For me, being in a classroom for a counseling lesson is probably one of the best things in the world. I cannot explain how much I absolutely LOVE to teach, but the lesson is the payoff. Coordinating schedules is the true challenge. Over the years, I have tried and seen a number of methods of scheduling lessons; some have been tremendously successful, while some...are...just...wow...
In four of the five schools where I currently work, I split the students with the full time counselor and flip flop at semester. What this means is that I cover the lessons in three grade levels each semester and teach in those classrooms at least once per month. With all these lessons going on, it's easy to lose track of where you need to be and at what time if you don't have an organized system. If you are not one of those crazy schedulers like me or you haven't yet found your method, feel free to follow my plan.
Step One: Initial Contact
I like to send an e-mail out around the second or third day of school. It helps me get plans laid out way ahead of time. I should mention that most, if not all, communication and planning occurs with the help of technology (e-mail and online calendar). If you don't have a calendar through your district's e-mail provider, use one through a private e-mail provider like Gmail. There are no piles, losing papers, and the process moves much quicker. Back to that e-mail, though... I plan the entire semester's lessons in August when our kids start school. That way, I can see what conflicts might occur as well as be able to know ahead of time what my days, weeks, and months look like. In other words, in a job that is naturally high stress, it reduces the stress level tremendously. Here is an example of what I sent to my teachers this year:
Hi there! I hope you all had a fantastic first day with the kids and are ready for day two! I wanted to get my lesson e-mail out nice and early this year in order to accommodate everyone’s schedule as best possible. I will be starting lessons immediately in order to have some flexibility with the crazy months of November and December. I will be in your classrooms [insert number] times this year for approximately 30 minutes to meet my curriculum standards, but I am available to teach additional lessons, if necessary. For teachers unfamiliar with how I schedule my lessons, I have you tell me a time that works for you on the particular day each month (e.g. the first Tuesday at 12:30, the last Thursday at 9:15, or the second Friday at 2:30), and I do my best to meet your request.
Once your lessons are on my calendar, I will send you a confirmation e-mail. In addition, I will send you an e-mail each month the day before my lesson. I look forward to working with you and your kids this year! Let me know if I can support you in any way.
Step Two: Getting the Dates On the Calendar
As explained in the example e-mail, I schedule lessons for the same day/time each month. Let's pretend that a teacher responds with any Monday at 2:00. I then look at my online calendar to see if there are any glaring conflicts. This year, I have two schools with a Staff Development Day during the second week of each month on the day I am scheduled to work at their school; therefore, I avoided scheduling lessons on that day each month.
Once I pinpoint the week that will best work, I input the date on my online calendar. I set up a reoccurrence and a reminder for the lesson; it automatically is on my calendar each month, AND I get a reminder that I am due in a classroom. One benefit of my district's e-mail system is that I am told how many times the lesson will conflict with other scheduled events. It makes planning a breeze.
Step Three: Confirmation
You've got the first e-mail out, the lesson scheduled, and now comes the follow-up and additional information e-mail:
Thanks for your [quick] response! I have you on my schedule for the last Wednesday of each month at 11:00. I’m a total tech nerd, and I make use of the SmartBoard during most, if not all, of my lessons. If this will be a problem, please let me know ahead of time, so I can plan accordingly. I know I mentioned this in my initial e-mail, but I’ll send a reminder e-mail to you the day before each of our four scheduled monthly lessons.
See you soon!
I add in the part about my use of the SmartBoard, because I have had certain people, month after month, roll their eyes and make that throaty "Ughhhhhh!" noise at me when asked if I could use their SmartBoard. It's just easiest to get it out of the way ahead of time.
Step Four: Reminder E-mails
The reminder e-mail can be a couple of different things, so let's start with the issue of a teacher not responding to schedule a lesson. If there are multiple teachers on your list, e-mail them individually or blind copy all of them! There is nothing more annoying than getting a reminder e-mail sent to you and being able to see who else is on the "naughty list"! I also word my e-mail very carefully and make it nonchalant, because, let's face it, teachers are busy people just like us.
Hi there! I wanted to send a quick reminder e-mail regarding scheduling counseling lessons with me. I included the times that are currently taken, so you can see what will work with your schedule. With all the beginning of the year craziness, it is quite possible that I missed your e-mail, so if you already sent me your preferred day/time, will you resend it to me?
The other reminder e-mail is one that is sent the day before the scheduled lesson. Nothing fancy! It's just a simple, "This is just a friendly reminder that I am scheduled for a lesson in your classroom tomorrow. See you then!" It is amazing the number of teachers who have thanked me each and every month or asked me, "What time again?" It just helps to establish that you are a professional who is organized and making life a little easier for a teacher.
See? Four easy steps to planning lessons for the school year. If there's an aspect of this that you think might tank in your school, change it! If you have any "How do I..." questions, please feel free to contact me!
In four of the five schools where I currently work, I split the students with the full time counselor and flip flop at semester. What this means is that I cover the lessons in three grade levels each semester and teach in those classrooms at least once per month. With all these lessons going on, it's easy to lose track of where you need to be and at what time if you don't have an organized system. If you are not one of those crazy schedulers like me or you haven't yet found your method, feel free to follow my plan.
Step One: Initial Contact
I like to send an e-mail out around the second or third day of school. It helps me get plans laid out way ahead of time. I should mention that most, if not all, communication and planning occurs with the help of technology (e-mail and online calendar). If you don't have a calendar through your district's e-mail provider, use one through a private e-mail provider like Gmail. There are no piles, losing papers, and the process moves much quicker. Back to that e-mail, though... I plan the entire semester's lessons in August when our kids start school. That way, I can see what conflicts might occur as well as be able to know ahead of time what my days, weeks, and months look like. In other words, in a job that is naturally high stress, it reduces the stress level tremendously. Here is an example of what I sent to my teachers this year:
Hi there! I hope you all had a fantastic first day with the kids and are ready for day two! I wanted to get my lesson e-mail out nice and early this year in order to accommodate everyone’s schedule as best possible. I will be starting lessons immediately in order to have some flexibility with the crazy months of November and December. I will be in your classrooms [insert number] times this year for approximately 30 minutes to meet my curriculum standards, but I am available to teach additional lessons, if necessary. For teachers unfamiliar with how I schedule my lessons, I have you tell me a time that works for you on the particular day each month (e.g. the first Tuesday at 12:30, the last Thursday at 9:15, or the second Friday at 2:30), and I do my best to meet your request.
Once your lessons are on my calendar, I will send you a confirmation e-mail. In addition, I will send you an e-mail each month the day before my lesson. I look forward to working with you and your kids this year! Let me know if I can support you in any way.
Step Two: Getting the Dates On the Calendar
As explained in the example e-mail, I schedule lessons for the same day/time each month. Let's pretend that a teacher responds with any Monday at 2:00. I then look at my online calendar to see if there are any glaring conflicts. This year, I have two schools with a Staff Development Day during the second week of each month on the day I am scheduled to work at their school; therefore, I avoided scheduling lessons on that day each month.
Once I pinpoint the week that will best work, I input the date on my online calendar. I set up a reoccurrence and a reminder for the lesson; it automatically is on my calendar each month, AND I get a reminder that I am due in a classroom. One benefit of my district's e-mail system is that I am told how many times the lesson will conflict with other scheduled events. It makes planning a breeze.
Step Three: Confirmation
You've got the first e-mail out, the lesson scheduled, and now comes the follow-up and additional information e-mail:
Thanks for your [quick] response! I have you on my schedule for the last Wednesday of each month at 11:00. I’m a total tech nerd, and I make use of the SmartBoard during most, if not all, of my lessons. If this will be a problem, please let me know ahead of time, so I can plan accordingly. I know I mentioned this in my initial e-mail, but I’ll send a reminder e-mail to you the day before each of our four scheduled monthly lessons.
See you soon!
I add in the part about my use of the SmartBoard, because I have had certain people, month after month, roll their eyes and make that throaty "Ughhhhhh!" noise at me when asked if I could use their SmartBoard. It's just easiest to get it out of the way ahead of time.
Step Four: Reminder E-mails
The reminder e-mail can be a couple of different things, so let's start with the issue of a teacher not responding to schedule a lesson. If there are multiple teachers on your list, e-mail them individually or blind copy all of them! There is nothing more annoying than getting a reminder e-mail sent to you and being able to see who else is on the "naughty list"! I also word my e-mail very carefully and make it nonchalant, because, let's face it, teachers are busy people just like us.
Hi there! I wanted to send a quick reminder e-mail regarding scheduling counseling lessons with me. I included the times that are currently taken, so you can see what will work with your schedule. With all the beginning of the year craziness, it is quite possible that I missed your e-mail, so if you already sent me your preferred day/time, will you resend it to me?
The other reminder e-mail is one that is sent the day before the scheduled lesson. Nothing fancy! It's just a simple, "This is just a friendly reminder that I am scheduled for a lesson in your classroom tomorrow. See you then!" It is amazing the number of teachers who have thanked me each and every month or asked me, "What time again?" It just helps to establish that you are a professional who is organized and making life a little easier for a teacher.
See? Four easy steps to planning lessons for the school year. If there's an aspect of this that you think might tank in your school, change it! If you have any "How do I..." questions, please feel free to contact me!