How do others handle scheduling students for the new year? Do you give returning students a chance to reserve their spot first, do you start with a clean slate each year and take requests on a first come, first served basis? Do you give priority to students who continue through the summer? I find that the spots on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday from 4 to 6 pm are the top choice for 90% of my students. How do others make it all fit in a way that’s fair and manageable?
At the end of the year, when I conduct my Year-End Evaluations, one of the questions on the Parent Questionnaire is “Do you plan to have your child resume lessons in the fall?” There are check boxes for “yes” and “no” and then check boxes for “same time” or “other time” with a blank where they can list their preferred day/time. I make a note of all of these requests in my schedule spreadsheet. I do give priority to those who want to keep the same time, and then beyond that just do the best I can to accommodate the requests. Thankfully, my families understand what a huge job scheduling is and are very understanding if I can’t get them in their requested time.
What do you all do? Do you have any great scheduling strategies that work for you?
Remember, if you have a question you’d like to contribute to next week’s Monday Mailbag, leave it in the comments below or send me an e-mail sometime this week with Monday Mailbag in the subject line!
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