Teaching as though every minute counts

I still remember my first year of teaching like it was yesterday. I walked into that classroom in Term 1 filled with enthusiasm and a vision of all the incredible things I was going to teach. I imagined deep discussions about character development in novels, science experiments that sparked awe, maths investigations that built real problem-solving skills, innovative use of the latest tech tools (remember the Ultranet) and inquiry projects that kids would love while wowing parents.

But then the reality hit.

By the end of the year, I looked back at all those grand plans (and my bold belief that I was going to singlehandedly transform education with a Smartboard and the Ultranet) and realised how little I had actually covered. Whole topics were left untouched. My reading groups were more “aspirational” than operational. Lessons often felt rushed, interrupted, or suspiciously like improv. And most frustrating of all? I couldn’t for the life of me figure out where all the time had gone (though I suspected some of it was waiting for the Ultranet to load).

Since then, I’ve learned that instructional time is precious. It’s like money with a hard limit: no loans, no extensions. Every minute we have in the classroom must be spent wisely.

Investing Time
​Think of it like this: if you were handed a strict financial budget to run a major project, with no overdraft, no credit, and no option to apply for more, you’d pore over every expense. What adds value? What’s a waste? What could be cut without compromising the goal?

Classroom time is exactly the same. Every minute we spend lining up, explaining unclear instructions, or resolving preventable behaviour issues is time stolen from learning.
For example:

• A 6-minute transition between lessons every day = 30 minutes a week.
• 5 minutes waiting for students to find their pencils and books every lesson = almost 21 hours a term.
• Unclear expectations during group work = 10 minutes of off-task chatter.
  

These moments might seem small, but instructional time is precious, and every second counts.

Losing Time
In economics, "opportunity cost" is what you lose when you choose one option over another. In teaching, opportunity cost sounds like this:

• 10 minutes lost to messy transitions = 10 minutes not spent writing a paragraph or reading a text.
• Reteaching a maths concept due to unclear instructions = time not spent pushing students to deeper problem-solving.
• Cut & paste activities (where the pieces go missing)  = missed time for building foundational literacy.

We don’t just lose time: we lose learning.

Spending Time
1. Streamline the Essentials

• Set up rock-solid routines for lining up, passing out materials, entering and exiting the room.
• Don’t just teach routines: rehearse them until they’re automatic.

For example, I once spent five minutes a day getting my class ready for writing. Once we rehearsed our “writing warm-up routine,” we cut that time to under one minute and started strong every day.

2. Teach with Precision

• Introduce new concepts with explicit teaching.
• Use models and worked examples to reduce confusion.

For example, instead of losing time re-teaching mid-lesson, I now use mini whiteboards during maths to check for understanding after each step. A quick scan of students’ responses helps me catch errors early, clarify on the spot, and keep the whole class moving forward with confidence.

3. Audit Time Use Regularly

• Track how much time students are actually engaging in learning tasks.
• Check how long transitions are taking.​

I thought my daily reviews were taking 15 minutes. It wasn't until I started timing them that I realised they'd ballooned to 25 minutes!

Wasting Time
Five minutes here and there may not feel like much but over a year, it adds up to more than 16 hours. That’s three full weeks of numeracy instruction in a typical primary school. Just imagine what you could teach in that time.

That’s three weeks of fluency practice.
Three weeks of mastering new concepts.
Three weeks of problem solving.
Three weeks of learning you don’t get back.

Instructional time is precious and every moment counts.

Managing Time
Great teaching isn’t just about content; it’s about time management. The most effective teachers protect their instructional minutes like precious dollars, constantly asking themselves:
“Is this the best use of our limited time?”
In today’s classroom, with ever-growing expectations and packed curricula, how we spend our time may be the most important decision we make.
So next time you sit down to plan a lesson, don’t just ask, “What am I going to teach?”
Ask: “Is this the best investment I can make with the time I’ve been given?”

Instructional time is precious, and how we use it will shape the learning experience we provide. Let’s be intentional, focused, and make every minute count.

Photo by Aron Visuals on Unsplash