Teaching Diary

These days, everything that happens is recorded in some way, right?  That amazing pancake stack you had at the café?  That rainbow over the other side of the harbour?  Your outfit of the day?  So it should feel like a natural fit to record your teaching too.

Why, I hear you ask?

So you know what you taught last week.  So you know which page of the tutor book your second year class is up to.  So you remember to copy the last page of the sonata that somehow got chewed up by the dog.

My teaching diary is always a notebook.  The way I set it up has changed over the years, but whatever form it comes in, it’s a valuable teaching tool.

What goes in the diary?  Whatever you like.  I use my diary as a reminder of who I’ve taught that day, who was sick or just didn’t turn up for their lesson.  I note down what we did, including the warm-up, any technical exercises, and what pages of the book or repertoire we covered.

I also find the teaching journal useful for noting down observations of my students.  Who’s always late?  Who always forgets their book/cleaning cloth/flute?  Even personal observations of students.  For example, over a period of a few months I noticed one particular student would act up if her mother was in the room, but when her mother was away, she was fine.

An entry might be a few words or a few lines.  

I also use my diary as a record of other things.  I note down any phone conversations I have with parents.  I put in a notice about exam or competition results.  I make a note of any payments received.

Having a record of these things can come in useful for other reasons too.  A few years ago I was accused of trying to steal another teacher’s student.  This teacher threatened me with legal action.  Luckily I had a record of the conversations with this student’s parents (who did contact me) and was able to prove that their accusations were unfounded.  Hopefully nothing like this happens to you, but it’s definitely a nice feeling to know that, just in case, you’re covered.