5 Myths About Teaching That Are Wasting Your Time

Have you heard these myths about teaching?

My classroom needs to look like the one I saw online.

I need to grade all of the work my students have turned in.

Any of this sounding familiar?  

You are not the only one!  Most teachers feel overwhelmed at times, and it is totally not your fault.

Social media is constantly showing us images of picture-perfect classrooms and teachers, and somehow it is making you feel like you are not doing enough.

Let’s look at five time-wasting myths about teaching below, so we can free up more time for you to get out and enjoy life!

My Classroom MUST Have a Theme

We have all seen the gorgeous classrooms on Instagram and Pinterest.  They have a beautiful theme, every classroom supply, and of course a classroom library full of beautiful new books.  Some rooms even have plants and furniture!

There are a few key problems with thinking this way. 

First of all, you absolutely want your classroom to be clean and inviting.  BUT…you also want your classroom to be a place where students will be able to be a part of a community.  You can create that feeling by allowing them to make things to fill the walls.  I also love to display photos of my students or let them bring in some pictures from home.

Secondly, buying all that decor is expensive!  I adore making my classroom pretty.  However, I wasted a lot of money over the years changing up my theme over and over.  We know teachers don’t get paid enough as it is.  So, please don’t spend your money buying thematic borders or other items that you will get tired of in a few years.

Thirdly, too much decor and bright colors can be overstimulating to some students.  You don’t want to create problems by having too many loud colors.

I would choose a soothing color palette.  If you like bright colors, be sure to use them in moderation.  

If you want your classroom to look great, you can do it without breaking the bank! 

You can find storage bins at the dollar store.  Or you could buy baskets at Goodwill or garage sales and spray them all a matching color.

Here is a great video about using dollar store finds for your classroom.

If you are going to set some money aside, I would recommend choosing to spend it on quality pieces that will be long-lasting and can help you with organization.  I love these storage pieces from IKEA.  They sit low to the ground and the trays are easily taken in and out which makes them perfect for students to grab materials.  Now that is worth investing in!

If you want to read more about setting up your classroom for success, check out this post. Now let’s think about more myths about teaching.

Grading Every Paper is a Must

When I first started teaching, I thought I had to grade every paper that my students touched.  Like everything.

It. was. exhausting.

If you grade every paper your students work on, that is all you will ever get done!  That or you will have to work every evening of your life.  Totally not cool and definitely not necessary.

Teachers have a life too!

Grading papers doesn’t have to consume all of your time.  One way to take some of the load off of yourself is to have the students grade their own work while you walk them through it.  Unless it is an assessment, formal grading isn’t always necessary.  

When students grade their own work, you have the opportunity to show them how to find the answer step-by-step.  This is an opportunity for learning!  Students can see where they went wrong instead of glancing at a score and throwing it away.  Isn’t that what we want anyway?

Another option is to give students access to an answer key.  I used this option during stations.  After completing the station, students were allowed to go and get the answer key to check their work.  This works perfectly for station work because it is just practice anyway.

Once you cut down on your grading, you will be able to spend more time planning lessons or just enjoying your own free time.  Happy teachers create happy classrooms!

Everything Must Be Laminated

When I have time, I do like to laminate some of my most used games and posters.  I used to go through lamination like crazy!

Again, laminating is both time-consuming and can be quite expensive.  And you sure don’t want to be the one to run the laminator out of film!  Yikes!

I have found that printing game boards on cardstock and placing them in plastic sheets works really well.  It is so much faster to have a box of sleeves that you can walk over and grab rather than trying to heat up the laminator or wait in line while someone else uses it.

You can also just print little puzzles or matching games on cardstock.  They will hold up for a long time even if they are not laminated.

Skipping on lamination can save you a lot of time over the course of a whole school year.

Teachers Should Take Attendance 

Well as much as I wish we could totally get out of it, you are going to have to take attendance.  However, the students can totally help you!

I like to have magnets on my whiteboard or the side of my filing cabinet.  As the students come in, they move their magnet to one side that indicates they are present.  When I do sit down at my computer, all I have to do is take a quick glance at the board to see who is missing.

This frees up time for you to walk around and have meaningful conversations with your students, rather than do a boring roll-call!

Teachers Should Never Eat in the Lounge

Have you heard this advice?  

There is definitely something to be said for the idea, but I definitely think this myth needs to be busted.  

Many teacher’s lounges have a bad vibe.  Teachers come in feeling tired or overwhelmed, and the conversation can quickly turn negative.  

However, I think it really depends on the school.  At one building I worked at, we never talked about school during lunch.  We just refused to do it.  We had a great time talking about family, movies, restaurants, books, and just about anything else you could think of.  During those lunches, we built friendships that have lasted for almost twenty years!

These friendships spilled over from the lounge to the classrooms.  We trusted each other to collaborate on special projects or to decide what was best for students.  

At other schools, I didn’t enjoy eating in the lounge at all.  I wasn’t interested in the latest gossip or trashing others.  This was a complete waste of my break time.  If that was the vibe, I chose to eat in my own classroom.  I turned the lights off and enjoyed the peace and quiet.

No matter which you choose, remember that you need to honor your precious break time!  Find a place to eat where you can relax and rejuvenate.  Your mental health is so important and should be protected.

Now that we have busted these 5 myths about teaching, you are no longer under their time-sucking spell!

What myths about teaching are you ready to let go of?

Now you can spend that precious time on yourself.  

Go get a coffee! You totally deserve it!

But before you go…don’t forget to click here to subscribe to my email list to get teaching tips, freebies, and more!