerant.
The Listening Ladybug 