When something matters, we make time for it – Education Rickshaw

I’m often told that schools don’t have time to focus on teaching and learning. The reality is they don’t make time.

Instructional coaching doesn’t demand a ton of time—it takes just 20-30 minutes to deliver a sharp and purposeful feedback session around a single, granular action step. Done right, it not only improves instruction but also safeguards planning time by proactively shaping the next lesson.

Then there’s group rehearsal—one of the fastest ways to develop teaching techniques. A team of teachers running through a sequence, making adjustments, getting feedback before ever stepping in front of students. 8 minutes. That’s all it takes.

Don’t believe me? Check out Episode 4 of the Great Teaching Unpacked documentary. Minute 20 or so showcases how one school makes group rehearsal a daily ritual. Teachers gather for a stand-up PD in the morning to practice a single, granular action step based on the information gathered from lesson visits. Eight minutes at the start of the day translates into more effective instruction throughout it.

Then there are the regularly scheduled PD days that are already locked into every school’s calendar. Instead of refining instructional practice, they often include lengthy ice-breakers, group venting sessions, logistical updates that belong in an email, and top-down district directives that are disconnected from the classroom. Hours are spent nodding through presentations that do little to improve teaching, while the strategies that could actually make a difference—rehearsal, coaching, collaborative planning—get pushed aside. Schools claim they want better teaching, yet they squander the limited time they have on activities that do nothing to help teachers teach better.

The issue isn’t time—it’s priorities. Schools always find hours for meetings that don’t move the needle, yet when it comes to the one thing that matters most—instruction—suddenly there’s no time. But the truth is, when something matters, we make time for it.

Published by Zach Groshell

Zach Groshell, PhD is a highly distinguished teacher, instructional coach, and education consultant. Zach is based in the Seattle area and works with schools around the globe to develop high quality instruction based on the science of how kids learn. Zach hosts the podcast, Progressively Incorrect, and is the author of Just Tell Them: The Power of Explanations and Explicit Teaching.
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