The start of a new school year means different things to different teachers. For some it’s a fresh start, full of possibilities. For others, it’s a rebuilding time after a downturn in the program. And for others, well, they’re still crying on the patio begging summer not to end.
No matter your current emotional state, it’s time to think about being ready for the first day. Between getting your classroom ready, handling instruments, recruiting, not to mention the back-to-school district professional development and potlucks you’re required to attend, it might feel overwhelming.
The second your to-do list starts to feel unmanageable, it’s time for some reflection. For every task, ask yourself the following two questions:
“How does this serve my students?” and
“What will happen if this doesn’t get done?”
If you can’t answer how it will serve your students or you don’t like the answer, de-prioritize it. For me, “important” tasks are always those which help students grow musically or personally in my care and make them feel safe, confident, and capable in my class.
Of course, when we work in education, we sometimes must do tasks we know don’t matter (they call this hoop-jumping in my neck of the woods). This is where the second question comes in: what will happen if you don’t?
If your position or a relationship will be in jeopardy, then it’s still important. If the only thing that will happen is that your folders won’t be personalized on the first day, or the building committee won’t have home-baked cookies for that potluck, or that the kids might have to set up their own snare stands, I gently suggest that you let those items go.
If you’re still struggling, try an Eisenhower Matrix!
Put each task into a box:
- Important/Urgent: You must do right away
- Important/Not Urgent: Schedule a time to work on it later
- Not Important/Urgent: This one is tricky because sometimes a task might be important, but it’s not important that YOU do it. In these cases, delegate it to a colleague, student, a parent, or a classroom aide. If it’s not important but you must do it because of contract obligations, etc., well, we all have to jump a hoop or two.
- Not Important/Not Urgent: Remove these items from your to-do list or save them for a day when you have free time (ha ha, what’s that?) and your important tasks are finished.
Here’s a sample of what my Eisenhower Matrix might look like preparing for the first day of school as a band director.
Whenever you get stuck, think about what’s important to you and what will affect your students’ safety and success. And remember that no one will be mad about store-bought cookies.
Jill Dobel directed public school bands in Iowa at varying grade levels for 17 years. She holds a degree in Music Education from the University of Northern Iowa. She is currently a Music Education Marketing Specialist at Sheet Music Plus.
Jill continues to teach private saxophone and clarinet students, and is active as a clinician and adjudicator. She is a performer with the Iowa Women’s Jazz Orchestra and local North Iowa groups.
When not writing about, thinking about, or playing music, she enjoys watercolor painting and hanging out with her husband and two stinky pit pulls Greta and Snickers.
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