How is a planner like a radar?
High school students are often reluctant to use a planner or an agenda. Think about it from their point of view: they have to stop what they are doing, take it out of their backpack, find the correct page, have a pen or pencil in hand, and write things (hopefully, legibly) in a small space . All of that, when they don’t even think they need a planner, because they’re convinced they can remember it all!
As a teacher, I try to get children to think of their schedule as a radar screen. Sports assignments, appointments, tests, projects, contests, and practices are missiles, rockets, and planes that have entered your airspace. Their planner is like a radar screen that allows them to track and manage everything, before disaster strikes! I also teach them that when they get to high school, their time management responsibilities are much greater than they think! There are actually three schedules that you should follow in your planners:
1. The annual calendar
Your school’s annual calendar contains important school-wide dates and events, such as test weeks, holidays, bell time changes, games, rallies, special celebrations, and more. Students should know where they can find the Annual Calendar (it is usually on the school website) and periodically review activities and events. Some will impact them (for example, Picture Day) and some will not (for example, the PTA meeting). Record dates and events that affect them in your planners.
2. Schedules or class calendar
A class schedule or calendar contains assignments, due dates, and events for a single class, such as science or math. It shows homework assignments, project due dates, field trips, tests, and more. This calendar can be distributed in class as a brochure or kept on the teacher’s website. Class schedule or calendar information should be copied into your planner, one to two weeks at a time, and updated daily. If there is no homework for a class on a given night, students should be in the habit of writing “N / H” for “No homework” on the correct date in the planner. Because a student will have six or more class schedules, there is a lot to keep track of.
3. Personal hours
When a student arrives at high school, he must take some responsibility in his personal schedule. Events and appointments, such as doctor, dentist, and orthodontist appointments, tutoring or club meetings, sports practices, games, special occasions, vacations, religious holidays, and birthdays constitute a student’s personal schedule. Knowing your personal schedule helps students manage their time. Additionally, a student’s personal schedule often affects someone else’s schedule. Parents need to know about changes to practice schedules, or a carpool driver needs to know when a student will be absent from the carpool due to an appointment, etc. Teachers should know if a student will be absent from class for an appointment.
Copying so much information (annual, class and personal schedules) into a planner is tedious. But, by tracking the three schedules in their planners, students can get a “big picture” or a “radar view” of their responsibilities. That is the key to successfully managing your time!