Every August, as the heat in Shanghai gets really oppressive, I find myself staring at a blank spreadsheet. The dilemma is always the same: do I spend my final week of holiday building every single resource for the next few months, or do I take it week by week and see how the students are feeling?
Two tribes
The just-in-time planners say you can't possibly know what to teach in week seven until you've seen the quiz results from week three. Planning months ahead is rigid and robotic.
The front-loaders want every worksheet, PowerPoint, and assessment signed and sealed before the first bell. It's the only way to avoid the Sunday night dread, they say.
Both have a point. Both are wrong.
The responsive teaching fantasy
The education gurus on LinkedIn lean heavily into just-in-time planning. They talk about responsive teaching and following the student's inquiry. A teacher's role is to be a facilitator who pivots on a dime.
It's noble. It's also unrealistic when you have five classes and a heavy marking load. Spontaneous lessons are often just poor lessons with a better name.
What I actually do
I use a 70/30 model. I front-load about 70% of the unit to find some peace. But I leave 30% as white space for the inevitable messiness of real life.
The biggest benefit of front-loading the core stuff — the main assessments and key content — is cognitive peace. When you walk into school on Monday morning, you shouldn't be wondering what you're teaching. You should be focusing on how you're going to teach it. If the resources are ready, you can spend your energy on the actual humans in the room.
But here's the counterintuitive part: the more I plan the structure in advance, the more flexible I can actually be. Because I know where we're going in week ten, I can afford to spend an extra day on Topic A in week three if the kids are struggling. Without a plan, a pivot is just getting lost.
What I'd suggest
If you're drowning in Sunday night planning, try three things:
The 70% core. Get your assessments and must-have PowerPoints done before term starts. This is your safety net.
The 30% buffer. Deliberately leave one lesson every two weeks as a reflection or reteach. Don't plan it. Use it for whatever the kids didn't get.
Adjust for your level. Primary teachers might need a 60/40 split because curiosity is more unpredictable. Exam-heavy secondary classes probably need 80/20 to cover the syllabus.
Planning is a craft, not a box-ticking exercise. Don't let the responsive gurus make you feel guilty for being organised. But don't let your organisation stop you from listening to your students.