Teaching with
a sense of urgency doesn’t mean you rush through the content because you have
so much you have to cover (although this is a sad reality). Instead, teaching with a “sense of urgency”
means you make every second in the classroom count and make wise, educated
teaching decisions that have a direct impact on getting your students where
they need to be. It’s making the most of
every moment you have with your students and not becoming complacent on where
your students are or what you’re/they’re doing.
I think one of the key ideas in this chapter was about promoting joy in
learning. Joy is contagious. If teachers emit joyfulness with what they’re
teaching and how they’re teaching it, the students will “catch” the
joyfulness. As teachers, we need to be
excited about learning and making educational, memorable moments with our
students. On the other hand, complacency
is also contagious and can be “caught” as well; therefore, teachers should be
mindful of their attitudes towards learning and be sure they are sending the
desired message to students. When you
combine joy with making every moment count, it adds up to a recipe for success!
~Sarah Lanier
I love your take on Routman's "sense of urgency" being positive not stressful. The joy you mention is something that you are excited about experiencing and naturally want to share. The attitude that we approach our day is definitely contagious and makes a huge difference for students and teachers alike.There's nothing better than a joyful classroom which actually makes our jobs easier and more rewarding. That brings success for everyone as you stated beautifully!
ReplyDeleteGreat point! Joy is as contagious as the flu in mid-March! Our students need to know that we can be joyful even when things are challenging. What a better time for us to exemplify this!
ReplyDeleteSo true. I feel so stressed and I think my students can sense it. I am trying to just relax and be sure I am giving them good quality. Even if I don't get to everything, like you said, I need to make sure what I am giving them is what they need. I need to relax and enjoy so my kids can too!
ReplyDelete