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Advice

Have a plan, but be flexible!

I am now in my 10th year of teaching, and one of the most important lessons I have learned is that it’s great to have a plan, but we must learn to be flexible.
Published: December 6, 2016

So, it’s the second period of the day. Your first block Algebra I class went off without a hitch. You count it as a sign of a good day any time your ninth grade class runs smoothly. Now, it’s time to change gears for your second block, an Algebra II class of sophomores, juniors and seniors. Today is going to be a great day! You have put hours into creating a PowerPoint with built-in activities and video clips. The kids are pouring into your classroom while you’re setting up. Then, as you press the button to start the presentation, BOOM…it happens!! Somehow your Smart Board decides that today is the day to make a dummy out of you, and it projects your slides upside down on the screen!! WHAT in the WHOLE ENTIRE WORLD?!?!

This is the true story of what happened to me a few years ago. I, a fairly technologically savvy teacher, thought of myself as a whiz with my Smart Board. Well, apparently, I had my students and myself fooled. I panicked for about 15 seconds, and then I realized I’d have to go on teaching the old fashioned way…as I scratched my head and tried to find my dry erase markers. I am now in my 10th year of teaching, and one of the most important lessons I have learned is that it’s great to have a plan, but we must learn to be flexible.

If teaching is full of nothing else, it is full of surprises. Unfortunately, those surprises don’t always come wrapped in the form of the joy you feel when you see the light bulbs come on in your kids’ eyes, or when a parent sends you a sweet email about how she appreciates all you’ve done to help her child. More often than not, surprises come in the form of technology snafus, last minute assemblies, impromptu meetings and kids getting sick out of nowhere. So, it’s important to always have a plan, but you MUST be flexible.

One word of advice for when things go wrong is to RELAX!! Some teachers get so upset and uptight when things don’t go as planned. I understand, it is disappointing when you’ve worked so hard to plan a great lesson, but it’s better for you and for your students if you learn to laugh things off. If the situation is funny, just laugh at it, especially when the joke is on you. The kids will see that you are just human, and they need to know teachers aren’t these perfect creatures incapable of doing wrong. Also, remember your students are watching you. If you panic, they will panic…on your level times 10!! Unless you want pure chaos, it’s best to relax, take a deep breath, and woosah!!

 

Another tip is to plan for and adjust to distractions and technology failures. Always have a backup plan for technology mishaps. If you have a really great video, take a few screen shots of the high points. If the internet crashes or it takes forEVER for the video to load, you can show the kids the screen shots you have saved to your computer. I have found that using card stock in sheet protectors as wipe off boards works best for a quick formative assessment, when the internet is down and we can’t play Kahoot (a great online quiz maker) or other online review games.

Always keep activities on hand for impromptu assemblies or meetings.

Our school is known to have class meetings, so I may be missing half of my class, and don’t want to keep teaching only to reteach when the others return to class. I keep books, magazines and review activities on hand for my students during these times. I also use this time to remediate students who need a little extra help. Pinterest and Teachers Pay Teachers have awesome ideas for “if we have time” activities.

There is a saying: “Failing to plan is planning to fail.” I agree wholeheartedly with this statement. I also believe it is equally important to be adaptable and roll with whatever life throws at you. This teaching thing can get kind of crazy, and it’s best that we don’t allow ourselves to be wound too tightly. So, as another saying goes, “Be flexible, and that way, you’ll never be bent out of shape!!”

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