Scheduling Groups
Found in: Homeschooling, Scheduling, Shared Lessons
Barbara G., Massachusetts
I know from my experience as a traditional piano teacher that (at least for me) scheduling more than 3 or max 4 hours of lessons straight with no major break is very draining (physically & mentally). I do much better with a 1/2 hour break every 3 hours or so. Would scheduling with groups be similar? I understand from Neil’s video that groups take more energy on many levels. Would scheduling only 2 groups back to back (50 minutes each) then a 1/2 hour break before the next group be better for the teacher’s stamina? What have you found works well for you?
Also, I have mainly worked with children, so most of my lessons are after school hours or for homeschoolers’ early afternoon. What works with adults & seniors? Am I still looking at afternoon evening hours or do some prefer mornings &/or lunch break times?
Kerry Halbert, Australia
I think this is a very personal preference, and depends on the energy levels of the teacher and their working style. Personally, I have always tried to schedule students back-to-back because I like to consolidate my time. For me, a half-hour break feels like it is wasting time, as it doesn’t give me sufficient time to get into another project before I have to switch back to teaching. For me, it is easier not to have to ‘change gears’, but to go straight through, and for this reason I have commonly had stretches of 5-6 hours of lessons without a break. I find that I get into a kind of a ‘mode’ when I’m teaching and prefer not to interrupt that flow. But that is just what works for me.
I know other teachers who prefer to have a break and schedule it into their day, finding that they are more effective if they take a break. Of course, neither is right or wrong, it just depends on what works for you. One point to consider when it comes to running groups is that although it can demand more energy, teachers may find – as I have – that some groups actually energize you. One of the many great things about teaching Simply Music is that teachers are able to schedule their day in the way that best suits their own energy levels, their working style and lifestyle. I would recommend that new teachers or those beginning teaching groups, experiment with it a little and see what works best for you personally.
With regard to scheduling adults and seniors, I have had many different scenarios over the years. As I mentioned above, teaching SM offers the flexibility to set up a schedule in the way that best works for the individual teacher. I have generally found that when I am committed to filling certain spots, that I have mostly been able to fill them. Some spots are going to be easier to fill than others, and it depends on how quickly you want to build your numbers and how much time and what times you are able and willing to make available. Obviously, adults who work during the day are going to want lessons outside of those hours unless they have some flexibility themselves with their schedule. For that reason, I have always had classes for adults in the evenings. However, there are adults who do not work during the day and I have held classes for them in the morning.
Because homeschoolers are able to attend lessons outside of the ‘peak’ after school hours, I have tried to schedule them in the morning (unless I was trying to fill a kids group in the afternoon). I have also had children and adults that were willing to come in the morning before school or work and have had times where I have taught 2-3 days per week from 7am till 10.30 or 11am, then had a few hours non-teaching time until starting again for the afternoon/evening classes. I have preferred not to teach regular classes on a Saturday. This allowed me to run occasional Weekend Workshops or to just have time off. These kinds of hours have enabled me to maintain large numbers of students and still have Saturdays mostly free of teaching. I have had plenty of adults who were able to do lunchtime classes, but I have preferred not to offer those, and have mostly kept my classes to either mornings or afternoons/evenings, so that I have a several hour ‘straight-run’ at administrative tasks or other activities.
As I said previously, I am just sharing my experience and preferences. I wish all teachers making these kinds of decisions all the best with it. I know that you will find what works best for you.
