Educators are always working against the clock. There is only so much time to plan for instruction, deliver instruction, provide assessments for demonstration of understanding, confer with students, have parent meetings, or assist students with assignments – need I say more!

The clock keeps ticking and its never ending movement means teachers are always pressed for time.

I think for educators, time is such a big issue because of the enormous task we face. Regardless of the support system in place at home and in the community, it is the classroom where skills for learning are fostered and developed.

A Facebook friend once wrote: "It's not the years in your life, but the life in your years!" I am not sure from whom it had been quoted but it resonates with me as an educator.

As adults, we evaluate experiences and determine if our time was wisely used or wasted. Students have the same right to evaluate the time spent in educational settings.

I wonder how many of us take the time to ensure that learning experiences are valuable for students. I've found that having students orally share what they've learned at the end of a lesson, confirms whether or not it was beneficial or not. Similiarly, having students give response to "How is Mrs. Paynter doing?" help to keep me grounded.

It's the quality, not the quantity of time we spend that will be of benefit to our students.