Schedule, Schedule, Schedule...and the Secret Ingredient

This past month our teachers visited two schools, and we have had several visitors at our school lately as well. We have found that much of our questions and discussions during these visits revolve around the school schedule.

• How can we keep our students motivated?

• How can we intersperse active classes with less active ones so that our students are not sitting for prolonged periods of time?

• How can we reduce the amount of homework students have?

The answers to all these questions are usually the same: schedule. If we have a good schedule, all these issues will be taken care of (somewhat effortlessly), provided we plan well, teach well, and stick to the schedule.

Our Schedule

Here is what has worked really well for our school for years.

• 8:00 – Morning Assembly

• 8:15 – Bible

• 8:45 – Math

• 9:45 – Break

• 10:05 – English and Spelling

• 10:50 – Choir (Monday & Wednesday)

• 11:20 – Reading/Literature

• 11:40 – Lunch and Recess

• 12:10 – Creative Writing/Journals

• 12:20 – Science

• 1:00 – History/Social Studies

• 1:50 – Physical Exercise (P.E.)

• 2:30 – Choir/Music (Tuesday & Thursday)

• 2:45 – Art

• 3:15 – Dismissal

Why It Works

There is a set time for everything. We stick to our schedule (pretty much anyway—there is always room for a little flexibility where we need it), and we believe that it is better to do art, P.E., and music every day for twenty to thirty minutes rather than every other day for a longer time. These subjects are more active and enjoyable, which prevents students from getting into the sit-in-your-seat-too-long doldrums. No teacher wants his students to be in the doldrums.

The Secret Ingredient

The secret ingredient is two-fold. The first part is accountability. We grade student papers at morning break and at lunch. If they have their math turned in by morning break (and almost all of them usually do), we can have it graded by the end of break, and they have time to do any fix-ups before lunch.

If they have their language arts and spelling turned in by lunch (and almost all of them do), we can have it graded by lunch, sometimes before, and they can have their fix-ups done before or right after lunch.

In the afternoons, we work on our science and social studies together as a group, discussing, answering, and filling out worksheets together. If we work hard in the morning, most of the more challenging work is done by lunch, and the afternoon is more enjoyable.

The second part of the secret ingredient is what I call the “positive-peer pressure-snowball effect.” The teachers keeping the students accountable causes the students to focus harder and to want to get their work done. It is an amazing thing to see the students begin to try hard to finish their assignments and make good grades.

What is almost more amazing is the influence this has on the other students. They see their peers staying on task and getting their work done with good grades, and they desire to do the same.If the atmosphere is positive and encouraging, nobody wants to be the only one not getting their work done, or the one who has to miss the first ten minutes of a break.

It doesn’t hurt to praise the students a little either. “Good work, everyone. We (team effort– not “you”) all got our work done with good grades. Now, let’s all get our work fixed up so that we all have 100s. Yay!” That, said with a genuine smile, works wonders, too.

A good schedule combined with some accountability and an encouraging environment does amazing things for school morale and students’ attitudes.