The Together Teacher Plan Ahead, Get Organized, and Save Time!

An essential guide for today's over-scheduled teachers

Teaching is a tough job, period. With so much pressure and so many competing demands, it can be easy to fall apart, or to get lost in the daily grind. The Together Teacher: Plan Ahead, Get Organized, and Save Time! is a practical resource that shows teachers how to get it together, to be effective and have a life! Author and educator Maia Heyck-Merlin reveals the life-hacks and habits of Together Teachers, from smart time management hacks to sanity-saving tech. The end goal is always strong outcomes for their students.

In this book, you'll discover the concrete steps you can take to achieve greater stability and success in your classroom and in your life. This edition adds sections on efficient lesson planning, grading, and data analysis processes, balance and self-care, juggling teaching with other responsibilities like leading a grade level, managing family communications, and new online resources. The workbook contains all-new rubrics, practice sections, and reflection questions to help you dig in to the content and get your days running like clockwork.

• Learn pro tips and tools to help you organize and optimize your lesson planning, instruction, and classroom environment
• Save time and energy by using tech wisely, enlisting students in keeping the classroom tidy, communicating efficiently with families, and more
• Get engaged—with 75 pages of all-new workbook content, exclusive online extras, and real-world "Day-in-the-Life" teacher profiles, you'll be ready to tackle any challenge
• Learn efficient grading and data analysis processes
• Understand how to balance teaching with other school responsibilities, such as leading a grade level
• Discover the hacks and habits that good teachers are using to improve instructional quality and have a life outside of school!

Perfect for early-career K-12 teachers as well as specialists (social workers, music teachers, etc.), The Together Teacher, Second Edition includes access to exclusive online extras, including videos and much more.

MAIA HEYCK-MERLIN is the founder and CEO of The Together Group, a training and consulting practice focused on training teachers, school leaders, and nonprofit managers on topics such as time management, prioritization, organization, and efficiency. She is also the author of The Together Leader.

Foreword xiii

Introduction 1

Part One: Together Your Time 11

Chapter 1: Create an Ideal Week—And Build in That Self-Care! 13
Components of a Great Together Teacher System • Design Your Ideal Week • Build Your Own Ideal Week • Let’s Toss in Some Self-Care and Stress Management • Self-Care and Stress Management Plan  Examples • Let’s Get Started

Chapter 2: A Week’s Worth of Readiness: Create a Weekly Worksheet 31
Setting the Scene • A Closer Look: What Is a Weekly Worksheet? • Weekly Worksheet Examples • Select Your Weekly Worksheet Tool • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves Together Tour: Cassidy Cruz 57

Chapter 3: No More Missed Deadlines: Make a Comprehensive Calendar 59
Setting the Scene • The Multiple-Calendar Dilemma • The Comprehensive Calendar: What Is It? • Together Teachers’ Comprehensive Calendars • Pick Your Tool: Where Will You Keep Your  Comprehensive Calendar? • Build Your Own Comprehensive Calendar • Keep Your Comprehensive Calendar Moving • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Chapter 4: Corral the Long-Term To-Dos: Create Your Later List 85
Setting the Scene • The Later List: What Is It? • Together Teacher Later List Examples • Assemble the To-Dos: Build Your Later List • Select Your Later List Tool • Keep That Later List Fed and Happy • Carry Your Later List • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Together Tour: Laura Burrow 105

Chapter 5: Never Forget! Get on the Thought Catchers 107
Setting the Scene • What Is a Thought Catcher Exactly? • Together Teacher Thought Catcher Examples • Brainstorm Your Own Thought Catchers • Pick Your Thought Catcher Tool • Review Your Thought Catchers Regularly • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Chapter 6: Create Routines to Support Togetherness: Meet with Yourself 123
Setting the Scene • Build Your Meeting with Myself Checklist • Together Teacher Meeting with Myself Example Checklists • Logistics of Meeting with Yourself: Your When, Where, and What To Bring • When, Where, and What To Bring to Your Meeting with Myself • Daily Routines: Making the Most of Opening and Closing the Day • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Part Two: Together Your Space, Stuff, and Students 143

Chapter 7: Tidy and Together Up Your Teacher Workspace 145
Setting the Scene • Together Up That Workspace • Together Transport: Moving Materials Between Spaces • Contain the Instructional Chaos. Mean, Materials • Finding What You Need When You Need It • Carry It With You • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Together Tour: Angela Mu 171

Chapter 8: The Inbox, the Texts, the Messages: Tame the Communications Chaos 173
Setting the Scene • Set Up for Success • Establish Communications Routines or . . . Stop Checking Constantly! • Create Schoolwide Communication Agreements • Write To Be Heard, or Stop Sending Open-Ended Emails! • Email: Use It, Don’t Abuse It! • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Chapter 9: Papers, Supplies, and Assignments: Support Student Togetherness 203
Setting the Scene • Displaying Class Schedules and Syllabi • Together Student Tools Created by Schools • Together Student Tools Created by Students and Families • Support Student Space Set-Up • Teaching Students Togetherness • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Part Three: Together Your Teaching 235

Chapter 10: Plan, Plan, and Plan Some More: Make Lesson Planning Efficient! 237
Setting the Scene • Together Teachers’ Long-Term Planning Examples • What Is the Actual Work of Lesson Planning? • Materials Needed for Lesson Planning • Determine Day and Time To Plan • Where Should I Lesson Plan? • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Together Tour: Eric Nielsen 261

Chapter 11: Grading, Assessing, and More! 263
Setting the Scene • Determine What You Are Grading and Why • Determine How You Collect Student Work • Getting Efficient with the Actual Grading • Keeping Up with Student Progress • When and Where Are You Grading? • When and How Am I Sharing the Data with Students and Families? • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Part Four: Together Your Team 287

Chapter 12: Join ’Em and Lead ’Em: Make the Most of Meetings 289
Setting the Scene • Create the Meeting Agenda • Staying Together During the Meeting • Note-Taking During Meetings • Store and Retrieve Your Meeting Notes • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves Together Tour: Veronica Urbanik 319

Chapter 13: Events, Projects, and Parties: Project Plan Your Way to Success! 321
Setting the Scene • Determine a Successful Outcome • Build Out Your Buckets • Create a Project Plan • Bring on the Team • Work the Plan • The Big Day—Or Night? • Celebration and Closeout • Turbo Togetherness • Maintenance Moves

Conclusion: Why the World Needs Together Teachers 337

Acknowledgments 347

About the Authors 349

Index 351

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