On a recent weekend as I sat down to tackle some work for the week ahead, I said to my husband, “I can’t imagine not having a chronicle, it really helps you to feel organised.”
What ensued was a conversation about how grounded and calm something like a chronicle can make you feel. I’d never really thought about the origins of the teacher chronicle so I did a little research.
In the beginning
A blog post on a UK educational planner website mentions a teacher in the 1970s who saw a need for a tool that would help teachers deal with increasing demands.
An Australian company, ATC, also mentions the chronicle evolving in the 70s into a central place for teachers to plan and keep records.
Earlier versions had space for class rolls, attendance and marks, closely followed by sections for lesson plans.
In the digital age
Of course there are now digital chronicles. For a few years I used digital documents and tools but it never felt quite the same.
There is something satisfying about a chronicle lying flat on your desk and the feel of leafing through the pages as the weeks and terms progress.
Highlighting and colour coding for classes and activities helps you feel more organised – perhaps with the illusion you are on top of things.
The market for chronicles and planners has expanded with numerous styles, colours and formats. If you gave up on old school chronicles, I urge you to reconsider!
Useful moments
I’ve previously written about the importance of keeping records of incidents, and a chronicle makes this easy. A few words jotted down on the day can help jog your memory when you record it formally.
A lesson topic entered either before or after the fact can be helpful when it comes to completing registers and compliance. It’s also great to put in any extras or when you have sick leave.
Information can sometimes get lost in our email inboxes but a note in your chronicle is much easier to track.
Recording history
I recently found my chronicle from the COVID lockdown days.
It was fascinating to flick through and see the 11am reports of case numbers, which borders were closed, which students I needed to follow up on as they’d missed a few Zoom lessons and the theme of our faculty Zoom catch-up each week.
So, yes, our chronicles are an essential tool for us to stay organised but they can also be part of the bigger picture of our career.
They preserve the stories and experiences that might otherwise be forgotten, creating a meaningful record of our own history.