This week I had the amazing opportunity to return to CDE-3, Observation & Assessment for Child Development, as a guest speaker to students taking the class this semester. My professor was impressed by the Child Study Paper, as well as the observation records that I completed during my time in the class enough to invite me back, and it was an opportunity I jumped on!

Honestly, being asked to speak to other students about such a complex assignment was an honor, and I looked forward to this opportunity all Summer. Upon the start of the semester, I emailed my professor to make sure we were still on, and when she replied, I set to crafting a Powerpoint to meet her requirements for the talk.

The first thing I wanted to focus on before ever talking about the assignment was Time Management. For many people in Junior or Community College, Time Management may be an unheard-of concept. I, for one, was unaware of this term until I entered what was to be my last job in Halloween costume design, when a supervisor angrily asked me, "Don't you understand Time Management?" (protip: if a boss is willing to yell at you about something but not help you understand something, start searching for jobs elsewhere). That means that all throughout my first college experiences (at 3 different colleges) and through 9 years of a career, it was not a concept I was aware of. The point is, many High Schools and many colleges do not teach Time Management. They teach kids to do as they are told, which provides them a serious handicap when they go out into the real world.

I provided the students with tools to help better manage their time, like this schedule that breaks up different aspects of their lives into "jobs".

Discovering Time Management, and the importance of setting up certain tools to help with Time Management seriously got me through the semester of CDE-3. Without it, I don't know how I could have passed with such a good grade (A+, btw).

First, I told them to treat every aspect of their life like a separate "job." When you're at work, ideally, you are only supposed to be working. You can't use work time to hang out with your friends. You can't use school time, when you're supposed to be in class, to do work stuff (if you are, time to establish some Time Management boundaries!). Even if each "job" of their lives - work, school, homework, chores, family time, etc. - may not have a boundary set by someone else, like clocking in and clocking out, their boundaries need to be treated as if they are as important. Otherwise, they will be "robbing time" that they can't get back.

I showed them the Assignment List, which was something even my professor had never seen before!

I next showed them the Assignment List, which is a tool I use instead of a planner. Many of the students were blown away by this concept, and even the professor had not seen this tool before! I explained to them that many students rely on the syllabus alone, but often, a big step in taking the frustration away from knowing what to do is to see everything due in one place. I explained to them that when it came to managing not only CDE-3, which is very hand-out and assignment heavy, with other classes that come with their own levels of stress or difficulty, knowing the next step ahead of time not only keeps them focused and out of a state of fear, but may also help them to work ahead of deadlines.

I told them that they don't have to allow their lives to be dictated by deadlines. They can see deadlines as goals, and they can work ahead of those goals. They don't have to wait until the deadlines are in view to start working on assignments!

I showed them how to break down each assignment into mini deadlines or "goals", a major tip in staying ahead of the game!

Next, I showed them how to break down each assignment into mini goals (or deadlines) so that they aren't scrambling to get everything done the day before an assignment is due. The example I showed them was their real-life deadline of selecting a preschool for observation. One of their requirements to be able to observe in a preschool is to have a TB test done. I explained to them that this was part of their assignment, and they can break down this mini goal into even more mini goals. That way, they aren't trying to get a TB test scheduled and done before they visit a school, and they aren't scrambling to visit a school before the selection form is due!

I then went into detail about the child observation process itself, and how important it is to keep track of details. I explained to them these key points:

• Don't wait to get started.
• Keep a separate notebook and binder just for CDE-3 to stay organized.
• When doing observations, make a habit to look at the clock every once in a while and note the time...you may never know when you need that time stamp.
• After making observations, try to immediately go and transcribe the notes into digital format.
• Keep all digital files in a central location like Dropbox so that they are easily accessible, and you don't have to worry if you lose a flash drive.

I was able to answer questions and talk more in detail about the paper itself, and explained to them how important each part of the paper is. I was there for almost 2 hours, and I have been asked back in September to go through my paper in detail. I can't wait to help these students discover how easy it is to craft a truly exceptional term paper!

How have you helped other students? What part of this post helped you to understand how to manage time better?

A new semester has started, and you are staring down at a nice, shiny stack of syllabi. Each one has a schedule of assignments and projects in it, and now you are pretty much on your own. This is when the panic starts to set in. You do your best, but barely keep your head above water. Not a week goes by where you don't have a paper or project due, and by the time you are done with one, its onto the next.