Today, I Confess: Lesson Planning Feels Hard (Sometimes).
When it comes to writing lesson plans for my students, I feel like I’ve done it all:
- When I started teaching at 14, I had no idea Lesson Plans were “a thing”. That’s why you use a method series, right? Don’t they do all the work for you? 🙅♀️(please note: they don’t)
- There have been seasons where I’ve mapped out detailed weekly plans for each individual student. I named objectives, dreamed up activities, and pre-planned assignments for the following week (I also doubled my working hours👎).
- Sometimes I’ve taken a more studio-wide approach to lesson plans: organizing weekly themed activities at multiple levels of difficulty
- I’ve used ALL the materials: designing my own forms, keeping spreadsheets, and writing page-after-page in spiral notebooks
- And – of course – I’ve had many weeks where I’ve simply flown by the seat of my pants. Sure, this is fine every once in awhile, but not great for the long-haul.
As someone who believes there is never “one right way” to teach, I would never pretend to have THE answer to lesson planning.
…but I do have LOTS of ideas and a passion for helping teachers spend their time wisely. 😁
This Friday (02.28.25), I’m hosting a special session of Teachers Teaching Teachers, all about LESSON PLANNING.
I’m sharing three steps to Efficient Lesson Planning that ANY teacher can use, regardless of how much (or how little!) time you choose to spend planning.
…Even better, you won’t just be hearing from me!
The true beauty of Teachers Teaching Teachers is the quality of teachers who choose to participate. I prepare content I believe to be helpful, but the experience and wisdom from this group as a whole is worth more than I could ever provide on my own.
If you’ve ever found yourself curious to check out a session of TTT, this might be the perfect time.
Besides – aren’t you at least a little curious to hear how other teachers plan for their lessons? I know I am! 🤗
Participate as much or as little as you want! Come live and ready to share, remain a silent observer, or simply watch the replay later. All teachers are welcome and appreciated.
Time is valuable, so let’s help each other maximize the hours we spend working outside our students’ lessons.
Here are the details, in a nutshell:
Friday, 02.28.2025 at 11am (eastern time) Check those timezones if you want to come live!
Update: This meetup was FANTASTIC! Get access to the replay by joining the “Learning Together” tier of the Patreon Community.
Come hang with me and some of my favorite teachers on Planet Earth as we “sharpen our saws” together.
🥂May we appreciate the way our teaching – including our lesson planning! – evolves to fit each unique season of our Teacher Lives.🥂
More from Christina Whitlock and Beyond Measure
| 🎙On the Podcast: Before I got taken down with pneumonia, LAST WEEK’S episode provided the all-important reminder that Getting OTHER People Talking About Your Work is the best marketing we can ask for. Check out Episode 205 for more. |
| 👀 On YouTube This Week: My series of Really Really Quick Piano Teacher Tips features a “rookie” mistake from Episode 188 that even the most seasoned teachers can find themselves struggling with.✌️ |
| 🎹 Early Elementary Duet Happiness Runs, arranged by Nancy Faber, is SO MUCH FUN for young pianists who are relatively new to the staff. This is an equal-part student duet that oozes joy and sunshine. PS: It’s also found in the Level 1 Gold Star Performance Book, which is probably my favorite series in the whole Piano Adventures empire. |
| 📁 A Favorite Thing As my students enter the final stretch of Festival preparations, I continue to be thankful for this set of transparent sticky notes. The size variations (and multiple colors!) are perfection, and I love knowing my students can still present their judges with a nice, clean score. |
*links to SheetMusicPlus.com and Amazon.com may be affiliate links, which earn me a small commission without costing you anything extra. All recommendations are carefully considered and void of any icky sales motives.
Leave a Reply