Time

I can't tell you how many times I hear, "I don't have time for that," from students and teachers.  There are only so many hours in the day, and everyone feels crunched for time occasionally, but the time problem can be minimized in class relatively easily.

First, if you focus and work a typical class period is a lot of time to get things done.  Laser focus every second of every period is not realistic, but a good half hour of hard work will go a surprisingly long way.  It is a lot easier to waste a class period than to use it well, but that is a life skill.  Most people would have more than enough time if they used it more effectively.

From the perspective of the teacher, I have been surprised how much time is freed up when I don't try to plan every minute of every period.  Allowing the students to make decisions about what they need to get down and how to do it, frees up time for them and me.  It gives me time to work with the students and along side them.

Probably the biggest adjustment teachers can make, myself included, is learning to shut up.  Teachers need to listen more and talk less.  A big part of this goes along with the giving up of control.  When the teacher is talking they feel in control.  I am not saying there is no place for lectures and direction, but I try to remind myself to make it brief.  The less I talk, the more time there is for work.

If you feel you don't have, figure out ways to make some of it.