Written by Dr. Kenneth Varner

According to research reported in Wong and Wong (1998), the typical teacher consumes 90 percent of allocated instructional time.  Consider what would be the loss if teachers gave students the last five minutes of each class period as free time each day.  Those five minutes per day over a 180-day school year would amount to more than 17 days of lost instruction.  Of all the limited resources in education, perhaps none has a larger impact on student achievement than time.

The best teachers, of which Brewton has many, always have a sense of urgency about instruction.  They don’t worry about having enough material to fill the time, but instead whether or not they will have enough time to cover all of the material.

Equally important to the amount of time spent on instruction is how effectively that time is used.  A well-trained, highly motivated teacher not only utilizes all of the available time, but will also strive to improve the quality of instruction through professional development and personal growth.  Increasing the efficiency of student learning is ever present in their classrooms.

Observations throughout Brewton City Schools validate the emphasis that teachers put on both the quantity and quality of instruction.  Our teachers work hard to maintain the “Tradition of Excellence” by challenging students with well planned, thought provoking lessons that utilize the entire class periods.

And because our teachers make the efficient use of time such a priority, it’s a great time to be a TR Miller Tiger!