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How many students do you teach one right after the other, without a break in between lessons?

If you schedule breaks between lessons, how long are the breaks and do you actually end up teaching through them?

1. Depends on the amount of students. right now, in the current economic situation I could sit through 12 students without a break! but in general I'd say that every couple of hours I HAVE to stand up, take a 5 minute break...

2. And yes, I most usually end up teaching through my breaks, or even after my end time. My students don't mind, but the parents do! ;D

If there's one thing I'm bad at is at 'over offering' and staying too much in my job position (more than I should).

I've started scheduling 15 minutes for myself between every two lessons. It usually ends up being more like 8-10 minutes, but I can grab a glass of water, go to the bathroom, check messages or whatever during that time.

The most I can do is 4 or 5. Always give myself a 30 minute break, and I never teach through them. (If I did, they wouldn't be breaks!)

Here is my schedule:

Weekdays
Start 12:00pm/3:00pm
End 8:30pm

Break: 45min dinner break around 5/6pm

Weekend
Start 9:00am
End 6:30/8:00pm

I have two 30min breaks

I have between 4-8 students before I have a break. The average is usually around 5. I wish I could have an extra 15min break but It was impossible for me to schedule 60 lessons in 5 days w/out taking less breaks.

Sometimes I teach through parts of my breaks (like on the weekends) but on the weekdays maybe I teach an extra 15mins into my break. It depends on the student, the day, and how hungry I am lol!

1. Usually 3 - 5, depending on the length of the lessons.

2. I try not to teach through them, but I'll say that it's happened a couple times. My breaks are 5 to 30 minutes, depending on what part of day it is. If it's noon, I'll give myself a 'legit' lunch break.

The most I did last year was 9 students with no break, and this year it's 8 (most are 30 minute lessons). Today I teach 3:30 - 8:00 PM

I'm not good at short breaks between every couple of hours. They tend to fill up with teaching too long or with the students showing up too early...
What works well with me is teaching three to four hours straight and then take a really big break of a half or even a whole hour.
Also, I'm trying to be really strict with myself about not teaching into my breaks. I need the breaks to restore my energies for the next students.

How do you get your student to leave on time so you get your break?

You can head for the door and stop talking. This allows them to talk just a bit more. You can say, "look forward to seeing/hearing you next week." If it's necessary, I say, "I really have to eat something before my next student gets here, and there are only seven minutes left."

What specific problem are you having with them leaving on time? It may require a scheduling change. For instance, a very chatty person could be put at the end of a series of students.

With really chatty - sticky - students, I start to wind down the lesson about five minutes before the end. Instead of starting something new, we recapitulate what we've done in the lesson and I make sure it's clear for the student what the homework is. This way, I have control about the situation.

I hand them their assignment sheet and say "great work, see you next week." I stand up and head to the door. If they're being slow, I'll help them pack up their things.

I always make sure to wrap things up so that the last few minutes of the lesson feels like an ending. It's also important to structure lessons consistently - if you provide a regular routine for students to get used to, it becomes second nature and everyone expects it.

For particularly stubborn people, I simply say "I wish we could keep going, but I need to practice/prepare/eat dinner/let the dogs out/etc..." and take them to the door.

Hey, that's what MY teacher says. This thread has made me realize that I'm one of THOSE students. *cries*

I try to schedule my lessons so every 2 or 3 hours I have a one hour break. I prefer to stand during lesson times and do plenty of demonstrations; this usually tires me out quickly. I would normally take a good solid nap of at least half an hour to recharge myself and then the rest of the time I practice or read a book. If I have to make up some time, I could also take half an hour from the break time for this purpose. I used to teach almost 5-6 hours straight without any break when I was in music school, and I felt it was not very healthy as the later students did not get the full benefit of my teaching as I was too exhausted by then.

Since I don't have a particularly full schedule, I can afford to schedule plenty of breaks between students. I actually find the extra time refreshing, which allows me to be more effective. And I actually get to practice the pieces I'm teaching and plan for lessons!

I don't know how some teachers can teach 10 students in a row nonstop. And they're the GOOD teachers! They have so much energy, it's like they're on caffeine or some stimulant. You'd assume that teachers with 60+ students would become ineffective, but not from what I've seen.

It's ok, mostly I really enjoy those students and *do* wish we could keep going! Also, it's part of our job to have these strategies in place, because it's our job to keep to time (not the student's).

I am to blame for most of it. I need to stand up and escort them out, the parents and students. Still adjusting to 30 students, always had 10-12 till last year. I have an issue also with kids who are not picked up promptly. They are supposed to wait on my front porch or in my waiting room area, but they keep coming to the studio door (french doors with windows) and peeking in, which can be disruptive. I address this situation but kids will be kids...