What goes into planning a schedule to get to class on time? Identify each task performed before arriving to class on time. Students should break their morning up into three phases and allocate time for activities included in each phase of their morning:
These phases are defined and detailed as:
Bed to Door – These activities are from the time a student wakes to the time they leave home. Some of the more typical things to estimate time for would be: time for hygiene, breakfast, dressing, preparing and packing lunch, securing possessions needed for pre-school and after-school programs as well as classroom materials and tools, locating keys and preparing for inclement weather. Build in some buffer time in your schedule of 15-30 minutes.
Door to Door – Regardless of the mode of transportation a student should always allow for traffic and unexpected delays. Students should allow time to reach the mode of transportation and any time needed for walking to school after departing the mode of transportation. Greeting time – talking to friends before reaching the school entrance. Build in buffer time of 5-15 minutes.
Door to Seat – Passing through the school entrance, traveling through the building to class and settling in to participate in the lesson seems straight forward enough, but this can get tricky. Why? Because the “greeting process” can continue long after the point of entrance and continue all the way to class. If the earlier buffer times are not already used there should be enough time to greet friends and get to class on time, but when there are earlier delays the buffer time may not be enough to allow for “greeting”. If a student finds that they routinely require using the buffer time before arriving to school then the buffer times should be increased. It is important that a student not be distracted by the “greeting process” getting to class on time is paramount.
What tools can be used to achieve good planning and get to class on time? Students should utilize the alerts and alarms which almost always are programmed in their Smartphone’s. Reminders can be very useful tools in prompting students where they should be at any point in the day. There are numerous apps to select from and the student should begin by trying two or three to determine which best fits their personality. The applications available for use on laptops/tablets/Smartphone’s can significantly improve effectiveness, productivity and efficiency. In two words, reduce lateness! For those who find that app’s are not effective, try recording a short message on your phone recorder and using it as a reminder. Sometime it’s more effective to hear a voice, especially your own. (If the school policy is no ringers or tones, put your phone on vibrate and attach it to a part of your body that will allow you to notice the vibrations.) Use your ringer, tones and voice outside the school building.
Finally, review your schedule as needed. Nothing stays the same. So, staying on time requires reviewing your schedule. As demands change a student should review their schedule for effectiveness. As demands increase or decrease the student should adjust the amount of time applied to a task and consider the number of task successfully accomplished on any given day. For example, a student has to be in school earlier for a special project for a few months. This change may mean the student might have to reallocate the time allowed for the three phases of morning activities to address for the new project arrival time.
Planning and punctuality are key variables for success. The sooner we start to help students incorporate these skills into their lives the sooner they will begin to reap the rewards of planning and punctuality.
So, let’s meet and discuss how “Kids Can Be Organized Too!” can help your students find improved success!