When I was a brand new teacher - right out of college, teaching at four different sites and about 20-30 classes a week! - nobody ever directly spoke with me about “prep time.” I simply put in hours and hours of work figuring it out, writing up lesson plans, talking with seasoned teachers, finding music, going to the library, and making props. It became a 6 or 7 day-a-week endeavor. I was young, ambitious, and diving in full force.
But now, 18 years later, I hope to share a few thoughts that can help new teaching artists tackle and understand prep time from the beginning of their careers. Here is some advice based on my years of teaching. I also encourage you to speak with your mentor or colleagues in your community. I want to thank teaching artists Valerie Gutwirth and Juliana Monin for their insight into this post as well.
Idea 1 - How many different kinds of classes are you teaching in one week?
Are you teaching 6 first grade classes, and 2 fifth grade classes? Are you teaching essentially 10 different lesson plans each week? Which lesson(s) can be repeated at different sites or with different classrooms?
Idea 2 - A general rule of thumb is at least 1 hour a week to prep each lesson (estimating that you are teaching a 30-60 minute class), and an additional 10-15 minutes for each individual class that receives that lesson.
Because different class groups will respond to the same lesson in different ways, you’ll need time to note those divergent responses and plot your course.
Just know that you will spend a lot of time prepping - and learning - your first year or two of teaching. Believe me - it DOES get easier! You will develop your bag of tricks, your signature warm ups, and you will develop a more streamlined way of prepping for yourself. So, based on Idea 1, if you teach 5 different lessons each week, that is at least 5 hours of prep.
You also will figure out your basic formula or outline for each of your classes. For example, your beginning adult modern class might always have 3 center warm ups, 5 different large locomotor steps across the room, teaching the combination, leaps, and then 5 minutes of stretching. Sketch out for each of your classes a basic outline/idea of the flow of classes. This will streamline your prepping each week.
Idea 3 - “Prep time” includes writing up an outline, finding music, creating warm ups, choreographing the combination, finding picture books at the library, making or gathering props, and making notes after each class for next time.
A lot of activities go under the umbrella of prep time. Also consider - where can you prep? If you have 4 housemates, can you quietly prep in your living room? Do you need to use a free studio at the dance center you teach at? Is the gym free at your public school site an hour before each class?
Idea 4 - Schedule your prep time.
The first few years of teaching, I have to say that this was my biggest pitfall. In hindsight, I was prepping all of the time. And I spent many Sunday nights prepping, instead of relaxing, to get ready for the next 5 days of teaching. On your Google Calendar or in a paper planner, just as you write in your work schedule, I highly encourage you to write in the sacred (and necessary) time to prep.
Idea 5 - What can get repeated?
As a new teacher, this is a tricky one to figure out at first. Again, ask a trusted mentor or colleague for advice. It really depends on the age group and level of the students. For example, in my preschool creative dance classes, I would maybe repeat some of the prior class, but not the whole class. In a third grade class at a public school, we might need 20 minutes of each class for 6 weeks to create our group dance. Ask around, and be patient as you find the sweet spot of repeating material or needing to generate new ideas.
Idea 6 - Develop a resource library (actual or virtual) to help you prep.
Last, what resources do you have at home, or online, that you can quickly access for ideas, inspiration, and sample lessons?
1. Did you take a course in college, and have your notes?
2. Check out my other blog - Dancing Words - for lots of picture books to use within preschool and K-5 dance classes.
3. Do you own Anne Green Gilbert’s Creative Dance for All Ages or Patricia Reedy’s Body, Mind, and Spirit in Action? If you teach preschool age students, check out Wonderplay.
4. What other resources do you have - books, websites, blogs, and other teaching artists in your community? What other teachers are at the schools and dance centers where you work?
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I hope that these ideas can be informative and useful as you begin the next school year. Creating the right schedule for you to prep your classes is an important factor within your week.
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