2 Time-saving tips for the chemistry teacher

               Don’t you feel a little dumb when you discover a tip or trick that makes your life more efficient, and it was right in front of your nose all along?  Today’s article is super short, but makes a big difference in efficiency.  Here are two simple tricks to make you more time efficient as a chemistry teacher.

1.       Write the formula of the compound on the lid

I’m probably going to discover through feedback that all of you have been doing this since the 1980’s and I’m just an idiot.  But for those of you like me, take out a marker and write the formula on the lid of all your chemicals.  It makes them easier to find in storage.  It makes sure you don’t cross contaminate by putting the wrong lid on.  It helps make sure your storage is being dealt with correctly.  I also like to put the year that it was purchased on the lid to make sure I am using my oldest stock first.

2.        Get a whiteboard clock.

This one isn’t as obvious.  I just discovered whiteboard clocks when I was teaching in another teacher’s classroom.  It is a simple timer that you can set for a specific amount of time and then it counts down to a simple (and not obnoxiously loud) alarm.  I started using it this year and watched my efficiency go up. 

Now, when I say, “You have five minutes to work on these questions and then we are going to grade them” I actually mean five minutes.  Before, I would get sidetracked and 12 minutes had passed.  Now I can quickly set the timer for 5 minutes (seriously, it’s so easy, just turn the knob) and when the timer goes off we move along.  It also creates a healthy sense of urgency in the students.  They knew before that the “five minutes” could be stretched and abused.  No longer!  And my classroom is more efficient because of it. 

I can also use it for timing AP practice problems.  That way the students have a visual of how much time they have to complete an FRQ or a block of MCQ.  Training kids under strict timing for the AP test is critical to them feeling confident heading into the test.

Here is the model that my fellow teacher bought off amazon and I am getting for my other classroom right now.

I’m sure you have some little tricks and tips.  Don’t be afraid to share even the simplest ones with other people!  There are still some of us out there who are dense and haven’t learned them yet.  Thank you in advance.

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