Save 200 Planning Hours
EACH SCHOOL YEAR
(Without sacrificing student learning, spending all of your money on TPT, or feeling guilty for enjoying a better quality of life)
If you’re a new teacher, veteran teacher, or a close-to-retirement teacher looking to take less work home each week while maximizing your personal wellness, then you already know that you need to make a change in your lesson planning or grading habits.
There’s no need for me to tell you teachers work (on average) 16 hours beyond their contract each week (Scholastic, 2012).
You’ve likely experienced the falling-asleep-while-grading phenomenon in which you’ve forced your eyelids back open because you have to finish the stack tonight!
You already know most PD is ineffective in supporting changes in teacher practices and student learning (Learning Policy Institute, 2017), and while you may have had some PD on lesson planning strategies, they’ve likely never been about helping you learn lesson plan faster!
HERE'S WHAT ELSE YOU GET
WHEN YOU SAVE TIME PLANNING
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IMPROVED EFFICIENCY, IMPROVED EFFECTIVENESS
It is a wonderful feeling to cross all of the things off your To Do list, but finishing your to do list also gives you the time and headspace to step back and strategically plan for the future. This makes you a more effective teacher, as you’re able to make instructional decisions based on what will deepen student learning not what is easiest to prep in time for the next class. -
CALM UNDER PRESSURE
When you streamline your planning process so you’re no longer playing catch-up, you have enough breathing room to deal with inevitable emergencies when they pop up without feeling like the world is ending. Say goodbye to feeling like one more student calling your name will drive you over the edge. -
RECONNECT WITH YOUR PASSION
You can finally take that painting class you’ve always wanted to try, take a weekend vacation with a loved one, or just sit in a room by yourself and enjoy the silence. You do you. -
IMPROVE STUDENT ENGAGEMENT
When you are able to take time for yourself, you show up for your students as your best self. This creates more engaged students! Research has found our positive demeanor (our enthusiasm for learning and our ability to help students feel accepted and supported) is one of the biggest influences on students’ emotional engagement (Marzano, Pickering & Heflebower, 2010).
Even though the motivation to spend less time on school work is clear, the path to doing it successfully is anything but
SAVE 200 HOURS? AWESOME.
But how the heck do I do that?
Perhaps during a high moment of a Friday afternoon, you’ve decided to make this change. You’ve left the stack of papers on your desk at school and walked out the door with a light bag and a smile on your face.
But, that stack of ungraded papers works its way into your dreams that night or you’re able to completely forget about it until Monday morning when you waltz into your room in a pre-coffee stupor only to see the stack of ungraded papers taunting you from your desk.
You may have discreetly disposed of a stack of old homework that you’re sure the kids won’t miss anyways, only to have one student ask you about that assignment the following day—after the recycling has been emptied.
You may have purchased a unit on Teachers Pay Teachers to save you some time, only to realize you don’t have enough money to go to Happy Hour with your grade team for the next few Fridays.
But here’s the biggest reason most teachers abandon their plans to make a change:
They don’t know where they can cut. Time is finite. We can’t get more of it, which means something has to go.
Most teachers are simply unsure what can go. They fall into the paralyzing trap of wondering what to cut (Do I spend less time planning lessons or grading papers? Should I ignore parent phone calls or hide so my boss can’t find me for pointless meetings?) and never being able to move forward with confidence they made the right decision.
Here’s why this is irreversibly crippling:
As a teacher constantly expected to attend staff meetings, PLC meetings, IEP meetings in addition to preparing to teach, you don’t have time to experiment with something that may end up costing you time and hurting student achievement.
And the moment you realize your mistake, you go down the spiral of despair and desperation.
Therefore, you NEED a strategic approach to saving time that will not sacrifice student learning.
And luckily for you, it is possible to do both!
When you let the educational research inform how you spend your time, you can be confident you’re doing right be your students.
That also means...
You can stop doing the things that research has found to be less helpful for student learning.
All you need is a research-based formula to streamline your planning.
The 3 Myths That Are Killing Your Dream to Work Less
Myth #1
Good Teachers Are Martyrs
The martyrdom mindset leads to burnout, which negatively impacts student learning.
78% of teachers feel exhausted at the end of the day - both physically and emotionally. The impacts of this exhaustion include increased illness, absenteeism, cynicism, and poor decision making as well as decreased energy and enjoyment.
And it’s not just the teacher—students are impacted by their teacher’s exhaustion as well. Teacher burnout predicts student academic outcomes and is correlated with lower levels of student motivation and increased student stress (Lever, Mathis, & Mayworm, 2017).
Furthermore, when we apply this myth to lesson planning, we may think we need several activities and lots of tech tools embedded into each lesson. We don’t.
Teachers are most successful when they repeat 3-5 purposeful routines throughout the year, not introducing new kinds of activities every day.
Myth #2
I Have to Grade Every Assignment
Formative feedback during class is actually where you get the biggest bang for your buck.
Formative assessment during class can increase the speed of student learning by 70-80% and it improves student learning as much as a longer school day, a smaller class size, a 10% increase in per pupil spending, or an additional school year! (Hattie, 2008)
Once you know the strategies to give formative feedback during class, you can stop taking work home to grade!
Not only will your students be completely fine, they might even be better off!
Myth #3
I Don’t Have Time to Learn Something New
Do you have the time to not learn something new?
If you’re constantly feeling short on time, your current pace is unsustainable. If you’ve ever taken a sick day to catch up on grading, you know this is true.
Investing in a new way of doing things can be a game-changer. It can radically shift your planning, your energy, and your students’ engagement and learning.
If you can spend an hour learning something that will save you 2 hours, you would do it, right?
Shh...I'm going to let you in on a little secret
You CAN have it all.
Even though it’s common practice for teachers to wear their busy-ness as a badge of honor, you do not need to sacrifice yourself for student learning.
As long as you can avoid the powerful myths that keep teachers stuck in the martyrdom mindset and you use a time-saving approach informed by educational research, you can have both work-life balance and student success.
All you need is a tried and true formula to re-work how you plan and what you prioritize.
And with your permission, that’s what I’d LOVE to show you.
Introducing
The Work Less Teach More Course
A Research-Based Approach to Saving 200 Planning Hours Each School Year
I’ve taken what I’ve learned from 7 years of tinkering with my own planning as a teacher AND my work with over 1,000 educators as an instructional coach to design a formula you can use to structure how you plan and what you prioritize.
Personally, this formula saved me 700 planning hours in one year. Now, I'm sharing it with you as well as my most powerful strategies that helped me effectively implement the formula.
Of course, you will also learn the research behind the formula and why it advances student learning, so you can be confident you are spending your time on what is most impactful for your students’ success.
The end result: A sustainable approach to planning and grading that will give you back hundreds of hours of free time each year for the rest of your teaching career.
Work Less Teach More is the ONLY program of its kind that…
TEACHES YOU HOW TO SPEND YOUR TIME
You’ll learn how to save time too, but when you only have half an hour, this program will help you decide how to spend it to generate the most student learning out of those 30 minutes.
ADDRESSES THE BIG SHIFTS
The strategies will save you hours alone, but the biggest value is in shifting traditional mindsets around lesson planning, grading, and what makes a good teacher. We go there.
IS BINGE-ABLE
Your may only have a short window of time to consume new content or if you’re like me, your brain might be wired to learn best when you get in the zone and stay there for a bit. Well, my fellow bingers, I’ve got you covered.
So if you’re ready to finally spend less time on schoolwork without sacrificing student learning...
Here's how I'll help you get there:
Module 1
Define Success
First, you will define what success will look like for you professionally and personally.
Here, you’ll learn dig into what you want for you and your students in the classroom, and what kind of life you want outside of the classroom.
If you’ve set goals and struggled to achieve them in the past, not to worry! This module also shares research-based strategies that make you more likely to reach the goals you set.
Module Highlights:
- Learn why you’re actually more likely to hit a big goal than a small one
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Get inspired by real-life examples from my time as a teacher
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Learn 4 ways you can help yourself thrive at work
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Fill out the visioning template, display it, and share it
Module 2
The 50/40/10 Approach
After you’ve set your big goals for life both in and outside of work, you will dive into my formula for impactful planning.
Here’s you’ll examine your ideas about assessment, feedback, and professional development. You will confront and address any mental barriers to success, which will set the stage for your successful transformation throughout the course. This is the critical work that teachers often gloss over.
Finally, you’ll explore the gaps between your current approach to planning and 50/40/10 planning.
Module Highlights:
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Learn the research behind 50/40/10 planning and why it is both efficient and effective
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Learn how traditional grading systems can be harmful for student learning
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Use my tracker to inventory how you currently spend your planning time and set an achievable ratio for this month
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Complete a T-chart activity to identify your high-impact planning activities
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Pinpoint your biggest time drains
Module 3
Save Time Grading
Once you’ve overcome the mindset hurdles that typically trip up teachers and you’ve gained a sense of where you are now and where you want to go next, you are ready to start saving some time!
This is where you will identify 1-2 strategies to save you time grading.
This is often the biggest challenge for teachers, as grading takes a ton of time, so we’re going to tackle it first!
Module Highlights:
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Select one formative feedback strategy to implement in your classroom
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Decide how you will increase the amount of independent student work time during class
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Ask yourself 6 key questions about your homework assignments and set up homework rules for yourself
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Use my free guide to select a tech tool to cut down your grading time.
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Decide on an organizational system for managing student work
Module 4
Save Time Lesson Planning
Now that you’ve decreased the time required to grade student work, you can focus your energy on strategically planning for instruction.
This is where you will use backwards planning to quickly design effective assessments and learning activities.
Here, you’ll identify high-leverage protocols and assessments you can re-use to save time planning lessons from scratch.
Module Highlights:
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Create a year-long rubric for your core course skills
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Write your summative assessment list
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Pick 3-5 purposeful protocols and develop a planning arc for regular re-use
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Calculate the maximum amount of time you will spend planning one lesson
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Decide on your feedback frequency and select your favorite zero-grading-time formative assessments
Module 5
Save Time With the Rest
By now, you will have noticed the extra things that get in the way of your three planning priorities, so we need to eliminate these distractions as much as possible.
Here, you will set boundaries to protect your prep time, develop a system to spend less time in your email, and foster student independence so they can take on work you always thought you had to do for them.
Module Highlights:
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List your top 3 priorities and pick the saying “No” style that suits you
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Select and implement one strategy to prevent prep time interruptions
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Clarify your boundaries for work email
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Select and implement 1-2 email organization systems
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Try out 3 strategies to foster student independence in your class
Module 6
Build Your Professional Growth Activity Bank
At this point, you’ll have a bunch of strategies that are saving you time.
This is where you will strategically decide how you will invest a portion of that time into learning something new.
In this module, you’re building a bank of PD activities that reflect what you’ve always wished PD actually looked like.
Module Highlights:
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Get inspired by my curated list of professional growth resources that span 8 different categories
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Select 1-2 resources you could engage with independently to advance your professional growth
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Learn how to set up an informal PLC, meaningfully engage with peer visitations, and plan for instructional alignment
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Select 1-2 collaborative strategies to advance your professional growth
Module 7
Implement, Track, Refine
After you’ve saved yourself tons of time and deciding how you’ll spend this time growing as an educator, all you’ll have left to do is continue on your time-saving journey, refining as you go!
Here, you’ll get implementation and time tracking tips. You’ll also engage in guided reflection around what’s working, what’s not, and where to adjust. Finally, you’ll learn how to keep your momentum going after you’ve completed the course!
Module Highlights:
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Measure your progress since your baseline in Module 2
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Reflect on questions about your progress and determine what adjustments will get you closer to your definition of success in Module 1
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Identify a strategy you will use to maintain momentum after you’ve completed the course
Bonus #1
Well-Being Check-In Guide
At this point, you have completed the course! Hooray!
If you find yourself wanting more support with your life outside of work, this bonus resource introduces the 8 dimensions of wellness, offers a wellness reflection exercise, and includes an example of wellness practices I use in my life outside of work as well as the tracking system I use to stick to them.
Bonus Highlights:
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Complete a wholeness reflection exercise and identify any areas you want to give more attention
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Get inspired by my 6 regular well-being practices and learn how I stick with them
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Pick a few practices corresponding to the dimensions of wellness you’ve chosen to focus on and set up a system to keep you on track
Bonus #2
Virtual Teaching Starter Kit
Teaching an online or hybrid course? Or teaching in-person but want to have an organized setup for blended learning self-paced activities? This starter kit will get help you create the strong foundation you need to build your online space into whatever you need it to be.
Bonus Highlights:
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Student facing templates for weekly or monthly tasks and 3 types of choice boards
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Tons of tech tool tutorials for student communication, small group tutoring, and parent support
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Lesson plan template for synchronous live classes
Bonus #3
Private, Members Only Facebook Group for Community + Accountability
Throughout the course, you may have questions or you may find yourself wondering what other teachers have been doing since the course started. That’s why you’ll have access to a private Facebook group for course members only.
Bonus Highlights:
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Get inspired by other teachers’ success with course ideas or adaptations they’ve made to course strategies
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Ask course-related questions about specific lessons or advice on strategy implementation
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Retain access to the group once you've completed the course
The 30 Day Time-Saver Guarantee
This course has the power to transform the way you plan, the way you show up for your students, and the way you live your life outside of school. You’ll learn my exact formula with tips, tools, templates to support you to confidently implement this new way of planning.
But here’s the thing, as with any major transformation, it’s not going to happen over night. My personal transformation happened over 7 years. With this course, you can get you there much faster, but it typically takes 2-3 months to implement all of the pieces and find your groove.
Being a teacher, I know cash is tight. So, here’s what I’ll tell you. If you start the course, put in the work for the first 4 modules, and after 30 days, you haven’t saved any time planning or grading, email me (Lindsay) at [email protected], and I will refund your investment.
I don’t know of any other course provider that gives you access to the entire program and is then willing to offer a refund. So, why on Earth would I do that? Because I truly want you to invest your hard-earned dollars in generating a better quality of life for the rest of your teaching days AND I am confident in my program’s ability to make that happen for you. Click here for full details.
Here’s what you’re getting when you enroll today:
The Work Less Teach More Course
Includes 7 Training Modules, Videos, Audio Files, Slide Decks, PDF Guides, & Templates
- Bonus 1: The Well-Being Check-In Guide
- Bonus 2: Virtual Teaching Starter Kit
- Bonus 3: Private, Members Only Facebook Group for Community + Accountability
That’s a total value of over $1,000.
But I know teacher life. We do not have that kind of money. So, I’ve decided to sell this course to you for just:
$197
Frequently Asked Questions
Excellent Questions From Teachers Like You
No worries! If you buy the course now, you can start the course at any time! You can take it during finals week, save it for the summer, or start it next fall! Once you purchase the course, you have lifetime access.
Inside the course, I will give you all of the research that informs the shifts I recommend. Use this to educate your administration or parents struggling to buy in. Once you start implementing a new approach to grading, you’ll have already to distinguish grading from feedback. This course teaches strategies for you to give plenty of feedback, so students will always know where they are in their learning progression.
The teacher-as-martyr myth is so real! But, here’s what we know from the research: teacher burnout has major negative consequences for us (increased illness, absenteeism, cynicism; poor decision making; decreased energy and enjoyment) and our kids (lower academic performance, low motivation, and high stress). On the flip side, when we come to school with positive energy, we can have a large positive impact on students’ emotional engagement! Perhaps if you commit to spending less time on school work, they’ll get FOMO and join you.
Time-saving tips are great, but they can only do so much. This course is designed for more than shaving off minutes or even a few hours. We're going for BIG results here, and to do that, we need to learn the mindset shifts that make large-scale change possible. This course will help you unlearn the popular myths of grading, planning, and what makes a good teacher and unlock the potential for saving HUNDREDS of hours per year!
This formula took me 7 years to refine and perfect. Don’t waste what little time you have on trial and error! In addition to my exact research-based formula, I’m sharing the research behind my recommendations so you don’t need to look up the research. (Trust me, that takes a long time.) For this course, I have intentionally selected the top performing strategies, the ones that I or other teachers I’ve coached have had the most success with. I chose this approach to save you the time it would take to look through 30 options only to find you spent more time looking and testing than the time the strategy saved you.
No! You will have lifetime access to the course and all of its resources. You will also have lifetime access to the Facebook group in archived form, so you can view all posts from fellow teachers in the course. Finally, you will also be able to access any future additions or updates to the course at no additional charge.
Before you give up, reach out! Post a question or scenario to the course group on Facebook. If during the 30 days after you purchase the course, you complete the first 4 modules and can show me what you’ve implemented and that it has not saved you any time planning or grading, email me (Lindsay) directly at [email protected], and I will refund your investment.
When you sign up, you will get the complete 7 modules of the Work Less Teach More Course, which includes training videos, audio files, slide decks, PDF guides, and templates (a $1,000 value). You also get the Well-Being Check-In Guide as a free bonus resource as well as my Virtual Teaching Starter Kit. Finally, you will get lifetime access to a private, members only Facebook group for community + accountability.
Here’s what you’re getting when you enroll today:
The Work Less Teach More Course
Includes 7 Training Modules, Videos, Audio Files, Slide Decks, PDF Guides, & Templates
- Bonus 1: The Well-Being Check-In Guide
- Bonus 2: Virtual Teaching Starter Kit
- Bonus 3: Private, Members Only Facebook Group for Community + Accountability
That’s a total value of over $1,000.
But I know teacher life. We do not have that kind of money. So, I’ve decided to sell this course to you for just:
I'm ready.
The Work Less Teach More Course is PERFECT For You If…
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You are a relatively new teacher who would like to continue teaching, but each and every day so far has been exhausting, and you find yourself daydreaming about crawling into bed and sleeping for days. You see the writing on the wall, and you are looking for a sustainable way to stay in the teaching game.
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You’ve been teaching for a while and have managed to stay afloat, but you feel like you have had to sacrifice pieces of yourself and your well-being to get your work done. You want to continue to be a great teacher, but no longer at the expense of your health and wellness.
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You’ve already decided to reject the myth of teacher-as-martyr, and you have actively tried to limit how much time you spend on work. You just want to make sure you are doing it in a way that doesn’t hurt student learning.
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You have no problem investing in a new approach as long as you know that every bit of energy you invest is a strategic and meaningful step forward towards being a more efficient and effective teacher.
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In fact, you’re already starting to think of strategic shifts after reading through the ideas on this page. (Ah, a teacher after my heart!) You are excited to implement, but you don’t want that excitement for new ideas to lead you down a trial-and-error rabbit hole so deep you never escape.
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You are skeptical of the idea of working less because you want to make sure your students won’t suffer as a result. This is why you appreciate the research-backed formula and strategies in Work Less Teach More.
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You are aware that streamlining your planning process allows you to make more purposeful instructional decisions, have the energy to calmly respond to classroom stressors, and show up as your best self for your students, which you know amplifies engagement!
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You are excited about significantly reducing your grading time in just a few weeks. Just thinking about that stack of student papers evaporating into thin air (or going up in flames—it’s your daydream) gives you all the feels.
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You feel confident getting started knowing you have 30 days to test it out: It’s simple. Either you do the work and experience the more work-life balance than you have in your ENTIRE teaching career...or you send me a quick email asking me to hit undo on this whole “let’s save you 200 hours a year” experiment.
If you said “yes” to at least 6 of the above, I can’t wait to meet you inside the Work Less Teach More course!
Here’s what you’re getting when you enroll today:
The Work Less Teach More Course
Includes 7 Training Modules, Videos, Audio Files, Slide Decks, PDF Guides, & Templates
- Bonus 1: The Well-Being Check-In Guide
- Bonus 2: Virtual Teaching Starter Kit
- Bonus 3: Private, Members Only Facebook Group for Community + Accountability
That’s a total value of over $1,000.
But I know teacher life. We do not have that kind of money. So, I’ve decided to sell this course to you for just:
Here we go!
If you want to purchase the course, but you aren't able to pay in full today, click the button below to for a 2-part payment plan.
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