The Together Teacher: Plan Ahead, Get Organized, and Save Time!

by Maia Heyck-Merlin

An essential guide for today's over-scheduled teachers Teaching is a tough job, period. With so much pressure and so many competing demands, it can be easy to fall apart, or to get lost in the daily grind. The Together Plan Ahead, Get Organized, and Save Time! is a practical resource that shows teachers how to get it together, to be effective and have a life! Author and educator Maia Heyck-Merlin reveals the life-hacks and habits of Together Teachers, from smart time management hacks to sanity-saving tech. The end goal is always strong outcomes for their students. In this book, you'll discover the concrete steps you can take to achieve greater stability and success in your classroom and in your life. This edition adds sections on efficient lesson planning, grading, and data analysis processes, balance and self-care, juggling teaching with other responsibilities like leading a grade level, managing family communications, and new online resources. The workbook contains all-new rubrics, practice sections, and reflection questions to help you dig in to the content and get your days running like clockwork. Perfect for early-career K-12 teachers as well as specialists (social workers, music teachers, etc.), The Together Teacher, Second Edition includes access to exclusive online extras, including videos and much more.

Genres: Education, Teaching, Nonfiction, Self Help, Reference

384 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2012

Reviews

[Dr. Raye of Sunshine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an excellent resource to help get yourself together. As an aspiring school administrator, the latter chapters weren't as relevant to me. I already have plenty of systems to keep my desk organized, clean and efficient. It's all of the TO-DOs that I needed to streamline and the first half of this book absolutely puts that into perspective.

It will be wonderful to have all of my things (calendar, to-dos) in one spot that I can carry around very easily throughout my day. This system isn't rocket science but it is game changing. If you're waffling about whether or not to buy this book, do it!

[Helen · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ironically, this book supposedly about getting organized and saving time was really unorganized and took up a lot of my time. I honestly wondered if the ebook version I was reading was the unedited version or something. It was all over the place, rambling, and unclear. I really wish I had used my time to plan and actually get some stuff done rather than reading this book. The reason I gave it two stars instead of one is because there were some OK ideas, but none were innovative or life-changing by any means. Save your money and a ton of time and just use Pinterest or Google instead.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok- so. I have found a lot of good use from The Together Teacher over the years. I still think I learned something from this reading. So-yes. Get this book. I just think that there is a BIGGER conversation around what is expected from teachers that is missing, and, well- it bothers me.

[Amy Beckhusen · Rating 4 out of 5]

provides some practical tips and gives me a confidence boost that I have some tools that lead me closer to seeing myself as an organized or "together" teacher!

[Jessica Williams · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was fortunate to go to one of her workshops years ago. I took a small break away from the classroom and needed a refresher on organization! Her system is doable!

[Heather Wilson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some good ideas

[Scott Rushing · Rating 5 out of 5]

If only I had read this book before going into my first year of teaching...

[Lisa]

I'm excited to finish this year stronger again and start anew in the coming years while actually living

[Sarah Ross-Koves · Rating 5 out of 5]

I consider myself an organized person, but I can always use new tips and ideas to add into what I am already doing well. Maia talks of discipline that is needed, so I hope I can pick up some of that.

She says together teachers need:
1. Prioritization
2. Planning
3. Organization
4. Execution
5. Efficiency

Number 4 was interesting for me because I am not terribly aware of my energy levels and planning around them. Apparently you should perform the most mental tasks when you are most alter...duh was my first though when I read this, but it never occurred me to plan like that. I do, however, think I am a decent judge of how long tasks will take.

Read more on my blog...

http://kovescenceofthemind.blogspot.c...

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love reading and learning about strategies to create a life of my own design, but always find myself struggling to make those strategies fit to cover both my personal and my teaching life since I'm not really trying to escape the 9-5 or start my own business. This book aims to solve that exact problem, and does that well. While anyone who has already completed their first year of teaching may find some of the systems to be obvious, I was still able to find unique strategies and new ideas to tweak systems I already have in place. I'm excited to use this book in conjunction with my standbys (namely, books by the Wongs and Lemov) as I prepare for the upcoming school year.

[Alison Eber · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has some good tips and tricks for organization and time management. While it recommends using either paper or technology, the technology options presented were fairly limited and/or dated. This may be a good text to get some ideas for ways to tweak organization, but it isn't a great fit for someone who is already pretty organized and tech-savvy.

[Robyn Horn · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is not a one-size-fits-all approach to organization for teachers, but more of a choose your own adventure book and I loved that. I gleaned several useful, wonderful ideas that will be immediately helpful to me and saw others I flagged to return to if I ever change the levels I teach. Great book. Encouraging, practical and not pretentious.

[Blaire Thornton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought this was extremely helpful, practical and motivating! Warning: for type A personalities only!

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots of practical advice!

[Sara-Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very practical! While it included several strategies I already use, I gained some new ones. Just wish I had read this my first year of teaching!

[Gisela · Rating 5 out of 5]

2016 - Read first edition
2021 - Started reading second edition