Making Time for What Matters

What would become possible if we stopped thinking about time only as something we need more of?

One of the most frequent concerns we hear from educators is that there is simply never enough time. Not enough time to observe, document, plan, collaborate, respond, reflect, never enough time for all that needs to be done. This is a tension we keep returning to - it is a concept we have written about in our book and on the blog before.  And still, there seems to be more to uncover.

Across the many differences and nuances of education we have experienced around the globe, time continues to emerge as a persistent theme. We both find it curious that, after the better part of three decades working alongside leaders and their teams, time remains such a thorn in teachers’ sides. Regardless of culture or context, the age of students, or the experience and qualifications of teachers, conversations about time inevitably rise to the surface in the work we do. Yet, when we dig beneath this ever-present concern, we often discover that the ways teachers organise and use their time are among the least-changing aspects of their practice. This presents not simply a problem to be solved, but an opportunity to be seized.

What might become possible if we stopped asking, “How can we fit everything into the time we have?” and instead asked, “What kind of time do we need in order for learning to flourish?”

It requires a new way of seeing how we spend our time: moving away from the idea that time is a resource to be managed, measured and extracted for maximum productivity, and towards an understanding of time that allows us to embrace the rhythms of learning.

Learning does not always move in straight lines or unfold according to the neat temporal structures we impose upon it. It loops, lingers, accelerates, pauses and sometimes appears to stand still. It requires time for wondering, revisiting, connecting and making meaning. It asks us, perhaps, to become more attentive not simply to how much time we have, but to the qualities of time we create and inhabit together as we support and scaffold learning processes. 

And as we lean into this new way of seeing the role of time, we can take encouragement from Ruth Allen, a geologist turned psychotherapist, who brings her knowledge of the Earth’s deep time into her work with people. In her most recent book, Weathering, Allen writes:

“Time is not a resource we have for cashing in. True timefulness… is to live in awareness of the dynamic and unpredictable array of times that co-exist within one life, as well as the intersubjective nature of time between all individuals. To live it well, we may need to break the temporal norms altogether and finally come to terms with time as entirely relational and contingent upon each other in specific and localised ways. In this way, time becomes unique among individuals who co-create its meanings and who give it vibrancy and liveness through their interaction with each other.” 

- Ruth Allen, 2024.

Such a simple yet profound shift: when we rethink the identity we give to time, we begin to discover its mercurial, elastic and generative possibilities; and to imagine the pedagogical rhythms we might create within it. Each year, as we begin the cycle afresh, we inherit a familiar constellation of things that need to be done, accompanied by a finite allocation of time. The challenge is not simply to fit everything in, but to compose a rhythm that holds the necessary schedules, events, deadlines and tasks, while still throwing open the doors to possibility - allowing children’s (and educators’) inquiries, curiosities and investigations the time to linger, deepen, meander and take flight.

“Time is not only a backdrop to learning but an active force within it. Just as time bends and stretches in theoretical physics, so too can it shift in the classroom; influenced by curiosity, relationships and the rhythms of play. A single morning can contain an entire universe of thought, a year can pass by in the blink of an eye. The challenge for educators is to recognise this elasticity, not to control time but to embrace it, making space for the unhurried, for wonder, for the delightfully unexpected moments when children’s engagements unfold at their own pace.”

-Finding Our Way: Developing a Shared Pedagogy, 2026, p.267

As always, a meaningful place to start lies with the children: seeking to understand how they experience time in our classrooms, rather than simply how we organise it for them. Do they feel they have enough time to become absorbed in what they are doing? Do they experience moments of lingering, where an idea can be revisited, deepened or followed in an unexpected direction? Do they feel rushed from one experience to the next, or do they have a sense of agency over the pace and direction of their learning? And what happens when we give them more time - what becomes possible that might otherwise remain unseen?

Perhaps we might ask children (and ourselves): When does time feel too fast? When does it feel too slow? When do you wish you had more time? What kinds of learning need time to unfold? Their responses might offer us a different temporal map - one that reveals not only where time feels scarce, but where it might be stretched, slowed, opened up or reimagined.

If we are brave enough to become curious with children about the impact of time on their experiences, we might just discover a new opportunity to rethink how we spend our finite budget of time. These insights can help us prioritise what matters most to children, allowing their voices and perspectives to shape the temporal climate of the classroom and beyond.

This might mean making intentional decisions to protect extended periods of play; creating opportunities to return to experiences, materials and ideas so that thinking can deepen over time; or seeing transitions not simply as the necessary movement between lessons, but as an integral and meaningful part of the educational experience. All of this sits within our pedagogical remit: to find genuine spaces for contemplation, experimentation and possibility in the ways we structure our days.

In Finding Our Way, we have created a range of thinking tools to support teams to explore these questions together - to scaffold discussion, reflection and a closer examination of our relationship with time. These include Finding Flow, Unpacking Children’s Thoughts on Time and Reading Your Own Pedagogical Rhythms. We would love to hear how these tools shape your practice and support your team to think differently about their relationship with the schedule, the clock and the possibilities that lie between them.

And so we wonder…

How does time shape the experiences you create with children?

What small shifts might you make to create conditions for time to feel more expansive, meaningful and immersive?

And what might become possible if we began to see time not only as a pressure to be managed, but as a pedagogical opportunity to be intentionally composed?

Reference: Allen, R. (2024). Weathering: How the earth's deep wisdom can help us endure life's storms. Ebury Press.