The Importance of Change

We always hear 'change is hard' and this year in particular, it could not be more true.  This year our middle school has undergone a number of changes.  Some very necessary, some by choice and some that are out of our control.  When too many changes occur at a given time, and there are cracks in the foundation of trust, things can become unsettling, negative and at times more than one can bear.  In the teaching profession change is always going to come.  Some argue that it comes slower in teaching than in any other profession.  There tends to be push back with change.  I think it has to do with the level of uncertainty and unknown it brings with it. We like routine and perfecting our craft, and just when you start to feel comfortable and confident in what you are doing, new initiatives, new technology and new philosophies creep in.  

The one aspect of change that I have always had an easier time embracing is the change that occurs in my classroom.  With my students.  I am someone who likes to mix it up each year.  While I keep some of the main areas of content in tact (poetry, research, short stories), I have always enjoyed trying a new lesson or activity within that content.  This year I have been teaching poetry through Interactive Student Notebooks (ISN) for the first time and am loving it!  I think the students are really into the tactile and interactive piece especially.  It has been a true learning experience that I have had and been able to share it with my students.  We have been able to build a safe learning environment on trust and risk taking, which has been key.  I think that there is so much value in students seeing a teacher try something for the first time and work their way through it. Essentially making it one of the more powerful ways of showing it is okay to try something new....through modeling. 

I am planning on taking that to the next level and truly changing a significant unit that I have been teaching and evolving with over the past ten years and throwing it out the window and starting something completely new.  I am extremely nervous and scared that it will not work, or I will fail and it is going to be a complete and utter disaster.  Not to mention, I will be entering uncharted waters for me....drama.  I am throwing away my world mythology unit and replacing it with a unit on Thornton Wilder's Our Town...ambitious for 7th graders??  I know!  This is why people are so hesitant to change.  It is scary and it has great potential to not go well.  However, I was raised with the mindset that I am not going to shy away from something just because it is hard.  Change is hard, but the reward can be great.  I am looking forward to spending all of my energy into making this decision be a success, while knowing it will need to evolve and it won't be perfect.  

As one of my teaching inspirations David Burgess says 

"If someone told you teaching would be easy, they lied. It's not supposed to be easy, it's supposed to be worth it."

#TLAP Book Club

How often is it that teachers make time to sit around discussing a book that makes them excited about being a teacher? Well, it is happening out here on our little island off of Massachusetts and I am thrilled. Reflection in education is so important and it is often overlooked or swept under the desk, due to the lack of time.  We don't always make the time for ourselves, which allows us to grow as educators.  This year, I have been trying to 'steal' time to reflect on my teaching.  Recently, my principal, Dr. Cohen started up a book club based on a book and author that I am passionately familiar with and am thrilled to have coming to Nantucket this August!! The book Teach Like a Pirate by David Burgess has really hit home with not only me but many of my colleagues.  It is a book dedicated to helping teachers increase student engagement and enhance teaching through creativity and thinking outside the box.  Which are precisely the areas of teaching that I have a soft spot for.

For our first Book Club meeting we had a healthy mix of educators across all disciplines.  We focused on Part 1: Teach Like A Pirate and went around the room sharing  our "take-aways" or lines that stuck with us.  It was a very organic, laid back way of approaching a book, which was right up my alley.  The highlights of Part 1 for me were the two questions that the author asks you to pose to yourself.  They have always stuck with me and I find myself coming back to them when I am planning or revamping a lesson.  "Question One: If your students didn't have to be there, would you be teaching in an empty room?"  and the second questions goes along with the first..."Question Two: Do you have any lessons you could sell tickets for?"  

Now these two questions can misguide one's train of thought.  They are not to lead you down the path of "do my kids like me?" or "am I everyone's favorite teacher?".  They are posed to make you think about your delivery of your content and your instruction.  The way I look at teaching with these questions in mind is, are my students excited to come to class and learn my English content?  Am I presenting it in a particular fashion that creates energy and excitement about learning? Will they remember what they have learned based on the experience I have created in my classroom?

I look forward to our next Book Club meeting and the opportunity to reflect with colleagues on best practices.  I am in my tenth year of teaching and have never been presented with this unique opportunity to discuss pedagogy and teaching philosophies.  It is motivating and quite frankly, a breath of fresh air.