Simplify Your
Teaching Life
Jenny Blanton
I am coming back to the classroom full time after staying
out for 10 years. Naturally the title of
Chapter One (Simplify Your Teaching Life) stood out to me. Some days I feel like a chicken with my head
cut off. I can use all the help I can
get to settle myself and get in a groove!
I love all the things Routman had to say in this chapter. She brought out several good points here
about focusing on the things that matter the most, and that is teaching to our
kids’ needs. Obviously this can be
challenging at times because all of our students have different needs, but it’s
the best way to help them. I think one
of my favorite parts of the chapter was the list she titled “Ways We Complicate
Our Teaching Lives”. I am guilty of all
of these. I also like that she mentioned
as teachers we need to be careful how we weigh research we read and make sure
it’s credible.
If I am completely honest I struggled with the fact that I
felt that her thought process is contradictory to the way I perceive I am being
guided to teach. She talked a lot about
using your strengths as a teacher and teaching how you feel is best for your
classroom. I often get the impression
that we all need to be teaching reading and writing a certain way and even
setting our classroom up a certain way, which makes it difficult for me to
trust I know what is best for my students.
My hope is that once I get myself settled and do simplify my teaching
life I can focus on my strengths and my students’ needs.
I really enjoyed this chapter. Some of my goals after reading this is to be
creative in how I can help my struggling students and get them engaged in
reading. I hope I can create a classroom
environment that will be both comfortable and challenging for my students this
year!
I completely understand how you feel when you talk of the contradictions. Routman is saying trust yourself and provide for your students but then we have checklists and guidelines. I almost look at the guidelines as training wheels into that ideal classroom that Routman describes. We read these books and articles and practice new things as ways to get to the instruction that will be more natural and free for ourselves and students. We will be able to read with a student and know him, guide him, and provide for him without the need of a basal or a program to do it. We are all hoping to get into a good groove just like you and I believe that knowing your students is the first step in helping them, so you are doing great!
ReplyDeleteI feel the same way, Jenny. I, too, feel like I have not reached a place where I can trust myself to do what's best for my students while balancing the demands that are placed on us. I also have to work to find a balance between what is expected of a general education student and what works best for children with special needs, specifically autism. This year, I feel like a first year teacher all over again, even though I've been in the classroom for 14 years.
ReplyDeleteHang in there, Jenny! Sometimes I think of teaching like juggling--you can keep the balls flying once you're in the groove, but getting there (or getting out of the groove!) makes for a difficult journey! Thank you for your honesty, and this contradiction is a valid one. As a teacher, my strategy was to follow the "guidelines" for a while until I could feel out what my strengths were, and then I found the research to back up what I wanted to do with my kids. I bet there will be some overlap between those "guidelines" and your strengths! :-)
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