Opinion Blog

Classroom Q&A

With Larry Ferlazzo

In this EdWeek blog, an experiment in knowledge-gathering, Ferlazzo will address readers’ questions on classroom management, ELL instruction, lesson planning, and other issues facing teachers. Send your questions to lferlazzo@epe.org. Read more from this blog.

Teaching Profession Opinion

Teachers, Don’t Take Your Work Home

By Larry Ferlazzo — April 12, 2023 2 min read
Images shows colorful speech bubbles that say "Q," "&," and "A."
  • Save to favorites
  • Print

I asked teachers on social media to share their best strategies for minimizing the amount of work they have to take home.

Here are some of their responses:

Always ask beforehand.....what is this task's purpose....why am I doing this? If it's necessary, do it. If it brings you joy, do it.
Collaboration with colleagues to share the workload.
I create as many opportunities for students to lead, design, teach, & self-assess as possible.
Peer assessment and self-assessment!
Ask myself: is this something I could do, should do, or must do? (A lot falls into the could do).
Utilize tech that helps auto-correct and provide instant feedback.
Whole class feedback rather than individual feedback.
Doing some assignments via Google Forms - much quicker to grade. Not grading everything. Verbal feedback instead of written.
Sometimes when students are working on multiple examples of a type of thing (for example: capitalization), they do a LOT of practice, but then only submit two to me: the one they're most sure they got correct, and the one they struggled with the most.
Digital formative assessments for feedback. Whole class feedback for common errors. Peer feedback on general tasks allows me to focus my feedback to students.
Don’t grade everything.
Put my phone away during planning!!
I refuse to take anything home to be present with my family. If I can’t do it at school, it doesn’t get done.
If you have several assignments that are warm-ups, do-nows, credit/no credit, have the students make a table of contents and collect the packet of work at the end of each month. Enter one grade instead of 15 per student.
My to-do list is on post-it notes so I can easily move them to a different day or even next week as I prioritize on the fly
Go gradeless or as close as you can get. Students don’t learn based on how many hours I spend grading.
I've been trying to have my students create the materials themselves whenever possible. For example, I've been using cleaned-up simple texts written by my intermediate English speakers to teach reading and language lessons to beginner English learners.
I get to work about 30 minutes early, I close my door during my conference period and I do the same for lunch.
Use a single rubric for most work quality + teach students to self-assess their work from Day One.
Have students self assess themselves against exemplars in class.
Utilizing a good textbook or online resource can save a lot of time. Approaching the book thoughtfully is important, but it can save teachers from reinventing the wheel over and over.
Being relentless about prioritizing that what goes in front of kids gets done first, and remembering that things don't have to be cute/perfect/adorable as long as the content is strong.
For major assignments, I create several 2 min feedback video/mini lessons for common first-draft issues. Then, when scanning 120 drafts, my first feedback sounds like this :”See videos 1 & 3.”

Thanks to everyone for contributing their thoughts!

Consider contributing a question to be answered in a future post. You can send one to me at lferlazzo@epe.org. When you send it in, let me know if I can use your real name if it’s selected or if you’d prefer remaining anonymous and have a pseudonym in mind.

You can also contact me on Twitter at @Larryferlazzo.

Education Week has published a collection of posts from this blog, along with new material, in an e-book form. It’s titled Classroom Management Q&As: Expert Strategies for Teaching.

Just a reminder; you can subscribe and receive updates from this blog via email (The RSS feed for this blog, and for all Ed Week articles, has been changed by the new redesign—new ones are not yet available). And if you missed any of the highlights from the first 10 years of this blog, you can see a categorized list below.

I am also creating a Twitter list including all contributors to this column.

The opinions expressed in Classroom Q&A With Larry Ferlazzo are strictly those of the author(s) and do not reflect the opinions or endorsement of Editorial Projects in Education, or any of its publications.

Events

Jobs Regional K-12 Virtual Career Fair: DMV
Find teaching jobs and K-12 education jubs at the EdWeek Top School Jobs virtual career fair.
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Artificial Intelligence Webinar
Making AI Work in Schools: From Experimentation to Purposeful Practice
AI use is expanding in schools. Learn how district leaders can move from experimentation to coordinated, systemwide impact.
Content provided by Frontline Education
This content is provided by our sponsor. It is not written by and does not necessarily reflect the views of Education Week's editorial staff.
Sponsor
Student Well-Being & Movement Webinar
Building Resilient Students: Leadership Beyond the Classroom
How can schools build resilient, confident students? Join education leaders to explore new strategies for leadership and well-being.
Content provided by IMG Academy

EdWeek Top School Jobs

Teacher Jobs
Search over ten thousand teaching jobs nationwide — elementary, middle, high school and more.
View Jobs
Principal Jobs
Find hundreds of jobs for principals, assistant principals, and other school leadership roles.
View Jobs
Administrator Jobs
Over a thousand district-level jobs: superintendents, directors, more.
View Jobs
Support Staff Jobs
Search thousands of jobs, from paraprofessionals to counselors and more.
View Jobs

Read Next

Teaching Profession Download 5 Strategies for Supporting K-12 Teachers: Lessons From California
This resource discusses the main takeaways from a March 2026 live event hosted by Education Week and EdSource.
1 min read
Attendees and panelists partake in breakout sessions during the State of Teaching event in San Francisco in March 2026.
Attendees and panelists partake in breakout sessions during the State of Teaching event in San Francisco in March 2026.
Andrew Reed/EdSource
Teaching Profession Q&A Teach For America's Tutoring Focus Is Now Helping Drive Teacher Recruitment
The education corps is rebounding from pandemic losses, thanks in large part to a burgeoning tutor focus.
4 min read
Teach for America teacher Channler Williams with kindergartners at Templeton Elementary School in Riverdale, MD on April 12, 2016. Teach for America has seen its applicants drop in each of the last three years so they are retooling the way they recruit students. One thing they are doing is taking prospects to see TFA teachers at work. Today, students from Georgetown and George Washington University got a glimpse of life in the classroom and Mrs's Williams class was among those visited.
Teach For America has had success getting undergraduates to tutor, some of whom later go into its teaching corps. The organization is seeking ways how to respond to newer teachers' needs and expectations. TFA teacher Channler Williams works with her kindergartners at Templeton Elementary School in Riverdale, Md. on April 12, 2016.
Linda Davidson/The Washington Post via Getty
Teaching Profession 2026 Teacher of the Year Preps History Students for a Diverse and Divisive World
Leon Smith of Pennsylvania engages high school students in new angles on seemingly well-trodden topics and events.
3 min read
Teacher of the Year Leon Smith on March 25, 2026 Haverford High School in Pennsylvania.
The 2026 Teacher of the Year, Leon Smith, in his classroom at Haverford High School in Pennsylvania on March 25, 2026,
Courtesy of the Council of Chief State School Officers
Teaching Profession Flexibility and Teamwork Are Key to Rebuilding Teacher Confidence, Morale
Lone Star teachers and principals show the little ways schools can support teacher morale.
3 min read
Attendees during the State of Teaching event in San Antonio on April 14, 2026.
Attendees share stories during Education Week's State of Teaching event in San Antonio on April 14, 2026. Many said that helping make the job more flexible for teachers could go some ways to making the job feel more sustainable.
Kaylee Domzalski/Education Week