Alliance for Catholic Education
The first thing I did when I got home for December break was plan. I know the more you plan, the smoother your day goes, allowing you to be prepared for unexpected "surprises". So I committed myself to sitting down and hammering out lesson plans. I lesson planned for the weeks that were to come, upon my return to the West Coast for the second half of the year.
I course planned for the major content areas that I needed to better outline. I planned the (or planned the gist of the) units that were to come in the next few weeks-- I was going to be ready this time. Yet little did I know, the only way in which one can be ready for this job is by beginning to accept the fact that one can and never will be ready for all of the curve balls that are thrown in this teaching game- especially in an elementary classroom.
After laboring to consider and plan the minutia of the rest of my school year, I came back to a classroom that I felt better prepared for. However, within a few very quick minutes I realized-there are some things you cannot be ready for no matter how much you prepare. I thought to myself, "Well, here goes nothing."
This thought didn't mean that I was resigning myself to just anything this semester, rather, in an instant, I realized that planning can be both extremely helpful, but also trivial in some cases. I came into second semester with much better planning under my belt, which undoubtedly has helped me to navigate the unfathomed and unpredictable situations that are inherent in the worlds of children and education. But I also am telling myself it's ok to take each day as it comes. I can't be ready for everything...and I'm at peace with it.
So, exactly what changes am I making in the classroom this semester? These changes are two-fold: first, I am better planning and preparing for each and every day of school. Secondly, I am embracing the fact that even with all the planning in the world, the beauty of working with children is that there is never a dull or predictable moment.